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Teaneck budget

Teaneck · 2025-26 User-Friendly Budget
Updated June 2026

Budget

In 2025-26, Teaneck proposed a $120.7 million General Fund operating budget.

Operating revenue

  • Local sources$106.3 million
  • State sources$9.4 million
  • Federal sources$7,378
  • Fund balance / other$5.1 million

Operating spending

  • Instruction and day-to-day operations$111.2 million
  • Charter and Renaissance transfers$8.7 million
  • Buildings, equipment, and other capital costs$827,935

These are proposed NJDOE User-Friendly Budget planning rows—not audited actuals, household tax bills, or all-funds totals.

Budget front brief

For Teaneck, the first budget read is a named-row story: Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76; comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.

  • Named UFB rowTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76. Do not overread: Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Check Source rows
  • Cost vs peersNJDOE’s published comparative-cost line is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts. Statewide rank: 64 of 566.Peer evidence
  • Who paysLocal sources supply 88% of proposed General Fund operating revenue (the recurring operating fund, not all funds), 6 pts above the Bergen County average. This is not a tax bill.Revenue families
  1. What is newsNamed UFB rowTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76. Do not overread: Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtota...Source rows
  2. What is backgroundNominal growthNominal operating budget moved +$19,541,960 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. The report tests that against CPI-U and UFB on-roll: real operating budget per planning student moved -$443.Trends and inflation
  3. What to verifyReporting checkAccount detail for the named source row. Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.Source rows

Loaded UFB rows use 2025-26 unless a section names another frame; the map routes proposal, peer, inflation, category, student, side-file, and source-row proof.

Budget essentials

For Teaneck, these are the UFB-backed answers a resident needs before reading the line tables: the first story route, fair comparison, current proposal, payer mix, category signal, inflation trend, student denominator, and side-file context.

+7 pts

What is the budget story to test first?

Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.

  • Which named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?
  • Proof route: Source rows.

Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.

Source rows
$28,294

Is this district high, low, or typical against fair peers?

Comparative cost per pupil is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts. Statewide rank 64 of 566.

  • Peer denominator: Bergen County districts.
  • Use dot spacing and named peer context before treating the rank as meaningful.

A cost rank is not an efficiency, adequacy, quality, or waste finding.

Peer evidence
-$119,760

What changed in the latest budget file?

Operating budget moves -$119,760 from revised/current to proposed, 0 pts of proposed operating scale.

  • Largest named row: Total Revenues from Local Sources (+$3,318,763).

This is not the long-run inflation-adjusted trend or the board/contract/formula reason for the change.

Proposal changes
88%

Who pays for the operating budget?

Local sources supply 88% of proposed General Fund operating revenue.

  • That source share is 6 pts above the Bergen County average.
  • Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average.

Revenue shares are not tax bills, sustainability findings, or proof of spending quality.

Revenue families
Local taxes and local sources

Which budget family explains more than the total?

Local taxes and local sources: Current scale: 89% of operating-budget scale, $107,028,175.

  • Peer gap: +9 pts versus the Bergen County average.
  • Real movement: -$9,955,944 across loaded UFB years.
  • Latest proposal movement: +$3,017,804.

Budget families are contextual, nested source-row groups; do not add them into an accounting schedule.

Categories and lines
2019-20-2025-26

What changed after inflation?

2019-20 to 2025-26: Real operating budget per UFB planning student moved -$443 from $32,999 to $32,556.

  • UFB planning on-roll changed -153.
  • NJDOE comparative cost changed -$309 after CPI-U adjustment.

Real movement is context for the multi-year budget path, not proof of the current proposal’s cause.

Trends and inflation
3,708

Does the denominator or service load change the per-student read?

special-education planning rows: 681 (18% of UFB on-roll).

  • sent placements: 130 (4% of UFB on-roll).
  • Sent-placement share is 7 pts below the Bergen County average.

UFB planning rows are budget denominators and service-load clues, not direct evidence of need, quality, staffing, or compliance.

Costs and students
side files

Which outside-operating or side-file rows can change the story?

Special Revenue Funds is $9.7 million, 8% of operating-budget scale.

  • Fund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million.
  • Projected close-year recap balances total $8.3 million.
  • Positive unusual-item explanations total $400.0 million.

Side-file and outside-operating rows can be restricted, one-time, projected, or contextual; they are not recurring General Fund spending by themselves.

Side files

Each answer names its comparison, time basis, fund scope, or denominator. The limits are as important as the figures: UFB can surface budget signals, but outside records still have to explain causes, choices, service quality, tax bills, and sustainability.

Peer position snapshot

Before the map, these strips show whether the opening cost, funding, and category signals are near the local pack or visibly apart from it. Gray dots are peer districts, the accent dot is this district, the dashed mark is the Bergen County average, and the short solid tick is the peer median.

local peer distribution - dashed avg, solid median tickCost positionCost per pupil$28,294rank 12 of 75$24,524 avg$22,890 med$6,000$114,000Tax effortTax levy/student$28,295rank 12 of 75$22,716 avg$21,521 med$0$86,000Pupil-cost lineOperations cost / pupil$3,572rank 12 of 75$2,919 avg$2,639 med$0$14,000

Each strip has its own unit and scale; higher is not automatically better or worse. Use the rank as order, then use dot spacing to judge whether the rank reflects a meaningful spread or a tight cluster.

How to read this report

Budget language key

Use these terms before reading any rank, trend, category, source-row, or side-file claim. The report compares several evidence bases; the label tells which one is being used.

TermUse it forDo not read it as
Comparative costNJDOE’s published per-pupil cost line for comparing districts.A recomputed total-budget-divided-by-enrollment number, a quality rating, or proof that spending is high or low for the same reason everywhere.
UFB on-rollThe planning-enrollment denominator inside the User-Friendly Budget.Fall enrollment, a head-count audit, or the only denominator that can matter for per-student claims.
Real dollarsDollar movement converted to 2025 dollars with CPI-U when the report says real or inflation-adjusted.The same thing as latest-file proposal changes, which are nominal revised/current-to-proposed budget columns.
Operating basisGeneral Fund operating budget or operating revenue, depending on the measure named in the row.All-funds revenue, audited financial-statement revenue, or a property-tax bill.
Source rows and familiesNamed UFB revenue and appropriation lines, plus reader-facing groups that make row-level evidence searchable.An additive accounting schedule; rows can be nested, repeated, or outside the operating budget.
Side filesTax-rate, balance, unusual-item, shared-service, school-resource, and selected administrative-salary context.Complete payroll, audited savings, spendable cash, recurring revenue, or tax-bill advice.
Peer and slice framesCounty peers, statewide ranks, budget-model clusters, scale groups, and category slices that test whether a number is unusual for the comparison.Causal peers, targets, or judgments that a district should match a different district’s budget.

This key is an orientation layer for the generated budget report. It does not replace the statewide measure guide; it keeps the most common bases visible before the long evidence tables.

Budget thesis and reporting order

What is this budget story here?

Categories and source rows. Categories and named rows are the first explanation layer. Largest high-level use is general current expense, 92% of operating budget; operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; named row Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is +7 pts versus local peers. Treat ordinary nominal spending growth as background unless a peer or slice comparison, category/source row, proposal movement, CPI-adjusted trend, denominator, tax signal, or outside record makes it news.

  1. 1Compare firstRead cost relative to peers and slices.NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts. Statewide rank is 64 of 566.Check peer and slice evidence
  2. 2Find the explanation layerCategories and named rows are the first explanation layer.Largest high-level use is general current expense, 92% of operating budget; operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; named row Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is +7 pts versus local peers.Check categories and source rows
  3. 3Use inflation as a guardrailA simple spending-went-up frame is weak.Operating scale changed -$6,690,911 in 2025 dollars from 2019-20 to 2025-26; comparative cost changed -$309 after inflation; UFB planning on-roll changed -153.Check inflation and denominator evidence
  4. 4Report beyond UFBWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?Pull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.Check Source rows

What the numbers support now

Start here before writing from a single cost rank.

  • Categories and source rowsCategories and named rows are the first explanation layer. Largest high-level use is general current expense, 92% of operating budget; operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; named row Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is +7 pts versus local peers.This is where the report moves from one cost number to the spending categories and source rows that are actually distinctive.Check categories and source rows
  • Fair comparisonRead cost relative to peers and slices. NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts. Statewide rank is 64 of 566.The cost number becomes useful only after the report tests local peers, statewide rows, and overlapping budget-model slices.Check peer and slice evidence
  • Who paysFunding model changes the meaning of the same cost figure. Local sources supply 88% of operating revenue, 6 pts above the Bergen County average. Tax levy per UFB on-roll is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average.A locally funded, state-funded, federally supported, or balance-supported budget can have the same per-pupil cost for different reasons.Check revenue families

What changes the interpretation

Use these rows to keep inflation, denominator, and service-load context attached to the claim.

  • Not the story by itselfA simple spending-went-up frame is weak. Operating scale changed -$6,690,911 in 2025 dollars from 2019-20 to 2025-26; comparative cost changed -$309 after inflation; UFB planning on-roll changed -153.Use the inflation and denominator evidence as background before claiming a district-specific budget story.Check inflation and denominator evidence
  • Students and servicesThe denominator can change the per-pupil read. Budgeted out-of-district placements are 4% of UFB on-roll, 7 pts below the Bergen County average; Special-education planning share is 18%, 1 pt above the Bergen County average.Fall enrollment, UFB planning enrollment, placements, and service-load rows should travel with any per-student cost claim.Check costs and students

What still needs reporting

UFB identifies the question; these checks name what has to be verified outside the source file.

  • Named UFB rowWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up? Pull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Check Source rows
  • Tax effortHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated? Use municipal tax-bill, equalized-value, and rate documents to translate UFB levy/rate context into what local taxpayers actually experience.Estimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.Check Tax context
  • Funding modelWho pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers? Read aid notices, budget-hearing materials, and board minutes to separate formula aid, one-time support, reserve use, and local decisions.Operating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.Check Revenue families

This thesis is generated from published UFB rows, CPI-adjusted history where available, local/state comparison sets, and the report’s strongest signal scan. It is a reporting order, not a causal model or a replacement for board records, contracts, tax files, staffing context, and audited financials.

Budget reporting notebook

This notebook turns the ranked UFB leads into a document trail: the signal in this report, the outside records to pull, the interviews or checks to run, and the unsupported reading to block before writing from the numbers.

LeadUFB signalRecords to pullInterviews / checksUnsupported read to block
1Named UFB rowWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?Source rows+7 ptsTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.
  • Account detail for the named source row.
  • Board packet or resolution tied to the account.
  • Grant, contract, tuition, or transfer document if the row is restricted.
  • Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.
  • Check whether the row is a subtotal, nested row, one-time item, or restricted source.
Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.
2Tax effortHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?Tax context$28,295Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.
  • Estimated tax-rate worksheet and municipal rate or bill tables.
  • Equalized and taxable valuation notices.
  • Levy-cap worksheet and budget-hearing presentation.
  • Ask finance officials how equalized value and rate rows translate to local bills.
  • Check municipal or regional slices before attributing burden to school spending.
Estimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.
3Funding modelWho pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers?Revenue families88%The largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.
  • State-aid notices and aid-calculation summary.
  • Budget-book revenue schedule and levy-cap worksheet.
  • Board minutes or resolutions for fund-balance and reserve use.
  • Ask what share is formula aid, levy, reserve use, or one-time support.
  • Compare the explanation with state notices and board approvals.
Operating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.
4Cost positionDoes the cost rank still make sense after funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows are considered?Peer evidence$28,294NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.
  • Adopted budget book and UFB narrative.
  • Audit or ACFR schedules, staffing pages, and program descriptions.
  • Budget presentations for the local peers used in the comparison.
  • Ask the business administrator which obligations make the peer set fair or unfair.
  • Check whether grade span, placements, facilities, or transfers move with the cost.
NJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.
5Pupil-cost lineWhich NJDOE standardized per-pupil row is furthest from the local peer average?Pupil-cost rows$3,572Operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.
  • Pupil-cost support schedule behind the standardized row.
  • Staffing roster, benefits rates, facilities, or program budget pages.
  • Contracts or purchased-service detail for the category.
  • Ask which staffing, benefits, facilities, or program records feed the standardized row.
  • Check whether the line is a component, subtotal, or comparison-only measure.
Several pupil-cost rows are components of broader totals, not an additive bridge.
6Spending mixWhich operating-use category makes the district unlike its peers?Spending categories7%Charter / Renaissance transfer share is 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 2 of 32.
  • Appropriation account detail behind the large category.
  • Program, contract, transfer, or staffing schedules tied to the row.
  • Budget amendments and board agenda items around the change.
  • Ask which program, contract, staffing pattern, or pass-through sits inside the category.
  • Check whether the category is recurring, restricted, or an accounting structure.
High-level use shares share one denominator, but lower-level UFB rows can overlap and should not be summed.

The records and checks are reporting targets, not files contained in the UFB release. They are generated from the same signal ranking as the lead sheet so the report stays anchored in source evidence while making the next journalism step explicit.

Budget machine

Why this budget behaves this way

The budget story for Teaneck starts with cost position; cost engine; who pays. This panel extracts the basic resident-facing read from UFB before the report opens the long proof sections.

  1. Relative costCost position
    Claim
    Published comparative cost is $3,770 above the Bergen County average.
    Evidence
    $28,294; +$3,770 versus Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts. Statewide, it is $4,703 above the NJ average; rank 64 of 566.
    Why it matters
    Start here so a budget story is about position against a fair comparison, not just the fact that spending rose.
    Do not write
    Comparative cost is NJDOE’s published line. It is not a quality rating, efficiency score, or tax-bill estimate.
    Peer evidence
  2. Local-revenue modelWho pays
    Claim
    Local sources are the largest operating-revenue source, at 88% of proposed General Fund operating revenue.
    Evidence
    $106.3 million; 88% of operating budget; 6 pts above the Bergen County average. After inflation, local sources moved -$9,172,795 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. State sources are 8% and moved +$553,673 after inflation over the same span. Tax levy per UFB on-roll is $5,579 above the Bergen County average.
    Why it matters
    This names the revenue machine behind the cost comparison: a local-tax district, state-aid district, grant-heavy district, and fund-balance-supported district have different budget stories.
    Do not write
    Revenue mix is not an all-funds view, not a household tax bill, and not proof of what the district buys.
    Revenue families
  3. Recurring usesCost engine
    Claim
    The strongest recurring-use signals are instruction programs, preschool.
    Evidence
    Instruction programs: 26% of operating-budget scale, -$7,333,924 after inflation, -4 pts versus Bergen County average, largest row: Total Regular Programs-Instruction. Preschool: 11% of operating-budget scale, +$2,948,609 after inflation, +8 pts versus Bergen County average, largest row: Total Preschool Education Aid.
    Why it matters
    This turns the broad spending total into named categories a resident can inspect: current scale, movement after inflation, and peer gap all matter.
    Do not write
    These families can be nested or contextual. They do not prove cuts, waste, staffing quality, or legal service obligations.
    Category evidence
  4. Real per-student trendInflation and denominator
    Claim
    Real operating budget per UFB planning student moved -$443 across loaded UFB years.
    Evidence
    $32,999 in 2019-20 to $32,556 in 2025-26; UFB on-roll moved -153. Fall enrollment on the profile is 3,619.
    Why it matters
    This is the answer to the generic spending-went-up story: after inflation, did the budget numerator, the planning denominator, or both change?
    Do not write
    This does not say why enrollment changed, whether services changed, or what any family paid in taxes.
    Inflation trends
  5. Proposal and reservesBudget-year bridge
    Claim
    The live-year read depends on limited support, outside-operating rows.
    Evidence
    Fund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million, 3% of operating-budget scale; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million. All-funds net spending is $131.1 million, $10.3 million above the operating budget.
    Why it matters
    This keeps current proposal movement, one-time support, and outside-operating rows separate from the long-run CPI-adjusted trend.
    Do not write
    Do not turn this into audited actual spending, a cut list, recurring revenue, or proof of fiscal distress without local records.
    Proposal changes

The machine read uses UFB summary, revenue, appropriation, pupil-cost, budget-enrollment, reserve, and side-file rows through 2025-26. Money trends use 2025 CPI-U dollars where labeled; proposal rows are nominal revised/current-to-proposed movement.

Budget squeeze explainer

What is actually putting pressure on the budget?

For Teaneck, this panel connects the revenue model, recurring cost families, student denominator, current proposal, and local record checks before the report moves into the longer evidence sections.

LaneEvidenceReader readCheck next
Revenue ceilingTrends and inflationlocal sources supply 88% of proposed operating revenue, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; state sources supply 8%; recurring local, state, and federal source summaries moved -$8,761,981 after inflation while operating scale moved -$6,690,911.This is the first test for a cap-sensitive district: is the recurring operating revenue model keeping pace after inflation, and how dependent is the district on local sources?Pull the levy-cap worksheet, state-aid notice, cap-bank/waiver rows, tax-base records, and budget presentation before writing a cap-exhaustion or underfunding claim.
Cost engineCategories and linesInstruction programs: 26% of operating-budget scale, -$7,333,924 after inflation, -4 pts versus Bergen County average, largest row: Total Regular Programs-Instruction; Preschool: 11% of operating-budget scale, +$2,948,609 after inflation, +8 pts versus Bergen County average, largest row: Total Preschool Education Aid; Transfers and tuition: 17% of operating-budget scale, -$400,188 after inflation, +2 pts versus Bergen County average, largest row: Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition); Special education and student supports: 18% of operating-budget scale, -$3,198,081 after inflation, largest row: Total Special Education-Instruction.This turns the broad spending total into the first recurring categories to inspect. The story may be current scale, peer difference, real movement, or all three.Pull staffing rosters, placement/tuition schedules, contracts, program schedules, and budget-book narratives before translating category rows into classroom, staffing, or service-impact claims.
Students and service loadCosts and studentsreal operating budget per UFB planning student moved -$443 from 2019-20 to 2025-26; UFB planning on-roll moved -153; special-education on-roll is 681 (18% of UFB on-roll); sent placements are 130 (4% of UFB on-roll).This keeps the per-student story from becoming only a dollar story: the denominator, placements, and service-load rows can change the read.Pull fall enrollment, special-education placement records, IEP/service-obligation context, tuition contracts, transportation records, and staffing schedules before explaining why the load changed.
Balancing layerProposal changeslatest proposal moves operating budget -$119,760 from revised/current to proposed; fund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million, 3% of operating-budget scale; largest row is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million.This separates the current budget vote and one-time support rows from the multi-year inflation-adjusted trend.Pull the adopted budget book, audit, appropriation-of-surplus resolution, reserve schedules, and budget adoption minutes before calling this recurring revenue, audited cash stress, or a complete cut list.

Money movement uses 2025 CPI-U dollars where the row says after inflation. This is a reporting synthesis, not a deficit finding, tax-bill estimate, quality rating, or claim that a listed category caused a cut.

Budget evidence board

The four checks before writing the budget story

For Teaneck, the useful budget read is a sequence: compare the published cost position, explain the category families, check inflation and denominator movement, then verify whether the live proposal continues or complicates that pattern.

Compare

$28,294; $3,770 above the Bergen County average.

FrameDistrictAverageGapRank
Bergen County districtsclosest local comparison frame$28,294$24,524+$3,77012 of 75
All NJ UFB districtsstatewide baseline before narrowing the frame$28,294$23,591+$4,70364 of 566
Mostly locally fundedsame funding model, so revenue dependence is not hidden by one rank$28,294$24,352+$3,94253 of 368
2,500-9,999 UFB on-rollsimilar UFB planning-enrollment scale$28,294$21,462+$6,8324 of 139
Peer and slice proof

Explain Categories

Special revenue funds: 16% of operating scale, +9 pts vs Bergen County average, +$6.0 million after inflation.

