Nutley School Board Holds Budget Hearing: See Tax Impact For Homeowners

NUTLEY, NJ — The budget has been “balanced,” Nutley school administrators say.

The Nutley Board of Education held a public hearing for the district’s 2026-2027 budget on Monday. Watch video footage of the meeting below, or view it online here.

District administrators shared a presentation outlining this year’s spending plan. It can be seen online here. View the user-friendly budget here.

The local tax levy comes to $73.35 million. Total operating revenues come to $89.8 million. The school tax rate will be 1.46 percent – an increase of 0.79 percent from 2025.

The average Nutley homeowner with a property assessed at $494,786 will see a $392 increase to the school portion of their taxes under the latest budget, according to figures presented during the hearing.

Business Administrator Michael DeVita said that in order to balance the budget, some changes had to be made. They included:

• Moving 6^th Grade Students To John H. Walker Middle School – “It is more efficient to teach the students in one building as opposed to doing it in five.”
• Grants – “Our educational services have been reallocated to some state and federal grants, so that helped.”
• Efficiencies – “We reviewed efficiencies in transportationroutes where possible, and also principals have worked to create efficient cafeteria and playground coverage schedules.”
• Supplies – “We did look at educational supplies in all categories. They were reduced where applicable.”
• Maintenance and Custodial – “Our maintenance and custodial supplies and services were also reduced.”
• Summer Hours – “Summer hours will only be assigned when absolutely necessary.”
• Leases – “We looked at some leases such as coffee machines that have been and will continue to be reviewed throughout the school year to ensure that we receiving the lowest cost.”

Other spending will remain the same, including the district’s athletic and extracurricular programs – none of which are being eliminated.

DeVita said administrators tried to maintain “critical programs that support student success” under the latest budget, especially those that align with state graduation requirements.

“While every program in our district has value, we were deliberate in protecting those that are essential to ensuring our students meet key academic benchmarks,” he said.

DeVita said that through “attrition and careful planning,” the district was able to reduce positions without any loss of employment.

“A couple years ago, the district faced difficult reductions in force,” he said, referring to the financial struggles that have brought a state monitor to Nutley in 2024.

“This proposed budget reflects a more positive approach,” he said.

• Related: NJ Appoints State Monitor In Nutley Schools Amid Financial Woes
• Related: Bad Budgeting Leads To $7M Shortfall In Nutley Schools

ADEQUACY

The district’s business administrator also offered some background about Nutley’s “adequacy” status with the state.

According to DeVita:

Above Adequacy – “If you are above adequacy, this means that total funding exceeds the state calculated adequacy budget. This often occurs when the community chooses to support schools above the state minimum or local revenue exceeds the state's assumed local fair share. This does not mean that the district is overspending or inefficient.”

Below Adequacy – “If you are below adequacy, this means that the total funding is less than the state calculated adequacy budget. This typically means that the district is not fully funded under the state formula or cannot raise its full local share without significant tax impact. This does not mean that the district is failing to educate its students.”

“As you can see, the past four years, we have been under adequacy each year and our adequacy budget for the 26-27 school year according to the state is $88,743,000… We are $9.6 million below that number,” DeVita reported.

Watch video footage from the Nutley Board of Education meeting on April 27 here, or view it below.

PROPERTY TAXES IN NUTLEY

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. In 2025, the average Nutley resident paid $13,314 in property taxes on a home valued at $493,362 (not including credits and deductions).

Here’s how that broke down, according to state data:

• School – 51.2%
• Municipal – 34.1%
• County – 14.7%

>> RELATED: Property Taxes Keep Rising In Nutley And Belleville: See Latest 5-Year Breakdowns

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