FamilyLatestPeer gapReal moveProposal
Special revenue fundsTotal Special Revenue Funds16%+9 pts+$6.0M-$341K
Capital, facilities, and debtTotal Capital Outlay2%-9 pts-$1.8M-$4.4M
Fund balance and reservesBudgeted Fund Balance-Operating Budget3%-4 pts+$1.1M-$2.7M
PreschoolTotal Preschool Education Aid11%+8 pts+$2.9M+$689K
Category proof

Check Inflation

UFB on-roll moved -153; operating-budget numerator moved -$6.7 million after CPI-U.

MeasureValueMoved
Real operating per UFB on-rollUFB on-roll moved -153; operating-budget numerator moved -$6.7 million after CPI-U.$32,999 to $32,556-$443
Comparative cost per pupilLatest peer gap +$3,770; first gap was +$4,143.$28,294 vs $24,524 avg-$373
Operations and maintenance per pupilLatest peer gap +$653; first gap was +$111.$3,572 vs $2,919 avg+$542
Classroom instruction per pupilLatest peer gap +$2,278; first gap was +$3,420.$16,200 vs $13,922 avg-$1,142
Trend proof

Verify Proposal

Latest-file proposal rows are nominal and should be read apart from CPI-adjusted history.

Current-year clueMoveOp. scale
Operating budget proposalnominal revised/current-to-proposed movement-$120K>-1%
Total Revenues from Local SourcesRevenue; peer net +3 pts of operating scale across 75 districts+$3.3M3%
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition)Appropriation; peer net 0 pts of operating scale across 73 districts-$3.0M-2%
Total Tax LevyRevenue; peer net +3 pts of operating scale across 74 districts+$2.6M2%
Proposal proof

The board uses the latest UFB year for comparison rows, 2025 CPI-U dollars where it says real or after inflation, proposed operating budget as the category scale denominator, and nominal revised/current-to-proposed dollars for proposal rows. Source-family rows are contextual and can be nested, so this is a reporting map rather than an additive accounting schedule.

Budget operating model

The budget model in six reads

For Teaneck, this is the compact operating model behind the long UFB report: scale, payers, uses, real movement, live proposal movement, and checks that can change the interpretation.

  1. ScaleHow big is the operating budget?
    $120.7 million

    $120.7 million proposed General Fund operating budget; $32,556 per UFB planning student; $352 below the Bergen County average on operating budget per UFB planning student.

    Use this as the recurring operating scale. It is not all funds, audited actual spending, or a household tax bill.

    Cost basis
  2. PayersWho funds the operating budget?
    Local sources: 88%

    Main operating sources: local sources 88% ($106.3 million); state sources 8% ($9.4 million); fund balance / other sources 4% ($5.1 million); 6 pts above the Bergen County average.

    Read this as General Fund operating revenue mix. Grants, debt service, capital funds, and tax-rate files sit on different bases.

    Revenue families
  3. UsesWhat does the budget buy?
    Instruction programs: 26%

    Largest visible source families by operating-budget scale: Instruction programs 26%; Special education and student supports 18%; Transfers and tuition 17%. Largest visible row: Total Regular Programs-Instruction.

    Families are source-row groups, not an additive accounting schedule. Use them to decide which category proof section to open first.

    Category proof
  4. TrendWhat changed after inflation?
    -$443

    real operating budget per UFB planning student moved -$443 from $32,999 to $32,556; operating-budget numerator moved -$6.7 million after CPI-U while UFB on-roll moved -153; top family movement: Local taxes and local sources -$10.0 million after inflation.

    This is the guardrail against the generic nominal-spending-growth story: separate inflation, budget numerator, and UFB planning denominator before writing.

    Inflation proof
  5. ProposalWhat changes in the live budget file?
    -$119,760

    operating budget proposal moved -$119,760 (>-1%) from revised/current to proposed; largest visible increase: Total Revenues from Local Sources +$3.3 million; largest visible decrease: Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition) -$3.0 million.

    These are nominal latest-file proposal rows. They should be read beside, not merged into, the CPI-adjusted history.

    Proposal proof
  6. ChecksWhat can change the interpretation?
    3% one-time scale

    fund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million, 3% of operating scale; tax levy per UFB planning student is $5,579 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75; sent placements is 7 pts below the Bergen County average; rank 27 of 73.

    Use these as follow-up checks before writing deficit, tax-bill, service-cut, adequacy, or efficiency claims from UFB alone.

    Side-file checks

The model uses 2025-26 UFB rows for the current read, 2025 CPI-U dollars where it says real or after inflation, proposed General Fund operating budget as the common scale where labeled, and Bergen County average for local peer comparisons where enough rows exist.

Budget answer sheet

This answer sheet gives the basic budget read for Teaneck before the detailed report opens. It turns the current proposal, peer frame, funding model, spending uses, student/service load, inflation, and side files into direct questions a resident can answer from UFB evidence.

QuestionAnswer from UFBHow to read itProof
-$120Kproposal changeWhat changed in the current proposal?Live proposalThe live proposal changes the operating budget -$119,760 (>-1%) versus the revised/current column.This is the current budget-year decision point. Long-run charts later in the report convert history to real dollars, but this row is the latest file’s nominal proposal change.Check proposal changes
$28,294comparative costIs the district high, low, or typical against a fair benchmark?Fair comparisonNJDOE comparative cost is $3,770 above the Bergen County average.The ordinary per-pupil-spending line is only the starting point. The fair question is whether the district’s cost position fits its funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows.Check peer and slice evidence
88%largest sourceWho pays for the operating budget?Who paysLocal sources supplied the largest operating-revenue share, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Revenue mix is the policy frame behind the cost comparison: a locally funded district, a state-aid district, and a district using fund balance can show the same cost number for different reasons.Check revenue families
-9 ptsvs avgWhere does the operating budget go?What money buysCapital, facilities, and debt is the strongest generated spending/category clue: 9 pts below the Bergen County average, latest proposal movement -$4,394,615, -$1,765,632 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26.This keeps the report out of the generic spending-went-up narrative. The category and named-line sections show which uses are actually large, unusual, or moving.Check spending categories
18%UFB on-rollWhat student or service-load context changes the read?Students and servicesspecial-education on-roll is 681 (18% of UFB on-roll).Per-pupil comparisons move when the denominator or service load changes. This report keeps fall enrollment, UFB planning enrollment, placements, and student-need rows next to the cost evidence.Check students and service load
-$6,690,911real operating changeWhat changed across loaded UFB years after inflation?What changed after inflationAfter inflation, operating-budget scale changed -$6,690,911 from 2019-20 to 2025-26.This is the long-run context. It is deliberately separate from the latest proposal-column changes so ordinary nominal growth does not masquerade as the budget story.Check inflation trends
$3.7 millionfund/reserve sourcesWhat else can change the budget story?Reserves and side filesFund balance and reserve sources total $3.7 million.These rows can explain a budget year without being recurring operating spending. The report keeps fund balance, reserves, recap balances, unusual explanations, shared services, salary rows, and school-resource statements outside additive totals.Check reserves and side files

The answer sheet is generated from published UFB rows and local/state comparison sets. It is an evidence map, not a causal model; dollar trend claims are inflation-adjusted only where the text says so, and proposal rows are nominal latest-file movement.

Budget explanation brief

What explains this budget first

Local taxes and local sources is the largest current family outside the broad current-expense total, at 89% of operating-budget scale. Special revenue funds has the widest local peer gap, +9 pts against the Bergen County average. Local taxes and local sources moved the most after inflation, -$9,955,944 across loaded UFB years.

Category, trend, and comparison scan

These are the source-row families where current scale, peer position, inflation-adjusted movement, or the latest proposal move most change the story.

  • Local taxes and local sourceslarge now / peer gap / real movementTotal Tax Levy (Revenue line 100/114, $104,918,488)
    Current scale
    89%$107,028,175
    Peer gap
    +9 ptspeer avg 80%
    Real movement
    -$9,955,944-3 pts
    Live proposal
    +$3,017,804+2 pts of operating scale
  • Special revenue fundslarge now / peer gap / real movementTotal Special Revenue Funds (Appropriation line 88760, $9,724,760)
    Current scale
    16%$19,449,520
    Peer gap
    +9 ptspeer avg 7%
    Real movement
    +$6,044,599+6 pts
    Live proposal
    -$341,4780 pts of operating scale
  • Capital, facilities, and debtpeer gap / real movement / proposal moveTotal Capital Outlay (Appropriation line 76400, $827,935)
    Current scale
    2%$2,637,788
    Peer gap
    -9 ptspeer avg 11%
    Real movement
    -$1,765,632-1 pt
    Live proposal
    -$4,394,615-4 pts of operating scale
  • Instruction programslarge now / peer gap / real movementTotal Regular Programs-Instruction (Appropriation line 3200, $26,666,788)
    Current scale
    26%$31,817,276
    Peer gap
    -4 ptspeer avg 30%
    Real movement
    -$7,333,924-4 pts
    Live proposal
    +$2,810,500+2 pts of operating scale
  • Preschoollarge now / peer gap / real movementTotal Preschool Education Aid (Appropriation line 87100, $5,257,329)
    Current scale
    11%$13,317,829
    Peer gap
    +8 ptspeer avg 3%
    Real movement
    +$2,948,609+3 pts
    Live proposal
    +$689,459+1 pt of operating scale

Bars are scaled separately within each scan column; use the printed values for exact cross-column comparisons.

SignalQuestionEvidenceUse and limit
Largest current familyLocal taxes and local sourcesHow much of the budget story is local levy, tuition, fees, or miscellaneous local revenue?$107,028,175 in latest source-row dollars; 89% of proposed operating-budget scale.Largest visible row: Total Tax Levy (Revenue line 100/114, $104,918,488).Start here for the part of the budget that has the most current scale before reading smaller line movers.Large does not mean unusual, efficient, inefficient, or recurring; the peer gap and source-row basis still have to be checked.Categories Source rows
Widest local peer gapSpecial revenue fundsHow large are grant-funded or otherwise outside-operating programs relative to operating budgets?16% locally versus 7% for the Bergen County average; gap +9 pts.The family sits above the local peer frame on the same operating-budget-equivalent denominator.Use this as the clearest category clue that the district differs from nearby districts.A peer gap is not a cause, a quality rating, or proof of waste; it needs program, enrollment, tax, labor, and board-document context.Peer evidence Comparisons Categories
Largest real movementLocal taxes and local sourcesHow much of the budget story is local levy, tuition, fees, or miscellaneous local revenue?-$9,955,944 from 2019-20 to 2025-26 after CPI-U adjustment to 2025 dollars.Operating-equivalent share changed -3 pts over the same loaded years.Use this for the trend question, because it tests whether a category changed after inflation instead of repeating that nominal spending rises.This is not the latest proposal movement and can reflect row availability, program shifts, or denominator changes across loaded UFB years.Trends Categories Source rows
Largest current proposal moveCapital, facilities, and debtAre capital projects, facilities acquisition, reserve withdrawals, or debt-service rows distorting all-funds comparisons?-$4,394,615 from revised/current to proposed in the latest UFB file.That equals -4 pts of proposed operating-budget scale.Largest named proposal row: Total Facilities Acquisition and Construction Services (-$2,237,709 current-to-proposed).Use this for what the current budget file says is changing now, separate from the multi-year inflation-adjusted trend.Proposal movement is nominal and latest-file only; it is not audited actual spending and should not be added across nested rows.Proposal Source rows

This brief uses generated UFB source-row families as a reporting triage layer. Latest scale and peer gaps use proposed operating budget as a common denominator; real movement is converted to 2025 dollars with CPI-U; proposal movement is nominal revised/current-to-proposed movement in the latest UFB file. Families are contextual and can be nested, so this is not an additive budget schedule.

Budget story package

For Teaneck, start with this budget question: Which named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up? The package keeps the UFB-supported claim, fair comparison, inflation/category/proposal checks, next reporting move, and blocked overread on the same row.

PackageWhat UFB showsCompare / changeReport / block
Lead to testNamed UFB row+7 ptsTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.Check: Source rowsCompare againstCompare the same source row against local peers and then inspect the account detail; the row may be a subtotal, restricted source, pass-through, or one-year item.What changes the readReaders can see which line is specific enough to request board backup, account detail, or an agenda item.Report nextAccount detail for the named source row. Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.Do not writeNamed rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.
Fair comparisonCost position$28,294NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.Check: Peer evidenceCompare againstStart with Bergen County districts and the Bergen County average; then test statewide, model, scale, student-service, and outside-operating frames before treating the rank as the story.What changes the readUse this to decide whether local peers, statewide slices, scale, funding model, service load, or source-row context is the fair comparison before quoting a rank.Report nextAdopted budget book and UFB narrative. Ask the business administrator which obligations make the peer set fair or unfair.Do not writeNJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.
Inflation testTrend and denominator2025 dollarsreal operating budget per UFB planning student changed -$443 from 2019-20 to 2025-26; UFB planning enrollment changed -153; NJDOE comparative cost changed -$309 after inflation.Check: Inflation trendsCompare againstCompare this with the latest-year Bergen County average, the report map, and the trend section before calling growth the story.What changes the readThis separates nominal spending growth from real per-student movement, denominator change, and the latest proposal columns.Report nextFirst and latest budget books and budget presentations. Ask which decisions changed between the first and latest loaded UFB years.Do not writeReal-dollar movement is long-run context; it is separate from the latest proposal-column decision.
Category explanationLocal taxes and local sources89%Local taxes and local sources: $107,028,175 latest source-row dollars, 89% of operating-budget scale; +9 pts versus the Bergen County average; -$9,955,944 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26; +$3,017,804 latest proposal movement; largest visible row: Total Tax Levy.Check: Category evidenceCompare againstCompare the same source-family share with the Bergen County average, then check category, peer, trend, proposal, and source-row sections.What changes the readThis is the category/slice evidence that can make a budget story specific; it is not a second total to add to the operating budget.Report nextAppropriation account detail behind the large category. Ask which program, contract, staffing pattern, or pass-through sits inside the category.Do not writeBudget families can be nested, repeated, or contextual, so they are reporting leads rather than an additive budget schedule.
Live proposalAdjustment for Prior Year Encumbrances-$1,742,479Adjustment for Prior Year Encumbrances changes -$1,742,479 from revised/current to proposed; -1 pt of operating-budget scale; same-row local peer average movement is -2 pts across 70 peers.Check: Proposal changesCompare againstCompare the proposal package with the category map and trend bridge before calling it a pivot or continuation.What changes the readThis isolates the live budget decision from the broader real-dollar trend and from nested source-row totals.Report nextAccount detail for the moving row in first and latest loaded years. Ask which formula, grant, transfer, contract, staffing, or accounting event moved the row.Do not writeProposal rows are nominal latest-file movement, not audited actual spending or a multi-year inflation-adjusted trend.
Second signalReserves and fund balance$3.7 millionFund balance and reserve sources total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million.Check: ReservesCompare againstCompare balance, reserve, and carryover source rows with the operating budget scale; then check audited balances, restrictions, and recurrence.What changes the readCarry this beside the lead so per-pupil, tax, reserve, side-file, or outside-operating context is not left behind.Report nextAudit fund-balance note and reserve schedules. Ask whether the source is planned, audited, recurring, or a one-time budget bridge.Do not writeFund-balance and reserve rows are planned source or projected-balance context, not audited cash or recurring revenue.

Story packages are generated from ranked UFB signals, 2025-dollar inflation checks, local peer and source-family comparisons, latest proposal rows, and side-file cues. They are an assignment path, not a causal finding, quality rating, or additive accounting schedule.

Budget mechanism read

This panel turns the budget evidence for Teaneck into mechanisms: who pays; relative cost; category or slice are the first lanes to test before a reader writes from totals, ranks, or nominal growth.

MechanismDistrict readProof already hereReport nextBlock this overread
Opening frameRelative costPublished comparative cost is $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.$28,294; +$3,770 versus Bergen County average. Peer evidenceTest whether funding model, service load, category rows, or side files make the cost position explainable.A cost rank is not an efficiency, adequacy, quality, or taxpayer-impact finding.
In playWho paysLocal sources supply 88% of proposed General Fund operating revenue; 6 pts above the Bergen County average. Tax levy per UFB on-roll is $5,579 above the Bergen County average.Operating revenue source share from UFB summary rows. Tax: $28,295; rank 12 of 75. Revenue familiesAsk whether the cost story is also a local-revenue, state-aid, grant, tax-base, or fund-balance story.Funding mix is not a tax bill, adequacy judgment, or proof of what the district buys.
In playCategory or slicespecial revenue funds moved +$6.0 million after CPI-U from 2019-20 to 2025-26; +9 pts versus the Bergen County average; latest proposal moves special revenue funds -$341,478. Source-family rows can be nested, contextual, or outside recurring operating basis.Budget-family scan combines latest operating-equivalent scale, local peer gap, CPI-adjusted movement, proposal movement, and largest source-row clues. Budget anatomyReport the named row or family before saying total spending is the story.Budget families and source rows can be nested or contextual, so this is not an additive schedule or causal model.
Trend testInflation and denominatorAfter CPI-U adjustment, operating budget per UFB on-roll moved -$443 from 2019-20 to 2025-26; UFB on-roll moved -153.$32,999 to $32,556 in 2025 dollars per UFB on-roll. Inflation trendsSeparate real per-student movement from nominal budget growth and from the latest proposal column.This is not a current-year cut list, audited actual spending, or proof that services changed.
In playStudents and servicesspecial-education planning rows are 681 (18% of UFB on-roll); sent-placement rows are 130 (4% of UFB on-roll); operations and maintenance per pupil is $653 above the Bergen County average.special-education planning rows: 681; sent-placement rows: 130; Operations and maintenance per pupil: rank 12 of 75. Students and costsAsk whether per-pupil differences are a denominator, placement, service-load, or cost-row story.Planning rows are not fall enrollment, service quality, compliance evidence, or student-need proof by themselves.
In playOne-time supportfund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million; projected close-year recap balances total $8.3 million.3% of operating-budget scale; recap balance side file. Reserves and balancesAsk which support is recurring, restricted, already committed, or a one-year budget bridge.Balance and reserve rows are planned-source or projected-balance context, not audited cash or structural-deficit proof.
CheckOutside operating and side filesall-funds net spending is $131.1 million, $10.3 million above the operating budget; unusual-item file has 233 positive rows totaling $400.0 million; shared-service file lists 9 arrangements.largest outside-operating row: special revenue funds at $9.7 million; selected administrative salary side file lists 21 rows. Budget anatomyAsk whether grants, debt, capital, preschool, unusual items, shared services, or salary side files change the operating story.Outside-operating and side-file rows are context; they are not recurring General Fund operating spending or audited savings.

Mechanisms are generated from UFB summary, revenue, appropriation, pupil-cost, budget-enrollment, tax, reserve, and side-file rows. Money trends use 2025 CPI-U dollars where labeled; proposal rows remain nominal latest-file movement.

Cost-position clues

NJDOE comparative cost puts this district above the Bergen County average. These clues name the concrete UFB measures, funding and tax signals, named rows, current-proposal movement, denominator checks, and budget-year context that can explain or complicate that position before the report moves into full evidence.

ClueEvidenceHow to read itProof
Headline metricNJDOE comparative cost$28,294; +$3,770 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75This is the published cost-position metric. The rows below are the visible UFB clues to test before treating the rank as a story by itself.Peer evidence
Scale checkOperating budget per UFB on-roll student$32,556; -$352 vs Bergen County average; rank 19 of 76This recomputed operating-budget scale check uses UFB on-roll as the denominator; it can confirm or complicate NJDOE’s published comparative-cost line.Cost basis
Tax clueTax levy per UFB on-roll student$28,295; +$5,579 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75Tax levy per UFB on-roll is a burden and tax-base clue to read beside the cost position; it is not a tax-bill estimate.Tax effort
Funding clueLocal operating revenue share88%; +6 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 30 of 76Funding mix explains who carries the operating budget. It can make the same cost position mean different things, but it does not show what the district buys.Revenue families
Peer clueListed admin base salaries per UFB on-roll student$673; -$517 vs Bergen County average; rank 51 of 76A lower-than-peer counter-signal that may complicate a simple high-cost story.Costs and students
Peer clueOperations and maintenance per pupil$3,572; +$653 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75A higher-than-peer clue to inspect when explaining the above-average cost position; it is not proof that this row caused the gap.Costs and students
Peer clueClassroom instruction per pupil$16,200; +$2,278 vs Bergen County average; rank 8 of 75A higher-than-peer clue to inspect when explaining the above-average cost position; it is not proof that this row caused the gap.Costs and students
Peer clueSupport services per pupil$5,282; +$736 vs Bergen County average; rank 11 of 75A higher-than-peer clue to inspect when explaining the above-average cost position; it is not proof that this row caused the gap.Costs and students
Peer clueBudgeted out-of-district placements share4%; -7 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 27 of 73A lower-than-peer counter-signal that may complicate a simple high-cost story.Costs and students

The clues use Bergen County districts with usable latest-year UFB rows unless noted. Proposal rows are nominal revised/current-to-proposed movement; trend rows use 2025 dollars where labeled. These are reporting leads, not a causal model and not a rating of spending quality.

Cost-position judgment

For Teaneck, the cost-position read is above the Bergen County average. This ledger decides whether the visible UFB signals line up with that read, complicate it, or leave the explanation outside the budget files.

JudgmentEvidenceReader takeNext check
Cost storyComparative cost per pupil: $28,294 (+$3,770 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75)Treat the above-average cost position as the question to explain, not as proof of waste, adequacy, service level, or cause.Peer evidence
Signals that line upTax levy per UFB on-roll student: $28,295 (+$5,579 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75); Operations and maintenance per pupil: $3,572 (+$653 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75); Classroom instruction per pupil: $16,200 (+$2,278 vs Bergen County average; rank 8 of 75).These measures move in the same direction as the published cost position. They are clues to inspect, not a causal proof that any one row creates the cost gap.Category and funding evidence
Signals that complicateBudgeted out-of-district placements share: 4% (-7 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 27 of 73); State operating revenue share: 8% (-5 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 30 of 74).These measures move against the simple cost read. Keep them visible before writing a one-note high-cost or low-cost story.Cost and student context
Named row to testTotal Tax Levy: 87% of operating scale; +11 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 17 of 76.A named UFB row can make the story concrete. It still may be nested, contextual, or outside the recurring operating basis, so it needs the source-row proof section.Source rows
Generated story lanespecial revenue funds moved +$6.0 million after CPI-U from 2019-20 to 2025-26; +9 pts versus the Bergen County average; latest proposal moves special revenue funds -$341,478. Source-family rows can be nested, contextual, or outside recurring operating basis.This is the strongest generated source-family route. Use it to decide what to report next, not as an accounting total or causal model.Budget anatomy
Still unresolvedAccount detail for the named source row. Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.UFB can rank and compare the signal, but it still does not prove cause, adequacy, intent, quality, or taxpayer impact. Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Source rows

The ledger uses Bergen County districts with usable latest-year UFB rows unless the row names another frame. It is a reporting synthesis, not an efficiency rating, adequacy claim, or causal model.

Budget report section

Start with the story

What is the short version, what can UFB prove, which signals deserve the first read, and which simple reads need a second signal?

What explains this budget

Named UFB row. Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.

AskWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?Do not overreadNamed rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Check: Source rows
  1. $28,295Tax effortTax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.AskHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?Do not overreadEstimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.Check: Tax context
  2. 88%Funding modelThe largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.AskWho pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers?Do not overreadOperating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.Check: Revenue families
  3. $28,294Cost positionNJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.AskDoes the cost rank still make sense after funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows are considered?Do not overreadNJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.Check: Peer evidence
  4. $3,572Pupil-cost lineOperations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.AskWhich NJDOE standardized per-pupil row is furthest from the local peer average?Do not overreadSeveral pupil-cost rows are components of broader totals, not an additive bridge.Check: Pupil-cost rows
  5. 7%Spending mixCharter / Renaissance transfer share is 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 2 of 32.AskWhich operating-use category makes the district unlike its peers?Do not overreadHigh-level use shares share one denominator, but lower-level UFB rows can overlap and should not be summed.Check: Spending categories

These are generated reporting leads ranked from the latest UFB row scans, county comparisons, planning-enrollment rows, and real-dollar trend checks. The question and counter-reading keep each lead from becoming a causal claim before the full report evidence is checked.

Budget reading memo

The useful budget read for Teaneck is not a single spending-up sentence or a lone rank. Test this question first: Which named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up? Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.

Do not stop at the simple read

NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75. After inflation, operating budget per UFB planning student changed -$443 from 2019-20 to 2025-26; UFB planning enrollment changed -153. Those facts matter, but they should travel with the named UFB row question instead of becoming the whole story.

Check: Source rows

Report this next

Pull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.

  • Account detail for the named source row.
  • Board packet or resolution tied to the account.
  • Grant, contract, tuition, or transfer document if the row is restricted.
  • Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.
  • Check whether the row is a subtotal, nested row, one-time item, or restricted source.
ContextUFB signalWhy it changes the readGuardrail
Tax effortTax contextTax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.Readers can separate school-budget pressure from taxable-base and municipal-rate context before translating UFB rows into household burden.Estimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.
Funding modelRevenue familiesThe largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Readers can separate a budget that is locally funded, state-aid driven, federally supported, or temporarily balanced by reserves before judging the same cost number.Operating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.
Cost positionPeer evidenceNJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.Readers can decide whether the fair next question is a local peer comparison, a statewide slice comparison, or a denominator/service-load check.NJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.

This memo is generated from ranked UFB signals, local peer context, loaded-year inflation checks, proposal columns, and side-file evidence. It is an editorial route through the evidence, not a causal finding; Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.

Question-to-reporting path

The first resident question for Teaneck is Which named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up? This path keeps the strongest UFB clues beside the first fair comparison, the records to pull, and the shortcut to block before writing.

Reader questionUFB clueFirst comparisonReporting move
Named UFB rowWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.Contextual UFB revenue or appropriation source row, operating-budget-equivalent scale, and same-row peer scan.Compare the same source row against local peers and then inspect the account detail; the row may be a subtotal, restricted source, pass-through, or one-year item.Check: Source rowsPull or ask
  • Account detail for the named source row.
  • Board packet or resolution tied to the account.
  • Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.
Do not write yetNamed rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.
Tax effortHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.UFB levy rows, estimated tax-rate side file where present, planning-student denominator, and local peer context.Compare levy per UFB planning student, estimated school-tax rate, and tax-base rows separately before translating the signal into taxpayer burden.Check: Tax contextPull or ask
  • Estimated tax-rate worksheet and municipal rate or bill tables.
  • Equalized and taxable valuation notices.
  • Ask finance officials how equalized value and rate rows translate to local bills.
Do not write yetEstimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.
Funding modelWho pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers?The largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Latest General Fund operating revenue summary, operating-budget denominator, and local peer source-share context.Compare operating revenue shares against the Bergen County average; keep state aid, local levy, federal support, and fund balance on their own bases.Check: Revenue familiesPull or ask
  • State-aid notices and aid-calculation summary.
  • Budget-book revenue schedule and levy-cap worksheet.
  • Ask what share is formula aid, levy, reserve use, or one-time support.
Do not write yetOperating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.
Cost positionDoes the cost rank still make sense after funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows are considered?NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.NJDOE comparative-cost row, latest-year local peer rank, and local peer average gap where usable.Start with Bergen County districts and the Bergen County average; then test statewide, model, scale, student-service, and outside-operating frames before treating the rank as the story.Check: Peer evidencePull or ask
  • Adopted budget book and UFB narrative.
  • Audit or ACFR schedules, staffing pages, and program descriptions.
  • Ask the business administrator which obligations make the peer set fair or unfair.
Do not write yetNJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.

This path is generated from the same ranked UFB signals as the budget memo and claim audit. It is a reporting crosswalk, not a finding that one row caused another.

Public hearing agenda

This turns the budget report into meeting questions: the generated UFB signal, the local record or explanation to ask for, the proof section to open, and the reading that should be blocked before a resident or reporter writes from the numbers.

QuestionUFB signalAsk for / checkProofBlock this read
Current proposalWhich proposed changes are recurring, which are one-time or restricted, and what local action explains the largest named row?Operating proposal changes -$119,760 from revised/current to proposed. Top named row: Adjustment for Prior Year Encumbrances -$1,742,479 (Revenue line 710).Budget-hearing presentation, revised/current-to-proposed detail, board resolutions, and the contract, grant, tuition, transfer, or staffing memo behind the largest changed row.Proposal changesDo not describe nominal proposal-column movement as the CPI-adjusted trend or as an audited spending result.
Relative costWhy does the published cost position sit where it does after peer choice, grade span, service load, funding model, and outside-operating rows are named?NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.Adopted budget book, peer roster, grade-span/program notes, placement and transportation schedules, and budget presentations for the named peers.Peer evidenceDo not turn a high or low rank into efficiency, waste, adequacy, or quality language without outside reporting.
Categories and linesWhich category or source family is actually driving the story, and which account, program, restriction, or transfer sits underneath it?Instruction programs: $31,817,276; 26% of operating-budget scale; -4 pts versus Bergen County average; -$7,333,924 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26; largest row: Total Regular Programs-Instruction.Account detail for the selected family, program or staffing schedules, contract or transfer documents, grant/restriction notes, and board packet explanations for the largest row.Category evidenceDo not add budget families or lower-level rows together; many are nested, contextual, or outside recurring operating basis.
Inflation and denominatorIs the multi-year movement a real spending change, a planning-enrollment denominator change, a category mix change, or a one-year row?Real operating budget changed -$6,690,911 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. Real operating budget per UFB planning student changed -$443. UFB planning on-roll changed -153.First and latest budget books, enrollment projection memos, budget adoption minutes, account-level change notes, and any one-time grant, reserve, capital, or debt documents.Trends and inflationDo not make ordinary nominal growth the story until CPI-U, planning enrollment, peers, and category rows have been checked.
Students and servicesWhich enrollment, placement, tuition, preschool, transportation, or service-plan assumption changes the per-student read?Budgeted out-of-district placements share is 4%, 7 pts below the Bergen County average; local rank 27 of 73.Enrollment projection worksheet, fall-enrollment comparison, placement and tuition schedules, transportation contracts, preschool/service-plan notes, and receiving/sending district records.Costs and studentsDo not treat UFB planning rows as fall enrollment, direct student need, compliance, or service quality proof.
Reserves and side filesWhich balance, reserve, one-time, shared-service, unusual, grant, capital, or debt rows belong in the story, and which are outside recurring operating?Fund-balance/reserve sources total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million. All-funds net spending is $131.1 million, $10.3 million above proposed operating budget. Largest projected balance row: Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capital Reserve at $3.9 million. Positive unusual-item explanations total $400.0 million. Shared-service file has 9 rows.Audit or ACFR fund-balance note, reserve-transfer approvals, unusual-item explanations, shared-service agreements, grant award letters, capital project schedules, and debt-service documents.Side filesDo not treat planned balance or reserve rows as audited cash, recurring revenue, or a structural-deficit finding; do not sum side files into operating spending.

This is generated from the same UFB rows as the report, but the records named here are outside the UFB release. The table is a civic checklist, not a claim that the outside records already prove the explanation.

Budget news judgment

This filter labels what is background, what the UFB rows can support now, what needs a second signal, and what still requires outside reporting before the budget story is written.

JudgmentEvidenceNext stepDo not write
BackgroundNominal budget growth or a plain spending-up sentence.Nominal operating budget moved +$19,541,960 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. The report tests that against CPI-U, UFB planning enrollment, and peer evidence: real operating budget per UFB planning student moved -$443.Move to real dollars, fair peer/slice comparisons, category/source-family evidence, proposal columns, or side-file context before making it the story.Trends and inflationDo not publish a generic 'spending went up' read as the budget story unless the second signal explains why it matters.
Reportable UFB signalWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76. Evidence basis: Contextual UFB revenue or appropriation source row, operating-budget-equivalent scale, and same-row peer scan.Use this as the first local budget question, then check the linked proof section.Source rowsNamed rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.
Second-signal checkHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75. Evidence basis: UFB levy rows, estimated tax-rate side file where present, planning-student denominator, and local peer context.Carry this beside the lead so the first read is tested against another denominator, file, or comparison frame.Tax contextEstimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.
Needs reportingTurn the named ufb row signal into a local explanation.Account detail for the named source row. Board packet or resolution tied to the account. Ask who owns the account and what operational event produced the row.Pull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.Source rowsA large named row can be a subtotal, nested line, restricted source, transfer, or one-year accounting change.
Blocked shortcutCause, waste, adequacy, efficiency, intent, quality, or blame.UFB rows can flag a reportable budget signal; they do not prove why it happened or whether it is good policy.Use board documents, contracts, tax records, staffing/program records, audits, and interviews before writing causal language.Source rowsDo not turn named ufb row into a causal or quality claim from UFB alone.

The filter is generated from the same ranked UFB evidence as the reading memo, claim audit, and reporting notebook. It is a news judgment screen, not a causal model or a quality rating.

Budget diagnosis

For Teaneck, the strongest generated read is what money buys. The table ranks the explanatory lanes before the report opens the long evidence sections, so the budget is not reduced to ordinary per-pupil growth or a single cost rank.

LaneEvidenceWhat it explainsWhat it cannot prove
Dominant first readWhat money buysCategories and linesgeneral current expense is the largest high-level use at 92% of operating budget; operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; named row Total Tax Levy is +11 pts versus local peers.Which spending category, pupil-cost row, or named source row turns the broad cost number into a concrete budget story.A program audit, a complete causal bridge, or an additive sum of nested UFB rows.
Strong supporting readTax effortTax basistax levy per UFB on-roll is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts; highest estimated total school-tax rate shown is 1.251 per $100 of valuation.Whether the budget story is partly a local-burden story after levy, planning enrollment, estimated rate rows, and tax-base context are separated.A household tax bill, audited property-tax burden, or proof that school spending alone caused the rate.
Strong supporting readWho paysRevenue familieslocal sources supply 88% of General Fund operating revenue; that source share is 6 pts above the Bergen County average; tax levy per UFB on-roll is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; fund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million.Why the same cost figure can mean different things in a state-funded, locally funded, federally supported, or balance-supported district.A tax bill, a sustainability finding, or proof that source shares explain spending quality.
Context to carryCost positionPeer evidenceNJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts; operating budget per UFB on-roll is $32,556, $352 below the Bergen County average; statewide comparative-cost rank is 64 of 566.Whether the district is actually unusual after the local peer frame and operating denominator are named.Quality, efficiency, adequacy, waste, or the cause of the rank.
Context to carryStudents and service loadCosts and studentsbudgeted out-of-district placements are 4% of UFB on-roll, 7 pts below the Bergen County average; special-education planning share is 18%, 1 pt above the Bergen County average.Whether the per-student read is really about the denominator, placements, special education, or student-flow rows.Fall enrollment, service severity, staffing need, service quality, or compliance.
Context to carryReserves and side filesSide filesfund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million; projected close-year recap balances total $8.3 million; positive unusual-item explanations total $400.0 million; 9 shared-service rows.Whether reserve use, projected balances, unusual explanations, or shared-service entries should travel with the operating story.Recurring revenue, audited cash, complete savings, or a structural-deficit finding.
Context to carryTrend and denominatorTrends and inflationoperating scale changed -$6,690,911 in 2025 dollars from 2019-20 to 2025-26; comparative cost changed -$309 after inflation; UFB planning on-roll changed -153.Whether the background movement is real operating scale, published comparative cost, enrollment arithmetic, or a mix.A current-year decision, or proof that inflation, enrollment, labor, or programs caused the movement.

The diagnosis is generated from published UFB summary, source rows, local peer comparisons, side files, and loaded-year movement. It ranks evidence for reporting priority; it is not a causal model, quality rating, or accounting equation.

Comparison brief

Relative cost before the long report

This table puts the published cost line into the comparison frames that matter first: named local peers, all NJ districts, funding model, district scale, cost band, and any high-signal service or category slice. It is a triage layer before the detailed peer strips, slice panels, and source rows.

Comparison verdictConsistently above comparison frames. The comparative cost per pupil is above in 5 frames across the 5 front comparison frames shown.

Frame to check2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll districts: +$6,832 vs slice average; rank 4 of 139.

Reporting useUse the detailed proof to test whether category, funding, or student-load rows explain the position. Open proof

Relative-cost ladder

Read across comparison frames before treating one rank as the story. These rows use NJDOE comparative cost when available, then operating cost per UFB on-roll as the fallback.

FrameDistrictComparisonGap
Bergen County districtsClosest named local benchmark before any statewide ranking.Comparative cost per pupil$28,29412 of 75$24,524Bergen County average+$3,770
All NJ UFB districtsBroad statewide baseline; useful, but not a fair peer group by itself.Comparative cost per pupil$28,29464 of 566$23,591NJ average+$4,703
2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll districtsScale helps separate large-system budgets from fixed-cost small-district pressure.Comparative cost per pupil$28,2944 of 139$21,462slice average+$6,832
Mostly locally funded districtsFunding model changes what the same per-pupil cost can mean.Comparative cost per pupil$28,29453 of 368$24,352slice average+$3,942
Upper-quarter comparative-cost districtsThis asks whether the district is unusual even among districts in the same cost band.Comparative cost per pupil$28,2947 of 85$26,391slice average+$1,903
FrameDistrictComparisonNamed checkHow to use it
Bergen County districtsClosest named local benchmark before any statewide ranking.$28,29412 of 75$24,524Bergen County average; +$3,770Next higher: Bergen County Vocational $28,583; Next lower: Ridgefield Boro $27,461.Closest named local benchmark before any statewide ranking.Open proof
All NJ UFB districtsBroad statewide baseline; useful, but not a fair peer group by itself.$28,29464 of 566$23,591NJ average; +$4,703Next higher: Harmony Twp $28,313; Next lower: Point Pleasant Beach Boro $28,270.Broad statewide baseline; useful, but not a fair peer group by itself. Secondary clue: Operating budget per UFB on-roll student is $32,556, $6,696 below the NJ average.Open proof
2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll districtsScale helps separate large-system budgets from fixed-cost small-district pressure.$28,2944 of 139$21,462slice average; +$6,832Next higher: Bergen County Vocational $28,583; Next lower: New Brunswick City $27,485.Scale helps separate large-system budgets from fixed-cost small-district pressure. Secondary clue: Operating budget per UFB on-roll student is $32,556, $7,768 above the slice average.Open proof
Mostly locally funded districtsFunding model changes what the same per-pupil cost can mean.$28,29453 of 368$24,352slice average; +$3,942Next higher: Harmony Twp $28,313; Next lower: Point Pleasant Beach Boro $28,270.Funding model changes what the same per-pupil cost can mean. Secondary clue: Local operating revenue share is 88%, 4 pts above the slice average.Open proof
Upper-quarter comparative-cost districtsThis asks whether the district is unusual even among districts in the same cost band.$28,2947 of 85$26,391slice average; +$1,903Next higher: Harmony Twp $28,313; Next lower: Point Pleasant Beach Boro $28,270.This asks whether the district is unusual even among districts in the same cost band. Secondary clue: Operating budget per UFB on-roll student is $32,556, $1,243 above the slice average.Open proof

Frames overlap and keep their own denominators. "Next higher" and "next lower" are numeric positions on the selected measure, not judgments about efficiency, adequacy, or quality.

Budget story spine

This scan-first table turns the strongest generated signals into a proof path. It keeps the claim, UFB evidence, fair comparison, outside reporting need, and counter-reading in one row before the report opens the longer evidence sections.

Story pathUFB proofComparison / proofOutside reportingDo not overread
Named UFB rowWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?+7 ptsTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.Source rowsBergen County average where local peer rows are usable; statewide and slice frames where the local peer set is incomplete.Pull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.
Tax effortHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?$28,295Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.Tax contextBergen County average where local peer rows are usable; statewide and slice frames where the local peer set is incomplete.Use municipal tax-bill, equalized-value, and rate documents to translate UFB levy/rate context into what local taxpayers actually experience.Estimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.
Funding modelWho pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers?88%The largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Revenue familiesBergen County average where local peer rows are usable; statewide and slice frames where the local peer set is incomplete.Read aid notices, budget-hearing materials, and board minutes to separate formula aid, one-time support, reserve use, and local decisions.Operating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.
Cost positionDoes the cost rank still make sense after funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows are considered?$28,294NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.Peer evidenceBergen County average where local peer rows are usable; statewide and slice frames where the local peer set is incomplete.Choose the fair peers, then check grade span, program obligations, placement load, and audited budget documents before treating the rank as efficiency or inefficiency.NJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.
Pupil-cost lineWhich NJDOE standardized per-pupil row is furthest from the local peer average?$3,572Operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.Pupil-cost rowsBergen County average where local peer rows are usable; statewide and slice frames where the local peer set is incomplete.Read staffing, benefits, facilities, and program documents for the cost row; standardized pupil-cost categories are summaries, not explanations.Several pupil-cost rows are components of broader totals, not an additive bridge.
Spending mixWhich operating-use category makes the district unlike its peers?7%Charter / Renaissance transfer share is 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 2 of 32.Spending categoriesBergen County average where local peer rows are usable; statewide and slice frames where the local peer set is incomplete.Identify the program, contract, transfer recipient, school allocation, or staffing pattern behind the category before attaching a policy explanation.High-level use shares share one denominator, but lower-level UFB rows can overlap and should not be summed.

The spine is generated from latest-year peer gaps, named UFB rows, planning-enrollment evidence, side files, and real-dollar trend checks. It ranks reportable evidence paths, not spending quality or causal certainty.

Budget storylines to test

These are not finished articles. They are generated story packages that turn the strongest UFB signals into a responsible reporting route: the working nut graf, why the claim matters to readers, the proof inside UFB, the outside record to pull next, and the sentence not to write yet.

  1. 1Named UFB row

    A named row can turn a broad budget into a reportable story

    Working nut graf. For Teaneck, the UFB-supported story to test is this: Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76. The reporting question is: Which named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?

    Why readers careReaders can see which line is specific enough to request board backup, account detail, or an agenda item.Proof in UFBContextual UFB revenue or appropriation source row, operating-budget-equivalent scale, and same-row peer scan. Source rowsReport nextPull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.Do not write yetA large named row can be a subtotal, nested line, restricted source, transfer, or one-year accounting change.
  2. 2Tax effort

    Tax pressure needs its own benchmark

    Working nut graf. For Teaneck, the UFB-supported story to test is this: Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75. The reporting question is: How does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?

    Why readers careReaders can separate school-budget pressure from taxable-base and municipal-rate context before translating UFB rows into household burden.Proof in UFBUFB levy rows, estimated tax-rate side file where present, planning-student denominator, and local peer context. Tax contextReport nextUse municipal tax-bill, equalized-value, and rate documents to translate UFB levy/rate context into what local taxpayers actually experience.Do not write yetLow levy per UFB on-roll does not automatically mean low household tax burden; high estimated rates do not by themselves prove school spending is the driver.
  3. 3Funding model

    Who pays may explain more than how much

    Working nut graf. For Teaneck, the UFB-supported story to test is this: The largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average. The reporting question is: Who pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers?

    Why readers careReaders can separate a budget that is locally funded, state-aid driven, federally supported, or temporarily balanced by reserves before judging the same cost number.Proof in UFBLatest General Fund operating revenue summary, operating-budget denominator, and local peer source-share context. Revenue familiesReport nextRead aid notices, budget-hearing materials, and board minutes to separate formula aid, one-time support, reserve use, and local decisions.Do not write yetA state-funded, locally funded, or fund-balance-heavy budget can produce the same cost figure for different reasons.
  4. 4Cost position

    Cost rank is the lead, not the verdict

    Working nut graf. For Teaneck, the UFB-supported story to test is this: NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average. The reporting question is: Does the cost rank still make sense after funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows are considered?

    Why readers careReaders can decide whether the fair next question is a local peer comparison, a statewide slice comparison, or a denominator/service-load check.Proof in UFBNJDOE comparative-cost row, latest-year local peer rank, and local peer average gap where usable. Peer evidenceReport nextChoose the fair peers, then check grade span, program obligations, placement load, and audited budget documents before treating the rank as efficiency or inefficiency.Do not write yetA high or low cost rank can reflect service load, district size, aid structure, fixed costs, or pass-through rows; UFB alone does not prove waste or adequacy.

Storylines are ranked from local peer gaps, source-row scale, planning-enrollment rows, side-file signals, proposal movement, and CPI-adjusted loaded-year checks. Money bases, fund scope, and denominators stay attached to each route; comparative cost remains NJDOE’s published metric.

Budget claim audit

This audit turns the report’s strongest signals into sentence-level budget claims. It separates what the UFB rows support from what still requires board materials, contracts, audits, tax records, staffing context, program records, or interviews.

Claim statusSafe wordingEvidence basisStill not provenProof / next check
UFB-supported factTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.Contextual UFB revenue or appropriation source row, operating-budget-equivalent scale, and same-row peer scan.Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Source rows
UFB-supported factTax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.UFB levy rows, estimated tax-rate side file where present, planning-student denominator, and local peer context.Estimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.Tax context
UFB-supported factThe largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Latest General Fund operating revenue summary, operating-budget denominator, and local peer source-share context.Operating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.Revenue families
UFB-supported factNJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.NJDOE comparative-cost row, latest-year local peer rank, and local peer average gap where usable.NJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.Peer evidence
UFB-supported factOperations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.NJDOE standardized pupil-cost rows, latest local peer average, and real-dollar history where loaded.Several pupil-cost rows are components of broader totals, not an additive bridge.Pupil-cost rows
UFB-supported factCharter / Renaissance transfer share is 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 2 of 32.High-level General Fund appropriation rows and operating-budget-share peer comparisons.High-level use shares share one denominator, but lower-level UFB rows can overlap and should not be summed.Spending categories
Needs outside reportingPull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.Board materials, audits, contracts, tax records, staffing context, program records, or interviews outside the UFB files.Named rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Source rows
Needs outside reportingUse municipal tax-bill, equalized-value, and rate documents to translate UFB levy/rate context into what local taxpayers actually experience.Board materials, audits, contracts, tax records, staffing context, program records, or interviews outside the UFB files.Estimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.Tax context
Unsupported shortcutDo not turn the named ufb row signal into a claim about waste, adequacy, intent, quality, or cause without the outside reporting step.Not established by UFB rows alone.A large named row can be a subtotal, nested line, restricted source, transfer, or one-year accounting change.Source rows

Rows are generated from latest-year peer gaps, named UFB rows, planning-enrollment evidence, side files, latest-file proposal columns, and inflation-adjusted trend checks. Safe wording is the strongest UFB-supported sentence before outside reporting, not a finished story.

Comparison movement brief

This table separates the generic spending-up-over-time story from the district-specific comparison story. It asks whether selected cost, funding, tax, category, and service-load measures moved toward or away from the Bergen County average from 2019-20 to 2025-26.

MeasureFirst gapLatest gapRead the movementCheck next
Comparative cost per pupil2019-20 to 2025-26+$4,1432019-20 vs local peer average+$3,7702025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure moved closer to the Bergen County average; the gap moved -$373.Peer trend proof
Operations and maintenance per pupil2019-20 to 2025-26+$1112019-20 vs local peer average+$6532025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure moved farther above the Bergen County average; the gap moved +$542.Cost and labor context
Classroom instruction per pupil2019-20 to 2025-26+$3,4202019-20 vs local peer average+$2,2782025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure moved closer to the Bergen County average; the gap moved -$1,142.Cost and labor context
Support services per pupil2019-20 to 2025-26+$8452019-20 vs local peer average+$7362025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure moved closer to the Bergen County average; the gap moved -$109.Cost and labor context
Budgeted out-of-district placements share2019-20 to 2025-26-6 pts2019-20 vs local peer average-7 pts2025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure moved farther below the Bergen County average; the gap moved -1 pt.Student and service load
Administrative costs per pupil2019-20 to 2025-26-$1792019-20 vs local peer average+$1582025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure crossed from below to above the Bergen County average; the gap moved +$337.Cost and labor context
Local operating revenue share2019-20 to 2025-26+3 pts2019-20 vs local peer average+6 pts2025-26 vs local peer averageThe measure moved farther above the Bergen County average; the gap moved +3 pts.Funding and categories

Money measures are converted to 2025 dollars before peer gaps are compared. This is a direction-of-comparison brief, not a causal test; a widening or narrowing gap still needs category, denominator, tax, service-load, and source-row evidence.

Comparison-frame movement

This panel takes the latest-year comparison frames from the relative-cost ladder and asks whether this district's published comparative cost moved closer to or farther from each frame from 2019-20 to 2025-26, after CPI-U adjustment.

Latest readAbove comparison frames over time. The latest real comparative cost is above in 5 frames.

Largest movementUpper-quarter comparative-cost districts moved -$1,500 versus its frame.

Reporting useUse category, denominator, and source-row sections to explain the relative position.

FrameFirst gapLatest gapMovementRead the movement
Bergen County districtsClosest named local comparison set.+$4,1432019-20 vs Bergen County average+$3,7702025-26 vs Bergen County average-$3732019-20 to 2025-26The measure moved closer to the Bergen County average; the gap moved -$373.
All NJ UFB districtsBroad statewide baseline; useful, but not a fair peer group by itself.+$5,3282019-20 vs NJ average+$4,7032025-26 vs NJ average-$6252019-20 to 2025-26The measure moved closer to the NJ average; the gap moved -$625.
2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll districtsLatest-year UFB on-roll scale group held constant across loaded years.+$7,2782019-20 vs slice average+$6,8322025-26 vs slice average-$4462019-20 to 2025-26The measure moved closer to the slice average; the gap moved -$446.
Mostly locally funded districtsLatest-year funding model held constant across loaded years.+$3,9812019-20 vs slice average+$3,9422025-26 vs slice average-$392019-20 to 2025-26The measure moved closer to the slice average; the gap moved -$39.
Upper-quarter comparative-cost districtsLatest-year comparative-cost band held constant across loaded years.+$3,4032019-20 vs slice average+$1,9032025-26 vs slice average-$1,5002019-20 to 2025-26The measure moved closer to the slice average; the gap moved -$1,500.

Money values are converted to 2025 dollars before gaps are compared. Frame membership uses the latest UFB year and is held constant when looking backward, so this is a fair-comparison trend check, not a cohort study, efficiency rating, adequacy finding, or causal explanation.

Operating story basis

This table classifies the latest UFB evidence before the report asks what the budget means. It separates recurring operating-budget signals from the live proposal, reserve and carryover sources, side-file context, and outside-operating rows before comparing this district with the Bergen County average or statewide slices.

Budget basisWhat UFB showsUse it to sayDo not read it as
Recurring operating baseRevenue and use categoriesproposed operating budget $120,718,937; local sources supply 88% of operating revenue; general current expense is 92% of operating usesScale: $120.7 millionUse for the district’s main current-year operating story: who funds the General Fund operating budget and which high-level uses dominate it.Do not mix this with all-funds grants, debt, capital, or side-file rows as though everything recurs on the same basis.
Current proposal movementProposal changesLocal sources changes +$3,318,763 from revised/current to proposedScale: 3% of operating budgetUse for what the latest budget proposal changes now, in nominal latest-file dollars.Do not treat this as the inflation-adjusted long-run trend, and do not add overlapping source rows into one total.
Limited or one-time sourcesReserves and balancesBudgeted fund balance is the largest named row inside $3,667,556 of fund-balance, reserve, and carryover sourcesScale: 3% of operating budgetUse as a flag that part of the budget basis may rely on prior balance, reserve withdrawals, or restricted carryover.Do not call these recurring revenue, audited cash on hand, or proof of a structural deficit without board and audit records.
Side-file contextSide filesprojected close-year recap balances $8,349,894; unusual-item explanations $400,029,836; 9 shared-service rowsScale: 331%Use to explain tax basis, projected balances, district-entered unusual explanations, and shared-service context beside the operating story.Do not read side-file rows as audited operating totals, complete payroll, audited savings, or tax-bill advice.
Outside-operating scaleBudget anatomyall-funds net above operating is the largest outside-operating row, $10,339,910Scale: 9% of operating budgetUse as scale context for grants, debt, capital, preschool, and other fund sections that can make all-funds totals diverge from the operating story.Do not add these rows to General Fund operating uses or treat the operating-equivalent share as a spending mix.

The recurring row uses the proposed General Fund operating budget as the common basis. Proposal movement is nominal revised/current-to-proposed evidence; trend panels convert dollars to 2025 only where labeled. Reserve, recap, unusual-item, shared-service, tax, and outside-operating rows are kept separate because they answer different journalism questions.

Structural squeeze test

The squeeze test asks whether Teaneck has the pattern a budget story usually needs: main operating sources, operating-use families, one-time support, denominator or service-load rows, and peer context pointing toward recurring pressure. It also marks what UFB cannot prove.

TestUFB evidenceSafe readOutside reporting
Recurring-source testTrends and inflationLocal, state, and federal operating-source summaries moved -$8,132,350 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26; those summaries equal 98% of the latest proposed operating budget; operating-budget scale moved -$6,690,911, $1,441,439 more than that source movement.Use this to test whether the main recurring operating sources kept pace with operating scale after CPI-U. It is not a tax-cap or adequacy finding by itself.Pull the levy-cap worksheet, state-aid notice, cap-bank/waiver rows, budget book, and board presentation before writing a cap-limited or underfunded-budget claim.
Operating-use testCategories and linesInstruction programs moved -$7,333,924 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26; latest scale is 26% of proposed operating budget; 4 pts below the Bergen County average; largest latest source row: Total Regular Programs-Instruction.Use this as the first appropriation/use family to inspect. Rows can still be nested, so this does not prove a single driver or an additive subtotal.Pull staffing rosters, contracts, placement details, program schedules, and budget-book narratives before assigning cause or judging service quality.
One-time support testReserves and balancesBudgeted fund balance is the largest latest named limited-source row inside $3,667,556 of fund-balance, reserve, and carryover sources; total limited-source support moved +$1,050,363 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26.Use this to test whether the operating story depends partly on balance, reserve, or carryover rows rather than recurring operating sources.Pull the audit, reserve schedules, fund-balance policy, appropriation-of-surplus resolution, and board packet before calling this cash stress or a structural deficit.
Denominator and service-load testCosts and studentsUFB planning on-roll moved -153; special-education on-roll is 681 (18% of UFB on-roll); sent placements are 130 (4% of UFB on-roll).Use this to keep per-pupil cost and category movement tied to the planning denominator and visible service-load rows.Pull fall enrollment, special-education placement records, IEP/service obligations, tuition contracts, and staffing schedules before explaining why the load changed.
Peer-frame testPeer evidenceComparative cost per pupil is $28,294, +$3,770 vs Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts; Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, +$5,579 vs Bergen County average; Budgeted out-of-district placements share is 4%, -7 pts vs Bergen County average.Use the peer frame to decide whether the squeeze signal is district-specific, common among local peers, or mainly a funding-model comparison.Pull comparable districts' budget books, staffing/service context, and tax-base records before treating a rank as efficiency, adequacy, or resident impact.
Outside-record gapStory checksUFB rows can show loaded-year source movement, operating-use movement, limited-source rows, service-load denominators, and peer position through 2025-26.Use UFB to form a recurring-pressure hypothesis and to say which signals point the same direction. Do not write future deficit, statutory cap exhaustion, layoffs, service cuts, or intent from UFB alone.Pull the board budget book, public-hearing deck, tax levy cap calculation, state aid notice, collective-bargaining and staffing records, audit, and any projected-gap or cut-list documents.

Dollar movement uses 2025 CPI-U dollars where the row says after inflation. The test is a reporting checklist, not a structural-deficit finding, tax-bill estimate, service-quality rating, or levy-cap calculation.

Budget flow bridge

This table keeps the budget report from reading as disconnected panels. It puts the relative cost frame, money in, money out, proposal movement, outside-operating rows, side files, and student denominator in one scan before the report compares this district with the Bergen County average and the statewide slices below.

Budget pathDistrict scaleUse it to readCompare / proveDo not overread
Relative cost framePeer evidenceNJDOE comparative cost $28,294; operating budget per UFB on-roll $32,556Start with whether the published cost position still looks unusual after the operating denominator and peer frame are named.comparative cost +$3,770 vs Bergen County average; operating per UFB on-roll -$352 vs Bergen County average; statewide rank 64 of 566Do not turn a high or low cost position into quality, efficiency, or causality without the category, denominator, tax, and side-file checks below.
Money inRevenue familiesLocal sources: $106.3 million (88%); State sources: $9.4 million (8%); Fund balance / other: $5.1 million (4%)Use this as the recurring General Fund operating-revenue basis: who funds the operating budget before all-funds, tax-rate, and reserve rows enter.+6 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 30 of 76Do not call this all-funds revenue or a household tax bill; grants, debt, capital, and tax side files sit on different bases.
Money outCategoriesGeneral current expense: $111.2 million (92%); Charter / renaissance transfers: $8.7 million (7%); Capital outlay: $827,935 (<1%)Use this as the high-level operating-use basis before reading nested line rows or standardized pupil-cost rows.-3 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 67 of 76Do not add high-level rows, lower-level detail rows, and pupil-cost rows into one spending decomposition; they overlap.
Live proposal movementProposal changesoperating budget -$119,760; Local sources +$3,318,763Use this for what the latest UFB file says is changing from revised/current to proposed, in nominal latest-file dollars.+3 pts of operating scale; same-row peer context appears in the proposal-driver table.Do not treat proposal movement as the long-run trend; trend panels convert dollars to 2025 only where labeled.
Outside operatingBudget anatomyAll-funds net above operating: $10.3 million (9%); Special Revenue Funds: $9.7 million (8%); State projects: $6.7 million (6%)Use this to explain why all-funds totals, grants, debt, capital, preschool, or project rows can make the budget look different from the operating story.+5 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 9 of 76Do not fold outside-operating rows into the General Fund operating mix or assume the operating-equivalent share recurs each year.
Context filesSide filesBudgeted fund balance $3.4 million; one-time source rows $3.7 million; projected recap balances $8.3 millionUse these side files to decide whether reserve use, projected balances, unusual explanations, shared services, or tax basis should travel with the operating story.Peer and history checks live in the side-file and reserve sections; they are separate from operating-revenue mix.Do not read side files as recurring revenue, audited cash, complete payroll, audited savings, or tax-bill advice.
Student basisCosts and studentsUFB planning on-roll 3,708; fall enrollment 3,619; sent placements 4% of UFB on-roll; special-education planning rows 18% of UFB on-rollUse this before making per-student claims: the UFB planning denominator, fall enrollment, and service-load rows can point to different stories.-7 pts vs Bergen County average; rank 27 of 73Do not replace NJDOE comparative cost with a homemade denominator or treat planning rows as direct proof of student need.

The bridge is a reporting map, not an accounting equation. It uses the proposed General Fund operating budget as a common scale only where labeled; proposal rows are nominal latest-file movement, and inflation-adjusted trend evidence appears later in 2025 dollars.

Budget pressure map

This table turns the report into a first-read checklist. It ranks the budget pressures that UFB evidence can surface for this district, then separates what each pressure can explain from what still needs reporting outside the UFB files.

Pressure to testEvidence in this reportWhat it can explainWhat it cannot prove
Relative cost pressurePeer evidenceComparative cost per pupil is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75; Operating budget per UFB on-roll student is $32,556, $352 below the Bergen County average; statewide comparative-cost rank 64 of 566.Whether the district looks high, low, or ordinary before a reader turns to categories, taxes, and service load.Spending quality, efficiency, or the reason the district sits where it does.
Operating funding and tax-burden pressureRevenue familieslocal sources supply 88% of General Fund operating revenue; that source share is 6 pts above the Bergen County average; tax levy per UFB on-roll is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; fund-balance, reserve, and carryover sources total $3.7 million.Who pays for the operating budget and whether a cost position also creates local levy, aid, or balance-source pressure.A property-tax bill, audited all-funds revenue, or proof that the funding model is sustainable.
Spending mix pressureCategories and linesgeneral current expense is the largest high-level use at 92% of operating budget; operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; named row Total Tax Levy is +11 pts versus local peers.Which use categories, cost rows, or named source rows deserve the first follow-up instead of quoting total spending.A complete program budget or an additive accounting bridge; UFB rows can be nested, repeated, or contextual.
Current proposal pressureProposal changeslargest named proposal movement is Local sources at +$3,318,763.What the latest UFB file says the board is changing now, in nominal revised/current-to-proposed dollars.The long-run inflation-adjusted trend, or a causal explanation for why the proposal changed.
Reserve and side-file pressureSide filesfund-balance, reserve, and carryover source rows total $3.7 million; projected close-year recap balances total $8.3 million; positive unusual-item explanations total $400.0 million; 9 shared-service rows.Whether reserve use, projected balances, unusual explanations, or shared-service entries should travel with the operating story.Recurring revenue, audited cash, complete savings, or a structural-deficit finding without board and audit records.
Student and service-load pressureCosts and studentsbudgeted out-of-district placements are 4% of UFB on-roll, 7 pts below the Bergen County average; special-education planning share is 18%, 1 pt above the Bergen County average.Whether a per-student read is really about the denominator, placements, special education, or student-flow rows.Fall enrollment, program severity, service quality, or audited staffing need.
Inflation and denominator pressureTrends and inflationoperating scale changed -$6,690,911 in 2025 dollars from 2019-20 to 2025-26; comparative cost changed -$309 after inflation; UFB planning on-roll changed -153.Whether the background movement is real operating scale, published comparative cost, denominator movement, or a mix.The current proposal decision, or proof that prices, enrollment, labor, or programs caused the change.
Outside-operating pressureBudget anatomyAll-funds net above operating is $10.3 million, 9% of operating budget; 7 material outside-operating rows clear the scale threshold.Why all-funds, grants, debt, capital, preschool, or project rows may change the budget-year context.A General Fund operating spending mix, or evidence that outside-operating rows recur on the same basis.

Pressure rows are generated from the latest UFB summary, source rows, local peer comparisons where enough peers have data, and loaded-year trend rows. Money movement is inflation-adjusted only where this table says 2025 dollars or after inflation; proposal rows are nominal latest-file changes.

Budget tension checks

These checks pair signals that are easy to overread alone: current cost position, inflation-adjusted movement, proposal-column changes, tax burden, funding model, category slices, service load, reserves, and outside-operating rows.

Tension to testSignal pairHow it changes the readProof
Cost position vs real trendComparative cost per pupil is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.Comparative cost per pupil changed -$309 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26.The district can still sit above local peers even when the real per-student line has eased, so the rank and the trend answer different questions.
Cost position vs local tax burdenComparative cost per pupil is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.Cost and tax pressure point in the same direction, but the report still needs tax-base and funding-source context before calling resident impact.
Cost position vs spending sliceComparative cost per pupil is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.Operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.The category row helps turn the cost comparison into a concrete budget question, but it should not be treated as a complete program audit.
Balance source vs reserve positionfund-balance, reserve, and carryover operating-source rows total $3.7 million.projected close-year recap balances total $8.3 million.A balance source can help explain the budget year, but it is not the same as recurring revenue or a full audit of cash position.
Funding model vs spending sliceLocal operating revenue share is 88%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; rank 30 of 76 among Bergen County districts.Operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.Pair the revenue model with the use category before implying that a high or low spending slice is locally discretionary.
Per-pupil cost vs service loadComparative cost per pupil is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts.budgeted out-of-district placements are 4%, 7 pts below the Bergen County average; special-education planning share is 18%, 1 pt above the Bergen County average.Before treating the per-pupil number as a pure spending comparison, check whether placements, special education, or the UFB denominator explain part of the position.

Tension checks are generated from the same UFB rows used elsewhere in the report. They are not causal findings. Money trend claims are inflation-adjusted only where labeled as 2025 dollars or after inflation; proposal movement is nominal revised/current-to-proposed movement.

Category story map

Local taxes and local sources is the largest selected source-row family at 89% of operating-budget scale. Special revenue funds has the widest selected local peer gap, 9 pts above the Bergen County average. Local taxes and local sources moved the most after inflation, -$9,955,944 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. This map puts the category question in one place: current scale, local comparison, inflation-adjusted movement, and the latest proposal-column move.

Budget familyQuestion to testCategory evidenceSource row and proof
Local taxes and local sourceslarge current scale / local peer gap / inflation-adjusted movementHow much of the budget story is local levy, tuition, fees, or miscellaneous local revenue?Latest scale $107,028,175 (89% op. equiv.)+9 pts versus the Bergen County average-$9,955,944 real movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26+$3,017,804 latest proposal movement; +2 pts of operating scaleTotal Tax Levy (Revenue line 100/114, $104,918,488)Total Tax Levy (+$2,569,731 latest-file move)Categories Proposal Trend
Special revenue fundslarge current scale / local peer gap / inflation-adjusted movementHow large are grant-funded or otherwise outside-operating programs relative to operating budgets?Latest scale $19,449,520 (16% op. equiv.)+9 pts versus the Bergen County average+$6,044,599 real movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26-$341,478 latest proposal movement; 0 pts of operating scaleTotal Special Revenue Funds (Appropriation line 88760, $9,724,760)Total Special Revenue Funds (-$170,739 latest-file move)Categories Proposal Trend Side files
Capital, facilities, and debtlocal peer gap / inflation-adjusted movement / latest proposal moveAre capital projects, facilities acquisition, reserve withdrawals, or debt-service rows distorting all-funds comparisons?Latest scale $2,637,788 (2% op. equiv.)-9 pts versus the Bergen County average-$1,765,632 real movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26-$4,394,615 latest proposal movement; -4 pts of operating scaleTotal Capital Outlay (Appropriation line 76400, $827,935)Total Facilities Acquisition and Construction Services (-$2,237,709 latest-file move)Categories Proposal Trend Side files
Instruction programslarge current scale / local peer gap / inflation-adjusted movementWhich classroom or instructional program rows define the core spending structure?Latest scale $31,817,276 (26% op. equiv.)-4 pts versus the Bergen County average-$7,333,924 real movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26+$2,810,500 latest proposal movement; +2 pts of operating scaleTotal Regular Programs-Instruction (Appropriation line 3200, $26,666,788)Total Regular Programs-Instruction (+$2,004,657 latest-file move)Categories Proposal Trend
Preschoollarge current scale / local peer gap / inflation-adjusted movementIs preschool aid, carryover, instruction, or support service scale material?Latest scale $13,317,829 (11% op. equiv.)+8 pts versus the Bergen County average+$2,948,609 real movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26+$689,459 latest proposal movement; +1 pt of operating scaleTotal Preschool Education Aid (Appropriation line 87100, $5,257,329)Total Preschool Education Aid (+$307,781 latest-file move)Categories Proposal Trend
Transfers and tuitionlarge current scale / local peer gap / inflation-adjusted movementDo charter/Renaissance transfers, tuition, or purchased placements change the budget story?Latest scale $21,114,761 (17% op. equiv.)+2 pts versus the Bergen County average-$400,188 real movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26-$2,589,637 latest proposal movement; -2 pts of operating scaleTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition) (Appropriation line 29180, $12,272,751)Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition) (-$2,993,561 latest-file move)Categories Proposal Trend

Budget families are generated from contextual UFB revenue and appropriation source rows. Latest scale and peer gap use proposed operating budget as a common denominator; real movement is converted to 2025 dollars; proposal movement is nominal revised/current-to-proposed movement in the latest UFB file. Families can be nested, outside-operating, or repeated across files, so this is a reporting map rather than an additive budget schedule.

Proposal versus trend

The latest proposal and the loaded-year category trend do not answer the same question. For Local taxes and local sources, the proposal is a counter-move: +$3,017,804 in nominal latest-file movement versus -$9,955,944 across loaded years after inflation. Across material family rows, this scan finds 7 continuing trends, 9 counter-moves, and 0 current-only moves.

RelationshipLoaded-year trendCurrent proposalHow to read it
Counter-moveLocal taxes and local sources-$9,955,9442019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars; share moved -3 pts.+$3,017,804+2 pts of proposed operating-budget scale.Total Tax Levy (Revenue, line 100/114, +$2,569,731)The latest proposal points opposite the loaded-year real movement, so this is the first place to check whether the budget is pivoting.Proposal Trend Categories Peers
Continues trendCapital, facilities, and debt-$1,765,6322019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars; share moved -1 pt.-$4,394,615-4 pts of proposed operating-budget scale.Total Facilities Acquisition and Construction Services (Appropriation, line 76260, -$2,237,709)The latest proposal points in the same direction as the inflation-adjusted movement across loaded UFB years.Proposal Trend Categories Peers
Counter-moveInstruction programs-$7,333,9242019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars; share moved -4 pts.+$2,810,500+2 pts of proposed operating-budget scale.Total Regular Programs-Instruction (Appropriation, line 3200, +$2,004,657)The latest proposal points opposite the loaded-year real movement, so this is the first place to check whether the budget is pivoting.Proposal Trend Categories Peers
Counter-moveSpecial revenue funds+$6,044,5992019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars; share moved +6 pts.-$341,4780 pts of proposed operating-budget scale.Total Special Revenue Funds (Appropriation, line 88760, -$170,739)The latest proposal points opposite the loaded-year real movement, so this is the first place to check whether the budget is pivoting.Proposal Trend Categories Peers
Counter-moveGeneral current expense-$7,061,8022019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars; share moved -1 pt.+$1,688,632+1 pt of proposed operating-budget scale.Total General Current Expense (Appropriation, line 72260, +$1,688,632)The latest proposal points opposite the loaded-year real movement, so this is the first place to check whether the budget is pivoting.Proposal Trend Categories Peers
Counter-moveFund balance and reserves+$1,062,3052019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars; share moved +1 pt.-$2,666,456-2 pts of proposed operating-budget scale.Budgeted Fund Balance-Operating Budget (Revenue, line 580, -$958,192)The latest proposal points opposite the loaded-year real movement, so this is the first place to check whether the budget is pivoting.Proposal Trend Categories Peers

This bridge keeps timing bases separate. Loaded-year trend values are inflation-adjusted to 2025 dollars and compare the first and latest loaded UFB years; proposal values are nominal revised/current-to-proposed movement in the latest UFB file. A counter-move is a reporting prompt, not proof of a policy reversal or cause.

Budget reporting lead sheet

This lead sheet turns the generated budget signals into a reporting agenda: what looks most explainable, what question a resident should ask, and which caveat keeps the evidence from becoming an overclaim.

  1. 1Named UFB row+7 ptsTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.Reader questionWhich named source row is large enough versus peers to deserve follow-up?Do not overreadNamed rows are contextual source-file lines; many are nested, subtotals, or outside-operating signals.Source rows
  2. 2Tax effort$28,295Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.Reader questionHow does local tax effort compare once levy per planning student, estimated rate, and tax base are separated?Do not overreadEstimated tax-rate side-file rows are context; they are not audited property-tax bills.Tax context
  3. 3Funding model88%The largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Reader questionWho pays for the operating budget, and is that funding mix typical for local peers?Do not overreadOperating revenue is General Fund operating revenue, not all-funds revenue or a tax-bill calculation.Revenue families
  4. 4Cost position$28,294NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.Reader questionDoes the cost rank still make sense after funding model, scale, placements, and outside-operating rows are considered?Do not overreadNJDOE comparative cost is the publisher’s metric; this is a comparison lead, not a judgment or a recomputed cost.Peer evidence
  5. 5Pupil-cost line$3,572Operations and maintenance per pupil is $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.Reader questionWhich NJDOE standardized per-pupil row is furthest from the local peer average?Do not overreadSeveral pupil-cost rows are components of broader totals, not an additive bridge.Pupil-cost rows
  6. 6Spending mix7%Charter / Renaissance transfer share is 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 2 of 32.Reader questionWhich operating-use category makes the district unlike its peers?Do not overreadHigh-level use shares share one denominator, but lower-level UFB rows can overlap and should not be summed.Spending categories
  7. 7Line movement-$10,094,647Largest inflation-adjusted named-line movement: Total Tax Levy, -$10,094,647 from 2019-20 to 2025-26.Reader questionWhich named source row moved most after inflation across loaded UFB years?Do not overreadThe selected row is a reporting lead, not a complete explanation of the operating budget change.Line history
  8. 8Reserves and fund balance$3.7 millionFund balance and reserve sources total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million.Reader questionAre balance, reserve, or carryover rows part of this budget year’s story?Do not overreadFund-balance and reserve rows are planned source or projected-balance context, not audited cash or recurring revenue.Reserves

Lead order comes from local peer gaps, UFB row scale, planning-enrollment rows, and inflation-adjusted movement. It ranks reportability, not importance to students or proof that a district should spend differently.

Editorial frame

For Teaneck, the useful budget question is how to read comparative cost is $3,770 above the Bergen County average, local sources supply 88% of operating revenue, largest use is general current expense at 92%, and real operating scale changed -$6,690,911 since 2019-20. UFB can establish the money basis, peer position, row scale, and loaded-year movement; it cannot by itself prove whether the pattern reflects policy choices, student need, contracts, facilities, tax capacity, or one-time accounting.

What UFB can establish

  • Named UFB rowTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools is 7% of the operating-budget scale, +7 pts versus the peer average; local rank 2 of 76.Source rows
  • Tax effortTax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; local rank 12 of 75.Tax context
  • Funding modelThe largest operating revenue source is local sources, 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.Revenue families
  • Cost positionNJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, rank 12 of 75 among Bergen County districts, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.Peer evidence

What still needs reporting

  • Named UFB rowPull the budget-book narrative, account detail, and board agenda items behind the named row; UFB confirms scale, not the operational reason.
  • Tax effortUse municipal tax-bill, equalized-value, and rate documents to translate UFB levy/rate context into what local taxpayers actually experience.
  • Funding modelRead aid notices, budget-hearing materials, and board minutes to separate formula aid, one-time support, reserve use, and local decisions.
  • Cost positionChoose the fair peers, then check grade span, program obligations, placement load, and audited budget documents before treating the rank as efficiency or inefficiency.

Competing readings to keep alive

  • Named UFB rowA large named row can be a subtotal, nested line, restricted source, transfer, or one-year accounting change.
  • Tax effortLow levy per UFB on-roll does not automatically mean low household tax burden; high estimated rates do not by themselves prove school spending is the driver.
  • Funding modelA state-funded, locally funded, or fund-balance-heavy budget can produce the same cost figure for different reasons.
  • Cost positionA high or low cost rank can reflect service load, district size, aid structure, fixed costs, or pass-through rows; UFB alone does not prove waste or adequacy.

This frame is generated from the same UFB signals as the lead sheet. It is designed to prevent the report from turning row evidence into unsupported causality.

Budget model synthesis

Read this budget as higher local cost position, mostly locally funded, general-current centered, and real operating decline. The table below connects the strongest structural signals so the report is not just a list of panels.

Structural questionUFB evidenceWorking read and proof section
Is this mainly a cost position or a scale story?NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75 locally; statewide rank 64 of 566; operating budget per UFB on-roll is $32,556, $352 below the Bergen County averageCan explainTreat cost rank as a starting signal, then test it against funding model, student/service load, denominator choices, and outside-operating rows before calling it efficiency, waste, or adequacy.Cannot proveA high or low rank does not prove value, waste, staffing quality, student need, or tax fairness by itself.Check: Peer evidence
Who pays, and is the tax-burden basis unusual?local sources supply 88% of operating revenue, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; tax levy per UFB on-roll is $28,295, $5,579 above the Bergen County average; fund-balance/reserve sources equal $3.7 millionCan explainThe same per-pupil cost can mean different things in a locally funded, state-funded, or balance-supported budget. Operating revenue is not all-funds revenue, and UFB tax rows are context rather than a household tax bill.Cannot proveFunding share is not a full taxpayer-burden claim, and balance/reserve sources should not be read as recurring aid.Check: Operating funding and tax-burden basis
What does the operating budget buy differently?largest high-level use is general current expense, 92% of operating budget; strongest peer mix gap is charter / renaissance transfer share at 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; named-row standout: Total Tax Levy is +11 pts versus peersCan explainUse shares and named rows are reporting leads. They can reflect pass-throughs, accounting structure, program obligations, staffing, contracts, facilities, or policy choices, so the category label is not the cause.Cannot proveUFB rows can be nested, repeated, or outside the operating fund, so category differences are not an additive causal bridge.Check: Categories and lines
Does the student/service load change the cost reading?budgeted out-of-district placements are 130, 4% of UFB on-roll; special-education planning share is 18%, 1 pt above the Bergen County average; free/reduced-price lunch is 49%, +22 pts versus county fall-enrollment contextCan explainPer-student comparisons move when the denominator, sent/received flows, special-education planning rows, or student-need context differ. These rows are context, not a quality or compliance finding by themselves.Cannot provePlanning-enrollment and placement rows do not replace fall enrollment, individual service plans, or audited program costs.Check: Costs and students
What is the live decision versus the real long-run movement?latest proposal changes operating budget -$119,760; real operating scale changed -$6,690,911 from 2019-20 to 2025-26; UFB on-roll changed -153; operating per UFB on-roll changed -$443 after inflationCan explainCurrent proposal changes are nominal latest-file decisions. Trend claims convert loaded years to real dollars, and per-student movement must separate the budget numerator from the UFB planning-enrollment denominator.Cannot proveA real-dollar movement does not identify the board decision, contract, aid formula, or accounting change that produced it.Check: Proposal and inflation trend
Which context rows may explain the budget year without being recurring operating spending?fund-balance/reserve source rows total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance; projected close-year recap balances total $8.3 million; unusual-item file has 233 positive rows; largest is 2.51 % includes 2% tax levy and .51% health benefit waiver at $104.9 million; shared-service file lists 9 arrangementsCan explainReserve, balance, unusual-item, shared-service, school-resource, tax-rate, and salary rows can explain a budget year, but they are mixed side files and should not be summed into operating spending.Cannot proveSide-file amounts are not audited recurring operating totals and may be explanations, balances, estimates, or staffing snapshots.Check: Side files

This is a generated synthesis of published UFB rows, local peer context, and loaded-year movement. It is a reporting frame, not a causal finding or a claim that unlike denominators can be added together.

Cost gap ledger

This ledger translates the cost comparison into the largest visible gaps against the Bergen County average. Dollar rows are shown per UFB planning student where the source row is not already a per-pupil measure, so a reader can see whether the story is broad operating scale, who pays, a use category, a pupil-cost row, or a service-load denominator.

Budget basisThis districtGap vs averageHow to read itProof
Published costNJDOE comparative cost$28,294Bergen County average: $24,524+$3,770Rank 12 of 75This is the official comparison line. Use the rest of the ledger to see which budget bases point in the same or opposite direction.Peer evidence
Cost basisOperating budget per UFB on-roll$32,556Bergen County average: $32,908-$352Rank 19 of 76A scale check using the UFB planning denominator. It can confirm or complicate the published comparative-cost position.Cost basis
Source per UFB on-rollTotal tax levy$28,295Bergen County average: $22,716+$5,579Rank 12 of 75Funding rows show who pays for the budget. They explain pressure on the model, not what the district buys.Revenue families
Use per UFB on-rollCharter / Renaissance transfers$2,346Bergen County average: $151+$2,195Rank 2 of 76Use rows show where dollars sit per planning student. They are clues, not an additive bridge, because UFB rows can be nested or outside operating funds.Categories
Pupil-cost rowClassroom instruction$16,200Bergen County average: $13,922+$2,278Rank 8 of 75NJDOE standardized pupil-cost rows are already per-pupil measures. Use them to locate the cost category, not to rebuild the total.Pupil-cost rows
Service-load denominatorBudgeted out-of-district placements share4%Bergen County average: 10%-7 ptsRank 27 of 73Service-load rows can change the fairness of a per-student comparison. They are planning counts, not direct need or quality measures.Service load
Use per UFB on-rollSpecial Revenue Funds$2,623Bergen County average: $1,146+$1,476Rank 9 of 76Use rows show where dollars sit per planning student. They are clues, not an additive bridge, because UFB rows can be nested or outside operating funds.Budget anatomy
Use per UFB on-rollCapital outlay$223Bergen County average: $1,052-$829Rank 49 of 76Use rows show where dollars sit per planning student. They are clues, not an additive bridge, because UFB rows can be nested or outside operating funds.Budget anatomy
Use per UFB on-rollDebt Service Funds$166Bergen County average: $743-$577Rank 51 of 76Use rows show where dollars sit per planning student. They are clues, not an additive bridge, because UFB rows can be nested or outside operating funds.Budget anatomy
Source per UFB on-rollState sources$2,530Bergen County average: $3,542-$1,012Rank 26 of 74Funding rows show who pays for the budget. They explain pressure on the model, not what the district buys.Revenue families

Rows use the Bergen County average with usable latest-year UFB data. The ledger is not an additive decomposition: revenue rows, lower-level appropriation rows, outside-operating rows, and pupil-cost rows answer different questions and must be checked in their proof sections.

UFB source coverage

The latest matched UFB row for 2025-26 exposes 10 usable source families for this report. This inventory shows what each file can establish before the report turns those rows into peer comparisons, trend checks, and source tables.

Source familyLatest coverageWhat it can establishWhere it appears
Summary$120.7 million proposed operating budget; 7 loaded UFB years: 2019-20 to 2025-26.Published comparative cost, operating budget, summary revenue shares, tax levy, and UFB on-roll planning enrollment.peer evidence · anatomySummary rows are the profile-facing spine, but they do not replace detailed source files.
Revenue file44 positive rows; 37 contextual rows in the appendix; largest: Total Revenues from Local Sources at $106.3 million.Named aid, levy, fund-balance, reserve, tuition, grant, and other source rows behind the operating mix.families · source rowsRevenue rows can include subtotals or non-operating sources; do not add the contextual rows into one revenue total.
Appropriation file58 positive rows; 52 contextual rows in the appendix; largest: Total General Current Expense at $111.2 million.High-level operating uses, fund totals, transfers, lower-level cost rows, capital, debt, and special-revenue scale.categories · source rowsMany appropriation rows are nested; operating-equivalent shares are a scale reference, not an additive bridge.
Pupil-cost file16 published per-pupil rows with latest proposed-year values.NJDOE standardized per-pupil cost categories such as classroom, support, operations, administration, and benefits.costs and studentsThese are NJDOE-published cost rows; the report does not recompute them from appropriations or enrollment.
Budget-enrollment file10 planning rows; on-roll 3,708, special ed 681, sent 130, received 2.UFB planning enrollment, special-education on-roll, sent/received placement rows, contract preschool, and denominator context.students and service loadThese are planning rows, not fall enrollment, and counts should not be added to dollar rows.
Recap / balances14 balance rows; Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capital Reserve at $3.9 million.Projected close-year balances, reserves, restricted balances, and fund-balance context.side filesRecap balances are not current operating appropriations or spendable-cash claims.
Estimated tax file1 municipal/regional slice; highest rate 1.251.Estimated school-tax rates, levy slices, equalized values, taxable values, and regional spread context.tax effort · raw tax rowsTax-file rows are estimated UFB context, not tax-bill advice or audited property-tax data.
Unusual-item file233 positive explanation rows; $400.0 million total flagged amount.District-reported unusual revenue or appropriation explanations that may change the current-year story.side-file explanationsUnusual rows can duplicate named revenue or appropriation rows and should not be added as a separate spending total.
Shared-services file9 arrangement rows.District-reported shared-service arrangements and optional savings fields.shared-service profileReported savings are context rows, not audited offsets against the operating budget.
School-resource file0 resource rows.Published school-based resource statement rows where the district provides the side file.school-resource rowsThese rows appear only for districts that publish the statement and can overlap with other operating rows.
Admin-salary file21 listed salary rows; listed base salary total $2.5 million.Selected administrative salary rows, FTE, shared-service flags, contract fields, and comments where published.listed admin salariesThis is selected listed administration, not complete payroll or total compensation.

Presence in this inventory means the matched NJDOE User-Friendly Budget file includes usable rows for the latest budget year. Missing side-file rows may mean not published, not applicable, or no positive material entry; file coverage is evidence routing, not a fiscal total.

Statewide budget model

This district matches 1 generated statewide comparison frame. Those frames point to the fairest next comparison before reading every UFB source row.

  1. $28,294 · 88% localHigh-cost, locally fundedPublished comparative cost is in the statewide upper quarter and operating revenue is mostly local.Read this with tax levy per UFB on-roll, county rank, scale, placement load, and reserve/fund-balance rows.Comparative cost is NJDOE’s published line; local share is General Fund operating revenue.

Model thresholds mirror the statewide budget explorer where possible: funding shares, transfer pressure, school-based budgeting, small UFB on-roll, placement load, outside-operating scale, high tax effort, and real-dollar movement. Frames can overlap.

Statewide slice comparisons

These latest-year slices compare the district with statewide groups that share its funding model, UFB on-roll scale, cost position, or category signals. Published comparative cost is $28,294. UFB on-roll here is 3,708.

Relative-cost ladder

Comparison frameMeasureDistrictComparison avgGapRank
Bergen CountyThis is the closest local comparison frame before statewide slices.Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$24,524+$3,77012 of 75
All NJ UFB districtsThis is the statewide baseline before narrowing to a more comparable slice.Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$23,591+$4,70364 of 566
2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll districtsUFB on-roll scale helps separate fixed-cost pressure from large-system operating scale.Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$21,462+$6,8324 of 139
Mostly locally funded districtsFunding model changes what a cost comparison means, because local levy, state aid, and other sources carry different reader questions.Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$24,352+$3,94253 of 368
Upper-quarter comparative-cost districtsThis compares the district with others already in a similar published comparative-cost band.Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$26,391+$1,9037 of 85

Read down the ladder before treating one rank as the story: local peers, all NJ, and overlapping statewide slices can point in different directions.

  1. Rank 64 of 566All NJ UFB districtsComparative cost per pupil: $28,294, $4,703 above the NJ average ($23,591). Operating budget per UFB on-roll student: $32,556, $6,696 below the NJ average ($39,253). This is the statewide baseline before narrowing to a more comparable slice.566 districts have usable comparative cost per pupil values in this latest-year slice. Slice membership is latest-year and overlapping.
  2. Rank 4 of 1392,500-9,999 UFB on-roll districtsComparative cost per pupil: $28,294, $6,832 above the slice average ($21,462). Operating budget per UFB on-roll student: $32,556, $7,768 above the slice average ($24,788). UFB on-roll scale helps separate fixed-cost pressure from large-system operating scale.139 districts have usable comparative cost per pupil values in this latest-year slice. Slice membership is latest-year and overlapping.
  3. Rank 53 of 368Mostly locally funded districtsComparative cost per pupil: $28,294, $3,942 above the slice average ($24,352). Local operating revenue share: 88%, 4 pts above the slice average (84%). Funding model changes what a cost comparison means, because local levy, state aid, and other sources carry different reader questions.368 districts have usable comparative cost per pupil values in this latest-year slice. Slice membership is latest-year and overlapping.
  4. Rank 7 of 85Upper-quarter comparative-cost districtsComparative cost per pupil: $28,294, $1,903 above the slice average ($26,391). Operating budget per UFB on-roll student: $32,556, $1,243 above the slice average ($31,313). This compares the district with others already in a similar published comparative-cost band.85 districts have usable comparative cost per pupil values in this latest-year slice. Slice membership is latest-year and overlapping.

Slices are comparison frames, not causal peer cohorts. Districts can appear in several slices, and dollar figures in this panel are latest-year UFB dollars unless another section says it converts to real dollars.

Named similar-budget-model comps

The closest statewide comparison question is not only local geography. This screen names districts whose latest UFB profile is nearest on mostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centered, upper-quarter comparative cost, then keeps cost, funding, use, service, and tax clues in the same row.

Named compWhy similarCost basisFunding and useService/tax clue
Mahwah TwpBergen County · 2,648 UFB on-rollmostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centeredcomparative $25,818; operating/UFB on-roll $31,306mostly locally funded; general current expense centered (local 89%, state 6%)sent placements 3% of UFB on-roll; special-ed planning 17%
Hopewell Valley RegionalMercer County · 3,399 UFB on-rollmostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centeredcomparative $26,049; operating/UFB on-roll $29,635mostly locally funded; general current expense centered (local 91%, state 7%)sent placements 2% of UFB on-roll; special-ed planning 18%
Ocean TwpMonmouth County · 3,073 UFB on-rollmostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centeredcomparative $26,476; operating/UFB on-roll $28,819mostly locally funded; general current expense centered (local 87%, state 8%)sent placements 2% of UFB on-roll; special-ed planning 17%
Wall TwpMonmouth County · 3,146 UFB on-rollmostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centeredcomparative $25,369; operating/UFB on-roll $28,973mostly locally funded; general current expense centered (local 89%, state 8%)sent placements 1% of UFB on-roll; special-ed planning 18%
Paramus BoroBergen County · 3,553 UFB on-rollmostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centeredcomparative $24,991; operating/UFB on-roll $28,588mostly locally funded; general current expense centered (local 93%, state 6%)sent placements 1% of UFB on-roll; special-ed planning 17%
Bergen County VocationalBergen County · 2,823 UFB on-rollmostly locally funded, 2,500-9,999 UFB on-roll, general current expense centeredcomparative $28,583; operating/UFB on-roll $31,425mostly locally funded; general current expense centered (local 92%, state 6%)special-ed planning 12%; tax levy/UFB on-roll $13,432

These are algorithmic nearest neighbors across published latest-year UFB measures, not causal peers, targets, or quality ratings. The screen is meant to make statewide slice comparisons concrete before the report moves into local peer ranks and raw source rows.

What changed, and what drove it

This panel turns the first-to-latest UFB history into reporting leads: inflation-adjusted operating scale, denominator movement, peer-position change, source shifts, use shifts, and named rows.

  1. -$6.7MOperating scaleAfter inflation, the proposed operating budget changed -$6,690,911 (-5%) from 2019-20 to 2025-26. UFB on-roll changed -153 over the same span. Operating budget per UFB on-roll student changed -$443.Uses proposed operating budget converted to 2025 dollars and UFB planning enrollment, not fall enrollment.
  2. +$3,770Comparative-cost peer gapAgainst the Bergen County average, this gap moved from +$4,143 in 2019-20 to +$3,770 in 2025-26.Money values are inflation-adjusted to 2025 dollars; peer averages use Bergen County districts with usable rows in each year.
  3. -3 ptsRevenue-source shiftLocal sources moved from 91% to 88% of the proposed operating budget, a real-dollar change of -$9,172,795.Revenue-source shares use the proposed operating budget as the denominator, so they describe operating structure rather than all-funds revenue.
  4. -$10.1MLargest named-line decreaseTotal Tax Levy fell from $115,013,135 to $104,918,488.This is a contextual revenue row. Its operating-budget share changed -3 pts.
  5. +$3.0MLargest named-line increaseTotal Special Revenue Funds rose from $6,702,461 to $9,724,760.This is a contextual appropriation row. Its operating-budget share changed +3 pts.

This is not an additive budget bridge. UFB rows are contextual and sometimes nested, and loaded UFB year columns mix actual-cost, revised/original-budget, and proposed-budget bases.

Operating budget
$120.7 million
proposed General Fund, 2025-26
Per planning student
$32,556
operating budget divided by UFB on-roll
Peer cost rank
12 of 75
1 = highest comparative cost among Bergen County districts
Local sources
$106.3 million
88% of operating-budget scale
Top use family
26%
Instruction programs
Real per-student move
-$443
2019-20 to 2025-26, CPI-U adjusted

Budget report section

Reader questions

What should a resident ask before reading the row-level tables?

Budget walkthrough

Read the budget in five passes: money in, money out, costs and students, what changed, and which UFB side files deserve attention.

Money in

Local sources supplied 88% of the proposed operating budget, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.

  • Operating sources: local sources 88%, state sources 8%, federal sources <1%, fund balance / other 4%.
  • Tax levy: $104.9 million, or $28,295 per UFB on-roll student (12 of 75 locally).
  • Fund balance and reserve sources total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million.

Money out

The largest high-level use is general current expense, $111.2 million or 92% of the operating budget.

  • General current expense: $111.2 million (92%).
  • Charter / renaissance transfers: $8.7 million (7%).
  • Capital outlay: $827,935 (<1%).
  • Nested detail row: regular programs instruction is $26.7 million (22% of operating budget; peer average 25%).
  • Nested detail row: employee benefits is $17.4 million (14% of operating budget; peer average 17%).

Costs and students

NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294 per pupil, $3,770 above the Bergen County average (12 of 75 locally).

  • UFB on-roll planning enrollment is 3,708; fall enrollment on the district profile is 3,619.
  • Budgeted out-of-district placements total 130, 4% of UFB on-roll (27 of 73 locally).
  • Operations and maintenance per pupil: $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.
  • Classroom instruction per pupil: $16,200, $2,278 above the Bergen County average.

What changed

  • Operating budget per UFB on-roll changed -$443 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
  • Comparative cost per pupil changed -$309 after inflation.
  • Largest named-line increase: Total Special Revenue Funds, up $3,022,299 in 2025 dollars.
  • Largest named-line decrease: Total Tax Levy, down $10,094,647 in 2025 dollars.
  • Aggregate operating budget changed -$6,690,911 in real terms; read that scale check with the UFB on-roll denominator before treating it as the story.

Side files to check

  • Projected balance: Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capital Reserve at $3.9 million, -$904,300 versus the prior balance column.
  • Projected balance: Unrestricted-General Operating Budget at $2.4 million, -$3,784,384 versus the prior balance column.
  • Largest unusual-item row: 2.51 % includes 2% tax levy and .51% health benefit waiver at $104.9 million.
  • Shared-service entries: 9, savings often not reported.
  • Listed administrative salary rows total $2.5 million across 21 UFB rows.

This walkthrough uses the same generated measures as the tables below. It is an orientation layer, not a substitute for the UFB source rows.

Budget diagnostic

These generated checks turn the UFB source files into reader questions: cost position, funding model, spending mix, student-service load, inflation-adjusted movement, and side-file context.

Is this a size story or a cost story?

  • Comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average.
  • Operating budget per UFB on-roll student is $32,556, $352 below the Bergen County average.
  • All-funds spending is $131.1 million, $10.3 million above the operating budget.
  • 3% of operating dollars among Bergen County districts and 3% of UFB on-roll planning enrollment.
  • Comparative cost rank is 12 of 75 locally; statewide rank 64 of 566.

Who pays for the operating budget?

  • Largest operating source: local sources, 88% of operating revenue, 6 pts above the Bergen County average.
  • Operating-source mix: local sources 88%, state sources 8%, fund balance / other 4%.
  • Tax levy per UFB on-roll student is $28,295, rank 12 of 75 locally.
  • Estimated tax-rate file lists 1 municipal/regional slice; the highest total school-tax rate shown is 1.251 per $100 of valuation.
  • Fund balance and reserve withdrawals total $3.7 million; largest is budgeted fund balance at $3.4 million.

Where does the spending mix differ?

  • Largest high-level use: general current expense, 92% of the operating budget.
  • Charter / Renaissance transfer share: 7%, 6 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 2 of 32.
  • Special Revenue Funds equivalent: 8%, 5 pts above the Bergen County average; local rank 9 of 76.

What student-service load is budgeted?

  • Budgeted out-of-district placements total 130, or 4% of UFB on-roll; rank 27 of 73 locally.
  • Special-education on-roll planning share is 18%, 1 pt above the Bergen County average.
  • Largest NJDOE pupil-cost gap: operations and maintenance per pupil at $3,572, $653 above the Bergen County average.

What changed after inflation?

  • Operating budget per UFB on-roll changed -$443 after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26.
  • Comparative cost per pupil changed -$309 after inflation.
  • Largest named-line increase: Total Special Revenue Funds, up $3,022,299 in 2025 dollars.
  • Largest named-line decrease: Total Tax Levy, down $10,094,647 in 2025 dollars.
  • Aggregate operating budget changed -$6,690,911 in real terms; read that scale check with the UFB on-roll denominator before treating it as the story.

What one-time notes, balances, or side files matter?

  • Largest projected balance row: Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capital Reserve at $3.9 million, -$904,300 versus the prior balance column.
  • UFB unusual-item file lists 233 positive rows; largest is 2.51 % includes 2% tax levy and .51% health benefit waiver at $104.9 million.
  • Shared-service file lists 9 district-reported entries, with savings often not reported.
  • Administrative salary file lists 21 base-salary rows totaling $2.5 million.

The diagnostics compare measures only where enough local peers have usable UFB values. Ranks and gaps are flags for reporting, not judgments about whether the spending is good or bad.

Budget report section

Proposal changes

What changed from revised/current to proposed, and which named rows explain the movement?

Current proposal changes

This section compares the latest UFB revised/current-budget column with the proposed-budget column. It answers what the proposal changes now, before the report turns to long-run inflation-adjusted trends.

  1. +$3,580Comparative costNJDOE published comparative cost moved +$3,580 per pupil (14%) from the revised/current column to the proposed column. The Bergen County average change was +$228.
  2. -$120KOperating budgetThe proposed operating budget is -$119,760 (>-1%) versus the revised/current-budget column. The Bergen County average proposal change was <1% of proposed operating-budget scale.
  3. +$3.3MLargest revenue rowLocal sources changed +$3,318,763 from revised/current to proposed. Peer average proposal movement for the same row was 3% of operating scale.
  4. -$3.0MLargest use rowInstruction tuition changed -$2,993,561 from revised/current to proposed. Peer average proposal movement for the same row was <1% of operating scale.
  5. -279UFB on-rollUFB on-roll planning enrollment changed -279 (-8%) from revised/current to proposed. The Bergen County average on-roll proposal change was 2%.

Revenue proposal changes

UFB rowRevised/currentProposedChangeOp. equiv.Peer avg
Local sourcesUFB line 370$102,945,319$106,264,082+$3,318,7633%3%
Total tax levyUFB line 114$102,348,757$104,918,488+$2,569,7312%3%
Budgeted fund balanceUFB line 580$4,357,748$3,399,556-$958,192>-1%>-1%
Special education aidUFB line 440$4,542,436$5,279,712+$737,276<1%<1%
Extraordinary aidUFB line 430$1,425,000$700,000-$725,000>-1%<1%
Unrestricted miscellaneous revenueUFB line 300$560,162$1,152,849+$592,687<1%<1%
Federal sourcesUFB line 830$2,962,318$2,453,951-$508,367>-1%>-1%

Use proposal changes

UFB rowRevised/currentProposedChangeOp. equiv.Peer avg
Instruction tuitionUFB line 29180$15,266,312$12,272,751-$2,993,561-2%<1%
Capital outlayUFB line 76400$2,923,241$827,935-$2,095,306-2%-2%
Regular programs instructionUFB line 3200$24,662,131$26,666,788+$2,004,6572%<1%
General current expenseUFB line 72260$109,502,370$111,191,002+$1,688,6321%3%
Special education instructionUFB line 10300$10,763,237$11,812,495+$1,049,258<1%<1%
Operations and maintenanceUFB line 51120$9,809,587$10,773,882+$964,295<1%<1%
Student transportationUFB line 52480$9,045,877$9,655,169+$609,292<1%<1%

Cost and student rows

UFB rowRevised/currentProposedChangePeer avg
Comparative cost$24,714$28,294+$3,580+$228
On-roll, full3,3063,027-2792%
Special education on-roll, full708681-272%
Classroom instruction$13,796$16,200+$2,404+$261
Classroom salaries and benefits$12,264$13,845+$1,581+$282
Support services$4,501$5,282+$781+$45
Classroom purchased services$1,255$1,973+$718+$4
Operations and maintenance$2,945$3,572+$627+$7
Administrative costs$3,054$2,743-$311-$101

Dollar rows are nominal latest-file dollars, not inflation-adjusted trend dollars. "Op. equiv." is the row change as a share of this district’s proposed operating budget; the peer average uses Bergen County districts with usable rows, so it is a scale comparison rather than an additive accounting bridge. Pupil-cost rows use NJDOE-published per-pupil lines, and enrollment rows are UFB planning enrollment, not fall enrollment.

Proposal package

The material named-row proposal scan has a net increase of +$332,484. The largest family in the package is Other named rows, with $5,251,596 of increases and $4,664,029 of reductions. Reductions in the same scan total $18,786,570 against $19,119,054 of increases.

Budget familyIncreasesReductionsNet scanPeer netLargest rows
Other named rows11 material named rows$5,251,5964% of op. scale$4,664,0294% of op. scale+$587,5670 pts of op. scale+3 ptsBergen County averageTotal Revenues from Local Sources (Revenue, line 370, +$3,318,763)Total Undistributed Expenditures (Appropriation, line 72140, -$1,762,450)
Capital, facilities, and debt2 material named rows$00% of op. scale$4,333,0154% of op. scale-$4,333,015-4 pts of op. scale-3 ptsBergen County averageNo material increase in this family.Total Facilities Acquisition and Construction Services (Appropriation, line 76260, -$2,237,709)
Local taxes and local sources2 material named rows$3,162,4183% of op. scale$00% of op. scale+$3,162,418+3 pts of op. scale+3 ptsBergen County averageTotal Tax Levy (Revenue, line 100/114, +$2,569,731)No material reduction in this family.
Transfers and tuition2 material named rows$286,914<1% of op. scale$2,993,5612% of op. scale-$2,706,647-2 pts of op. scale+1 ptBergen County averageTransfer of Funds to Charter Schools (Appropriation, line 84000, +$286,914)Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition) (Appropriation, line 29180, -$2,993,561)
Fund balance and reserves3 material named rows$00% of op. scale$2,681,5482% of op. scale-$2,681,548-2 pts of op. scale-2 ptsBergen County averageNo material increase in this family.Budgeted Fund Balance-Operating Budget (Revenue, line 580, -$958,192)
Instruction programs3 material named rows$2,640,9162% of op. scale$00% of op. scale+$2,640,916+2 pts of op. scale+1 ptBergen County averageTotal Regular Programs-Instruction (Appropriation, line 3200, +$2,004,657)No material reduction in this family.
Special education and student supports3 material named rows$2,072,8612% of op. scale$575,248<1% of op. scale+$1,497,613+1 pt of op. scale0 ptsBergen County averageTotal Special Education-Instruction (Appropriation, line 10300, +$1,049,258)Total Undistributed Expenditures-Speech, OT, PT and Related Services (Appropriation, line 40580, -$575,248)
Administration and central services2 material named rows$264,888<1% of op. scale$2,000,2052% of op. scale-$1,735,317-1 pt of op. scale0 ptsBergen County averageTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Support Services-General Administration (Appropriation, line 45300, +$264,888)Total Undistributed Expenditures-Central Services (Appropriation, line 47200, -$2,000,205)

This panel groups material named UFB proposal-row movement between the revised/current and proposed columns. Dollar changes are nominal latest-file dollars. Increases, reductions, and net scan values are a reporting summary of contextual source rows, not a balanced accounting bridge, because UFB rows can be nested, repeated, subtotals, or outside the operating fund. Peer net is the average same-family net movement as a share of proposed operating budget among Bergen County districts with usable rows.

Named-line proposal drivers

This table scans the latest UFB revenue and appropriation files for named rows that changed between the revised/current-budget and proposed-budget columns. It gives the proposal story row names after the standardized summary rows above.

The largest named increase in this all-line scan is Total Revenues from Local Sources, up $3,318,763 in the revenue file. The largest named reduction is Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition), down $2,993,561 in the appropriation file.

UFB rowRevised/currentProposedChangeOp. equiv.Peer avg
Total Revenues from Local SourcesRevenue | Subtotal | UFB line 370 | Acct. '$102,945,319$106,264,082+$3,318,7633%3%n=75
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition)Use | Subtotal | UFB line 29180 | Acct. '11-000-100-XX$15,266,312$12,272,751-$2,993,561-2%<1%n=73
Total Tax LevyRevenue | Subtotal | UFB line 100/114 | Acct. '10-1210$102,348,757$104,918,488+$2,569,7312%3%n=74
Total Facilities Acquisition and Construction ServicesUse | Subtotal | UFB line 76260 | Acct. '12-000-400-XX$2,813,262$575,553-$2,237,709-2%>-1%n=63
Total Capital OutlayUse | Subtotal | UFB line 76400 | Acct. '$2,923,241$827,935-$2,095,306-2%-2%n=71
Total Regular Programs-InstructionUse | Subtotal | UFB line 3200 | Acct. '11-1XX-100-XX$24,662,131$26,666,788+$2,004,6572%<1%n=74
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Central ServicesUse | Subtotal | UFB line 47200 | Acct. '11-000-251-XX$3,599,297$1,599,092-$2,000,205-2%>-1%n=76
Total Undistributed ExpendituresUse | Subtotal | UFB line 72140 | Acct. '$71,710,280$69,947,830-$1,762,450-1%2%n=76
Adjustment for Prior Year EncumbrancesRevenue | Account row | UFB line 710 | Acct. '$1,742,479$0-$1,742,479-1%-2%n=70
Total General Current ExpenseUse | Subtotal | UFB line 72260 | Acct. '$109,502,370$111,191,002+$1,688,6321%3%n=76
Other Financing SourcesRevenue | Account row | UFB line 700 | Acct. '10-5XXX$0$1,248,490+$1,248,4901%n/a
Total Special Education-InstructionUse | Subtotal | UFB line 10300 | Acct. '11-2XX-100-XX$10,763,237$11,812,495+$1,049,258<1%<1%n=75
Undistributed Expenditures–Other Support Services, Students–Extraordinary ServicesUse | Account row | UFB line 41080 | Acct. '11-000-217-XX$367,100$1,390,703+$1,023,603<1%>-1%n=62
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Operation and Maintenance of Plant ServicesUse | Subtotal | UFB line 51120 | Acct. '11-000-26X-XX$9,809,587$10,773,882+$964,295<1%<1%n=76

Dollar changes are nominal latest-file dollars. "Op. equiv." is the row change as a share of this district's proposed operating budget. The peer average is the same source row among Bergen County districts with usable changed rows, not a target. Subtotal rows and detail rows can overlap, rows can move because a grant or fund section is being closed out, and these rows are evidence for reporting questions rather than an additive accounting bridge.

Budget report section

Peer evidence

Where does this district sit among local peers, named neighbors, and peer trends?

Local peer evidence

local peer distribution · each row has its own scaleListed admin base salaries pe...-$517 vs avg · rank 51 of 76$673$1,190 avg$0$8,000Tax levy per UFB on-roll student+$5,579 vs avg · rank 12 of 75$28,295$22,716 avg$0$86,000Operations and maintenance pe...+$653 vs avg · rank 12 of 75$3,572$2,919 avg$0$14,000Classroom instruction per pupil+$2,278 vs avg · rank 8 of 75$16,200$13,922 avg$3,000$61,000Support services per pupil+$736 vs avg · rank 11 of 75$5,282$4,546 avg$0$28,000

Each strip shows one generated budget measure across Bergen County districts. Gray dots are peer districts, the accent dot is this district, and the dashed mark is the Bergen County average. Each row uses its own scale so the reader can see the local distribution behind the rank and gap; higher values are not automatically better or worse.

Named peer context

These markers name the Bergen County districts around this district, so a rank or average can be checked against specific local districts rather than anonymous dots alone.

Comparative cost per pupil

$28,294Rank 12 of 75; +$3,770 vs Bergen County average.

Next higher value
Bergen County Vocational $28,583
Next lower value
Ridgefield Boro $27,461
Local range
Bergen Co Special Service $103,100 to Palisades Park $17,126
Bergen County average
$24,524

Operating budget per UFB on-roll student

$32,556Rank 19 of 76; -$352 vs Bergen County average.

Next higher value
Ramsey Boro $32,817
Next lower value
Northern Valley Regional $32,469
Local range
South Bergen Jointure Com $218,830 to Palisades Park $18,006
Bergen County average
$32,908

Listed admin base salaries per UFB on-roll student

$673Rank 51 of 76; -$517 vs Bergen County average.

Next higher value
River Dell Regional $691
Next lower value
Fair Lawn Boro $672
Local range
South Bergen Jointure Com $6,899 to Garfield City $260
Bergen County average
$1,190

Tax levy per UFB on-roll student

$28,295Rank 12 of 75; +$5,579 vs Bergen County average.

Next higher value
Franklin Lakes Boro $28,411
Next lower value
Ho Ho Kus Boro $27,693
Local range
Saddle River Boro $77,193 to Garfield City $7,485
Bergen County average
$22,716

Operations and maintenance per pupil

$3,572Rank 12 of 75; +$653 vs Bergen County average.

Next higher value
Carlstadt Boro $3,601
Next lower value
Upper Saddle River Boro $3,559
Local range
Bergen Co Special Service $12,020 to Cliffside Park Boro $1,489
Bergen County average
$2,919

Each measure keeps its own unit and denominator. "Next higher" and "next lower" mean numerically higher or lower on that measure, not better or worse; links open the named district budget report when available.

Local comparison roster

This roster names 76 rows in the local peer set behind averages and ranks for Bergen County districts. 75 have a usable NJDOE comparative-cost value; this district is 12 of 75 on that published cost line at $28,294.

DistrictComparative costCost rankUFB on-rollOperating budgetFunding model
Bergen Co Special ServicePeer district$103,1001 of 75587$64.4 millionMostly locally funded98% local / n/a state
Saddle River BoroPeer district$42,5052 of 75130$12.0 millionMostly locally funded86% local / 5% state
Alpine BoroPeer district$35,2413 of 75161$9.0 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 4% state
Englewood Cliffs BoroPeer district$32,7774 of 75410$19.2 millionMostly locally funded85% local / 5% state
Pascack Valley RegionalPeer district$32,6065 of 751,708$67.0 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 5% state
Franklin Lakes BoroPeer district$30,9076 of 751,169$41.4 millionMostly locally funded86% local / 6% state
Ramapo-Indian Hill RegPeer district$30,6027 of 751,831$69.0 millionMostly locally funded86% local / 6% state
Park Ridge BoroPeer district$30,2638 of 751,127$39.5 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 4% state
Ramsey BoroPeer district$29,8539 of 752,273$74.6 millionMostly locally funded92% local / 5% state
Carlstadt BoroPeer district$28,67510 of 75486$15.5 millionMostly locally funded81% local / 6% state
Bergen County VocationalPeer district$28,58311 of 752,823$88.7 millionMostly locally funded92% local / 6% state
Teaneck TwpThis district$28,29412 of 753,708$120.7 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 8% state
Ridgefield BoroPeer district$27,46113 of 751,580$47.1 millionMostly locally funded79% local / 9% state
Oakland BoroPeer district$26,66614 of 751,301$38.4 millionMostly locally funded92% local / 6% state
Upper Saddle River BoroPeer district$26,21315 of 751,115$31.7 millionMostly locally funded85% local / 5% state
Midland Park BoroPeer district$26,21216 of 75928$31.9 millionMostly locally funded84% local / 5% state
Ridgefield Park TwpPeer district$26,05017 of 752,042$59.6 millionMixed-source62% local / 32% state
Mahwah TwpPeer district$25,81818 of 752,648$82.9 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 6% state
Woodcliff Lake BoroPeer district$25,43019 of 75752$21.6 millionMostly locally funded90% local / 5% state
Northern Valley RegionalPeer district$25,25720 of 752,317$75.2 millionMostly locally funded90% local / 5% state
Paramus BoroPeer district$24,99121 of 753,553$101.6 millionMostly locally funded93% local / 6% state
South Hackensack TwpPeer district$24,98522 of 75270$10.9 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 7% state
River Vale TwpPeer district$24,60123 of 751,024$28.3 millionMostly locally funded92% local / 5% state
Old Tappan BoroPeer district$24,53124 of 75772$27.7 millionMostly locally funded72% local / 4% state
Northern Highlands RegPeer district$24,49325 of 751,250$38.2 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 4% state
Garfield CityPeer district$24,28226 of 754,984$124.8 millionMostly state-funded31% local / 66% state
Hackensack CityPeer district$23,98527 of 755,733$153.2 millionMostly locally funded66% local / 28% state
Demarest BoroPeer district$23,82928 of 75796$22.1 millionMostly locally funded86% local / 4% state
Bogota BoroPeer district$23,75829 of 751,346$36.3 millionMixed-source45% local / 51% state
Hillsdale BoroPeer district$23,61130 of 751,116$29.8 millionMostly locally funded86% local / 7% state
Edgewater BoroPeer district$23,40231 of 75829$35.2 millionMostly locally funded85% local / 7% state
East Rutherford BoroPeer district$23,34432 of 75896$22.7 millionMostly locally funded86% local / 6% state
Westwood RegionalPeer district$23,33333 of 752,764$71.1 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 6% state
Emerson BoroPeer district$23,32634 of 751,052$28.1 millionMostly locally funded91% local / 6% state
Rochelle Park TwpPeer district$23,18435 of 75486$17.0 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 9% state
Allendale BoroPeer district$23,02336 of 75861$22.5 millionMostly locally funded85% local / 6% state
Harrington Park BoroPeer district$22,91437 of 75637$17.0 millionMostly locally funded90% local / 5% state
Waldwick BoroPeer district$22,89038 of 751,546$40.4 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 6% state
Tenafly BoroPeer district$22,88939 of 753,429$89.1 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 7% state
Haworth BoroPeer district$22,45140 of 75518$13.2 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 5% state
Northvale BoroPeer district$22,17241 of 75531$13.3 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 9% state
Glen Rock BoroPeer district$22,05042 of 752,555$61.7 millionMostly locally funded91% local / 6% state
Little Ferry BoroPeer district$21,95043 of 75886$39.9 millionMixed-source58% local / 33% state
Moonachie BoroPeer district$21,89544 of 75377$13.6 millionMostly locally funded77% local / 7% state
New Milford BoroPeer district$21,81145 of 751,985$49.9 millionMostly locally funded83% local / 10% state
Wyckoff TwpPeer district$21,80546 of 752,061$49.8 millionMostly locally funded92% local / 6% state
Bergenfield BoroPeer district$21,75647 of 753,579$87.5 millionMostly locally funded69% local / 25% state
River Dell RegionalPeer district$21,68248 of 751,622$40.2 millionMostly locally funded91% local / 7% state
Fair Lawn BoroPeer district$21,39049 of 755,482$138.1 millionMostly locally funded75% local / 17% state
Ridgewood VillagePeer district$21,29950 of 755,392$131.0 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 8% state
Englewood CityPeer district$21,07551 of 753,144$79.9 millionMostly locally funded81% local / 16% state
Hasbrouck Heights BoroPeer district$20,62852 of 751,659$38.1 millionMostly locally funded92% local / 8% state
Fairview BoroPeer district$20,59853 of 751,528$53.2 millionMostly state-funded30% local / 67% state
Fort Lee BoroPeer district$20,57954 of 754,003$93.0 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 8% state
Ho Ho Kus BoroPeer district$20,53155 of 75594$19.2 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 9% state
Leonia BoroPeer district$20,30756 of 751,960$44.1 millionMostly locally funded83% local / 13% state
Cresskill BoroPeer district$20,27657 of 751,733$38.2 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 7% state
Lodi BoroughPeer district$20,21558 of 753,239$88.3 millionMixed-source45% local / 49% state
Closter BoroPeer district$20,20959 of 751,217$27.9 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 6% state
Saddle Brook TwpPeer district$20,08360 of 751,865$44.5 millionMostly locally funded90% local / 8% state
Montvale BoroPeer district$19,91361 of 751,006$23.0 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 7% state
North Arlington BoroPeer district$19,81062 of 752,165$50.2 millionMixed-source64% local / 23% state
Maywood BoroPeer district$19,23863 of 75975$28.2 millionMostly locally funded80% local / 14% state
Lyndhurst TwpPeer district$19,14264 of 752,610$59.6 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 11% state
Norwood BoroPeer district$19,11265 of 75616$14.6 millionMostly locally funded87% local / 9% state
Rutherford BoroPeer district$19,02166 of 752,547$57.3 millionMostly locally funded90% local / 7% state
Cliffside Park BoroPeer district$18,77767 of 753,130$69.2 millionMostly locally funded76% local / 16% state
Elmwood ParkPeer district$18,76868 of 752,718$66.8 millionMixed-source55% local / 41% state
Dumont BoroPeer district$18,69969 of 752,507$56.9 millionMostly locally funded71% local / 27% state
Wood-Ridge BoroPeer district$18,59770 of 751,331$30.2 millionMostly locally funded89% local / 8% state
River Edge BoroPeer district$18,28771 of 751,233$23.2 millionMostly locally funded84% local / 14% state
Wallington BoroPeer district$18,18072 of 751,247$31.4 millionMixed-source57% local / 29% state
Oradell BoroPeer district$18,01073 of 75810$16.3 millionMostly locally funded88% local / 7% state
Carlstadt-East RutherfordPeer district$17,96274 of 751,000$22.0 millionMostly locally funded91% local / 5% state
Palisades ParkPeer district$17,12675 of 751,787$32.2 millionMostly locally funded85% local / 9% state
South Bergen Jointure ComPeer districtn/an/a329$72.0 millionMostly locally funded100% local / n/a state

This is the local comparison universe used elsewhere in this report when the Bergen County average is available. Comparative cost is NJDOE's published per-pupil line, not operating budget divided by enrollment. UFB on-roll is the planning-enrollment denominator, and operating budget is proposed General Fund operating scale; the funding-model column uses proposed General Fund operating revenue shares, not all-funds revenue.

Current operating mix versus peers

These stacked bars put the latest operating-budget composition beside the Bergen County average before the report moves into row-level trends. They answer a narrower question than the cost trend: whether this district funds or uses its operating budget differently from local peers.

Operating revenue sources

Local sources: 88% here versus 82% for the county avg, a +6 pts gap.

Operating revenue sources0%50%100%This districtcounty avg88%82%12%
Local sourcesState sourcesFederal sourcesFund balance / other

General Fund operating revenue sources, not all-funds revenue or tax bills. Peer bar is the unweighted average among 76 local peer rows with usable latest-year mix data.

High-level operating uses

Charter / renaissance transfers: 7% here versus <1% for the county avg, a +7 pts gap.

High-level operating uses0%50%100%This districtcounty avg92%95%
General current expenseSchool-based budgetingCharter / renaissance transfersCapital outlay

High-level General Fund appropriation rows; lower-level rows can be nested. Peer bar is the unweighted average among 76 local peer rows with usable latest-year mix data.

All shares use the latest proposed General Fund operating budget as the denominator. The comparison is a local peer benchmark, not a target, adequacy finding, accounting bridge, or proof that any category is discretionary.

Position over time

this district vs local peer average over loaded UFB yearsComparative cost per pupillatest gap +$3,770 · gap moved -$373$21,000$33,000$28,294$24,524 avgOperations and maintenance per...latest gap +$653 · gap moved +$542$2,000$4,000$3,572$2,919 avgClassroom instruction per pupillatest gap +$2,278 · gap moved -$1,142$12,000$19,000$16,200$13,922 avgSupport services per pupillatest gap +$736 · gap moved -$109$3,500$7,000$5,282$4,546 avgBudgeted out-of-district placem...latest gap -7 pts · gap moved -1 pt0%15%10% avg4%2019202020212022202320242025
MeasureFirst peer gapLatest peer gapGap movement
Comparative cost per pupil2019-20: +$4,1432025-26: +$3,770-$373
Operations and maintenance per pupil2019-20: +$1112025-26: +$653+$542
Classroom instruction per pupil2019-20: +$3,4202025-26: +$2,278-$1,142
Support services per pupil2019-20: +$8452025-26: +$736-$109
Budgeted out-of-district placements share2019-20: -6 pts2025-26: -7 pts-1 pt

Each row tracks this district against the Bergen County average for a selected UFB measure. Money measures are converted to 2025 dollars; percentage measures keep their stated UFB denominators. Rows use independent zoomed axes, so compare the labeled gaps and the table rather than comparing vertical distance across different measures.

2025 dollars per pupil · 2025-26 This district · $28,294county avg · $24,524$6,000$60,000$114,000

Current operating revenue mix

share of operating budget funding 88%0%50%100%
Local sourcesState sourcesFederal sourcesFund balance / other

This bar shows proposed General Fund operating revenue sources for the latest UFB year. It is not an all-funds revenue mix.

Budget report section

Categories and lines

Which spending categories, budget families, and source rows are large or unusual?

share of proposed operating budget · 2025-260%50%100%General current expense92%Charter / renaissance transfers7%Capital outlay<1%bar this district · tick county avg

Budget family context matrix

Largest current family signal: General current expense, $111,191,002 or 92% of operating-budget scale. Largest real movement: Local taxes and local sources, -$9,955,944 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. Widest peer gap: Special revenue funds, 9 pts above the Bergen County average.

Family and source rowLatest scalePeer gapReal movement
Local taxes and local sources4 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Tax LevyRevenue line 100/114 · $104,918,48889%$107,028,175+9 ptspeer avg 80%-$9,955,944-3 pts op. shift
General current expense1 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal General Current ExpenseAppropriation line 72260 · $111,191,00292%$111,191,002-3 ptspeer avg 95%-$7,061,802-1 pt op. shift
Instruction programs8 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Regular Programs-InstructionAppropriation line 3200 · $26,666,78826%$31,817,276-4 ptspeer avg 30%-$7,333,924-4 pts op. shift
Special revenue funds2 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Special Revenue FundsAppropriation line 88760 · $9,724,76016%$19,449,520+9 ptspeer avg 7%+$6,044,599+6 pts op. shift
Preschool5 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Preschool Education AidAppropriation line 87100 · $5,257,32911%$13,317,829+8 ptspeer avg 3%+$2,948,609+3 pts op. shift
Special education and student supports6 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Special Education-InstructionAppropriation line 10300 · $11,812,49518%$21,412,7860 ptspeer avg 18%-$3,198,081-2 pts op. shift
State aid8 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal State ProjectsAppropriation line 88200 · $6,659,28515%$17,785,8400 ptspeer avg 14%+$3,388,254+3 pts op. shift
Transfers and tuition3 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition)Appropriation line 29180 · $12,272,75117%$21,114,761+2 ptspeer avg 15%-$400,188+1 pt op. shift
Employee benefits1 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Personal Services-Employee BenefitsAppropriation line 71260 · $17,351,40014%$17,351,400-2 ptspeer avg 17%+$865,418+1 pt op. shift
Transportation2 latest rowsLargest latest rowTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Student Transportation ServicesAppropriation line 52480 · $9,655,1698%$9,665,169+3 ptspeer avg 5%+$2,309,608+2 pts op. shift

This matrix ranks the highest-signal UFB families for this district. Latest scale is 2025-26 source-row dollars divided by proposed operating budget; peer gap uses the same denominator against the Bergen County average; real movement compares 2019-20 with 2025-26 in 2025 dollars. Bars are scaled separately within each metric column. Families are contextual, nested source-row groups, not an additive accounting schedule.

Named family peer context

This names the local districts nearest this district on selected source-family shares, so category claims can be checked against specific peers rather than only the Bergen County average.

Family and source rowThis districtNamed local checksLocal range
Local taxes and local sourcesHow much of the budget story is local levy, tuition, fees, or miscellaneous local revenue?Total Tax LevyRevenue line 100/114; $104,918,48889%$107,028,175; rank 29 of 76+9 pts vs Bergen County average (80%)Next higherWestwood Regional 89%Next lowerRamapo-Indian Hill Reg 88%River Vale Twp 96% to South Bergen Jointure Com 13%Mostly revenue-file rows. Tax levy is merged across label variants where the source changed names.
General current expenseHow much of the operating story sits in the broad current-expense row before lower-level categories are inspected?Total General Current ExpenseAppropriation line 72260; $111,191,00292%$111,191,002; rank 67 of 76-3 pts vs Bergen County average (95%)Next higherMoonachie Boro 93%Next lowerLodi Borough 92%Oakland Boro 100% to Garfield City 38%General current expense is a high-level operating row; lower-level rows inside it can overlap and should not be added back to it.
Special revenue fundsHow large are grant-funded or otherwise outside-operating programs relative to operating budgets?Total Special Revenue FundsAppropriation line 88760; $9,724,76016%$19,449,520; rank 9 of 76+9 pts vs Bergen County average (7%)Next higherEnglewood City 18%Next lowerRidgefield Park Twp 15%Bergen Co Special Service 36% to South Bergen Jointure Com 0%Special-revenue totals are outside-operating scale signals and should not be added to General Fund operating rows.
Instruction programsWhich classroom or instructional program rows define the core spending structure?Total Regular Programs-InstructionAppropriation line 3200; $26,666,78826%$31,817,276; rank 60 of 76-4 pts vs Bergen County average (30%)Next higherNorwood Boro 27%Next lowerOld Tappan Boro 26%Bergen County Vocational 52% to South Bergen Jointure Com <1%Instruction rows can be nested inside broader General Fund current-expense totals.
PreschoolIs preschool aid, carryover, instruction, or support service scale material?Total Preschool Education AidAppropriation line 87100; $5,257,32911%$13,317,829; rank 11 of 76+8 pts vs Bergen County average (3%)Next higherLodi Borough 12%Next lowerEast Rutherford Boro 11%Palisades Park 26% to Allendale Boro 0%Preschool rows can appear in revenue and appropriation files and can be outside ordinary K-12 comparisons.

Shares use 2025-26 source-family dollars divided by each district’s proposed operating budget. "Next higher" and "next lower" are numerically higher or lower on that same share, not better or worse. Families are contextual, nested UFB source-row groups, so read named peers as reporting checks rather than an additive accounting schedule.

Category history and peer scale

Charter / Renaissance transfers sits 7 pts above the Bergen County average. General current expense changed -$7,061,802 in real dollars from 2019-20 to 2025-26.

Budget categoryLayerLatest amountLatest op. equiv.Peer avgShare changeReal $ change
General current expenseHigh-level operating use$111,191,00292%95%-1 pt-$7,061,802
School-based budgetingHigh-level operating use$00%<1%0 pts$0
Charter / Renaissance transfersHigh-level operating use$8,700,0007%<1%+1 pt+$170,035
Capital outlayHigh-level operating use$827,935<1%3%0 pts+$200,857
Core instruction rowsNested cost row$40,042,82633%35%-4 pts-$6,746,018
Student supports and servicesNested cost row$9,600,2918%9%-1 pt-$2,286,136
Instruction tuitionNested cost row$12,272,75110%10%0 pts-$630,380
Administration and central servicesNested cost row$7,551,7316%7%0 pts-$479,941
Operations and maintenanceNested cost row$10,773,8829%8%+2 pts+$1,401,530
Student transportationNested cost row$9,655,1698%5%+2 pts+$2,299,608
Employee benefitsNested cost row$17,351,40014%17%+1 pt+$865,418
Special Revenue FundsOutside-operating scale$9,724,7608%3%+3 pts+$3,022,299
Debt Service FundsOutside-operating scale$617,150<1%3%-1 pt-$1,024,538

Rows mix high-level operating uses, nested lower-level cost rows, and outside-operating scale rows, so do not add them. Latest op. equiv., peer avg, and share change use proposed operating budget as the denominator. Real-dollar change is from 2019-20 to 2025-26 in 2025 dollars. Peer avg is the Bergen County average where at least six local peer districts have usable UFB rows.

Budget family lens

Largest family-level source-row signal: General current expense, $111,191,002 or 92% of operating-budget scale. Largest first-to-latest real movement: Local taxes and local sources, -$9,955,944 in 2025 dollars. Widest local peer gap: Special revenue funds, 9 pts above the Bergen County average on the same operating-scale basis.

Local taxes and local sources

How much of the budget story is local levy, tuition, fees, or miscellaneous local revenue?

Latest scale$107,028,17589% op. equiv.; 4 latest rowsPeer avg80%+9 pts vs peersReal movement-$9,955,944-3 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Tax LevyRevenue line 100/114 · '10-1210 · $104,918,488

Mostly revenue-file rows. Tax levy is merged across label variants where the source changed names.

General current expense

How much of the operating story sits in the broad current-expense row before lower-level categories are inspected?

Latest scale$111,191,00292% op. equiv.; 1 latest rowsPeer avg95%-3 pts vs peersReal movement-$7,061,802-1 pt op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal General Current ExpenseAppropriation line 72260 · ' · $111,191,002

General current expense is a high-level operating row; lower-level rows inside it can overlap and should not be added back to it.

Instruction programs

Which classroom or instructional program rows define the core spending structure?

Latest scale$31,817,27626% op. equiv.; 8 latest rowsPeer avg30%-4 pts vs peersReal movement-$7,333,924-4 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Regular Programs-InstructionAppropriation line 3200 · '11-1XX-100-XX · $26,666,788

Instruction rows can be nested inside broader General Fund current-expense totals.

Special revenue funds

How large are grant-funded or otherwise outside-operating programs relative to operating budgets?

Latest scale$19,449,52016% op. equiv.; 2 latest rowsPeer avg7%+9 pts vs peersReal movement+$6,044,599+6 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Special Revenue FundsAppropriation line 88760 · ' · $9,724,760

Special-revenue totals are outside-operating scale signals and should not be added to General Fund operating rows.

Preschool

Is preschool aid, carryover, instruction, or support service scale material?

Latest scale$13,317,82911% op. equiv.; 5 latest rowsPeer avg3%+8 pts vs peersReal movement+$2,948,609+3 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Preschool Education AidAppropriation line 87100 · '20-218-XXX-XX · $5,257,329

Preschool rows can appear in revenue and appropriation files and can be outside ordinary K-12 comparisons.

Special education and student supports

Are special education, child study, therapies, guidance, or student supports driving the budget question?

Latest scale$21,412,78618% op. equiv.; 6 latest rowsPeer avg18%0 pts vs peersReal movement-$3,198,081-2 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Special Education-InstructionAppropriation line 10300 · '11-2XX-100-XX · $11,812,495

Rows can mix instruction, support services, and placement-related services.

State aid

Which aid lines explain dependence on state funding or first-to-latest movement?

Latest scale$17,785,84015% op. equiv.; 8 latest rowsPeer avg14%0 pts vs peersReal movement+$3,388,254+3 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal State ProjectsAppropriation line 88200 · '20-XXX-XXX-XX · $6,659,285

Includes aid rows other than preschool-specific rows, which are separated because they often move as a program block.

Transfers and tuition

Do charter/Renaissance transfers, tuition, or purchased placements change the budget story?

Latest scale$21,114,76117% op. equiv.; 3 latest rowsPeer avg15%+2 pts vs peersReal movement-$400,188+1 pt op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition)Appropriation line 29180 · '11-000-100-XX · $12,272,751

Transfer and tuition rows often identify the districts where money leaves the district-run setting.

Employee benefits

How large are benefit rows, and are they moving differently from the overall budget?

Latest scale$17,351,40014% op. equiv.; 1 latest rowsPeer avg17%-2 pts vs peersReal movement+$865,418+1 pt op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Personal Services-Employee BenefitsAppropriation line 71260 · '11-XXX-XXX-2X · $17,351,400

Benefit rows are named appropriation rows that can overlap with salary-bearing functions.

Transportation

Is transportation a visible cost or aid signal relative to other districts?

Latest scale$9,665,1698% op. equiv.; 2 latest rowsPeer avg5%+3 pts vs peersReal movement+$2,309,608+2 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Student Transportation ServicesAppropriation line 52480 · '11-000-270-XX · $9,655,169

Transportation appears in both aid/revenue and appropriation rows; read the file label.

Capital, facilities, and debt

Are capital projects, facilities acquisition, reserve withdrawals, or debt-service rows distorting all-funds comparisons?

Latest scale$2,637,7882% op. equiv.; 4 latest rowsPeer avg11%-9 pts vs peersReal movement-$1,765,632-1 pt op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Capital OutlayAppropriation line 76400 · ' · $827,935

Capital and debt rows use operating budget only as a common scale reference.

Plant, operations, and maintenance

Do facilities operations or maintenance explain spending differences?

Latest scale$10,773,8829% op. equiv.; 1 latest rowsPeer avg8%0 pts vs peersReal movement+$1,401,530+2 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Operation and Maintenance of Plant ServicesAppropriation line 51120 · '11-000-26X-XX · $10,773,882

Operations rows are lower-level appropriation rows and should not be added to high-level totals.

Other named rows

Which remaining named rows deserve a closer district-level look?

Latest scale$5,236,0404% op. equiv.; 13 latest rowsPeer avg3%+2 pts vs peersReal movement+$3,467,126+3 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowOther Restricted EntitlementsRevenue line 765 · '20-32XX · $1,401,956

A catch-all for contextual rows that do not fit the named families above.

Federal grants

Which federal rows are large, concentrated, or fading after pandemic-era aid?

Latest scale$7,361,8536% op. equiv.; 11 latest rowsPeer avg4%+2 pts vs peersReal movement+$1,460,314+1 pt op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Federal ProjectsAppropriation line 88740 · '20-XXX-XXX-XX · $2,453,951

Federal rows are source-file grant lines and can sit outside the operating-budget story.

Fund balance and reserves

Is the district leaning on fund balance, capital reserve, maintenance reserve, or similar one-time sources?

Latest scale$3,830,6123% op. equiv.; 7 latest rowsPeer avg7%-4 pts vs peersReal movement+$1,062,305+1 pt op. shift
Largest latest rowBudgeted Fund Balance-Operating BudgetRevenue line 580 · '10-303 · $3,399,556

Reserve and fund-balance rows are context signals, not recurring operating revenue.

Administration and central services

Are administrative, central-service, board, legal, or technology rows unusually large or moving?

Latest scale$7,551,7316% op. equiv.; 4 latest rowsPeer avg7%-1 pt vs peersReal movement-$479,9410 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Support Services-School AdministrationAppropriation line 46160 · '11-000-240-XX · $3,350,612

This is source-row context, not a full administrative payroll analysis.

School-based budgeting

Do school-level allocations show up as a material budgeting model or comparison slice?

Latest scale$00% op. equiv.; 0 latest rowsPeer avg<1%-1 pt vs peersReal movement$00 pts op. shift
Largest latest rowNo positive latest-year row.

School-based budgeting rows are allocation signals; they can overlap with lower-level program and staffing rows.

This groups contextual UFB revenue and appropriation rows into the same reader-facing families used by the statewide budget explorer. Latest scale uses 2025-26 proposed source-row dollars divided by proposed operating budget; real movement compares 2019-20 with 2025-26 in 2025 dollars. Peer avg is the Bergen County average where at least six local peer districts have usable UFB rows. Families are reporting lenses over nested source rows, not additive accounting schedules.

Budget lines that moved

UFB rowType2019-202025-26Real changeOp. share change
Total Tax LevyRevenue$115,013,135$104,918,488-$10,094,647-3 pts
Total Revenues from Local SourcesRevenue$115,436,877$106,264,082-$9,172,795-3 pts
Total Regular Programs-InstructionAppropriation$31,490,349$26,666,788-$4,823,561-3 pts
Total General Current ExpenseAppropriation$118,252,804$111,191,002-$7,061,802-1 pt
Total Special Revenue FundsAppropriation$6,702,461$9,724,760+$3,022,299+3 pts
Total Grants and EntitlementsRevenue$6,702,461$9,724,760+$3,022,299+3 pts
Total Revenues from State SourcesRevenue$3,992,859$6,657,285+$2,664,426+2 pts
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Student Transportation ServicesAppropriation$7,355,561$9,655,169+$2,299,608+2 pts
Total State ProjectsAppropriation$4,735,281$6,659,285+$1,924,004+2 pts
Preschool Education AidRevenue$3,415,688$5,255,329+$1,839,641+2 pts

Ranked contextual UFB revenue and appropriation rows by movement from 2019-20 to 2025-26. Amounts are inflation-adjusted to 2025 dollars using BLS CPI-U annual averages. Rows are selected and often nested, so they do not add to a complete budget; the UFB year columns also mix actual-cost, revised/original-budget, and proposed-budget bases.

Budget report section

Costs and students

Which denominator, service-load, need, labor, and pupil-cost rows change the per-student read?

Cost basis reconciliation

The cost story changes by basis: NJDOE comparative cost is $28,294, $3,770 above the Bergen County average, while operating budget per UFB on-roll is $32,556, $352 below the Bergen County average. A rank claim should name which numerator and denominator produced it.

Per-student basisThis districtLocal peer readWhat it means
NJDOE comparative cost per pupil$28,294$3,770 above the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: $24,524; rank 12 of 75.Published NJDOE comparative-cost line. The report does not recompute it from operating dollars or enrollment.
Operating budget per UFB on-roll$32,556$352 below the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: $32,908; rank 19 of 76.Proposed General Fund operating budget divided by UFB planning on-roll. This is a scale check, not the NJDOE comparative-cost line.
Operating budget per fall-enrolled student$33,357$4,605 above the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: $28,752; rank 18 of 76.Proposed operating budget divided by NJDOE fall enrollment on the district profile. The local average is aggregate-weighted so tiny fall denominators do not dominate; this does not replace NJDOE’s cost metric.
All-funds net spending per UFB on-roll$35,345$614 above the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: $34,730; rank 19 of 76.All-funds net spending divided by UFB planning on-roll. Includes outside-operating rows such as grants, debt, or capital and should not be read as recurring operating cost.
Tax levy per UFB on-roll$28,295$5,579 above the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: $22,716; rank 12 of 75.Local funding pressure per planning student. This is not a spending-cost metric and is not tax-bill advice.

Use this panel before comparing per-pupil figures: the same district can look high, low, or ordinary depending on whether the report is using NJDOE comparative cost, operating budget, fall enrollment, all-funds totals, or tax levy.

Student flow and money path

The budget route map puts the cost question into reader terms: sent placements equal 4% of UFB on-roll; special-education planning load is 18% of UFB on-roll. Dollar rows use operating-budget shares; student-flow rows use UFB planning-enrollment shares, so the table keeps the evidence separate instead of adding it together.

PathLatest scaleLocal peer readRead as
General current expense$111.2 million (92% of operating)3 pts below the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: 95%; rank 67 of 76.The broad district-run operating base. Lower-level instructional, support, benefits, operations, and administrative rows can sit inside or beside this accounting path.
School-based budgetingno positive latest row1 pt below the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: <1%; rank 2 of 76.A published school-resource allocation path, where present. It is not an added cost on top of the same operating budget without reading the source rows.
Charter / Renaissance transfers$8.7 million (7% of operating)7 pts above the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: <1%; rank 2 of 76.Operating dollars routed to charter or Renaissance rows. Read beside resident enrollment, district-run enrollment, and charter/Renaissance context before making a classroom-spending claim.
Special-education planning load681 (18% of UFB on-roll)1 pt above the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: 17%; rank 15 of 76.A UFB planning-enrollment load, not a fall-enrollment count. Use with pupil-cost rows, tuition, transportation, staffing, and services before assigning a cost gap to one cause.
Sent placements130 (4% of UFB on-roll)7 pts below the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: 10%; rank 27 of 73.A count path for students budgeted outside the district-run on-roll setting. Follow the tuition, transportation, special-services, and placement rows; do not add this count to dollars.
Received from other districts2 (<1% of UFB on-roll)5 pts below the Bergen County average; Bergen County average: 5%; rank 51 of 76.A receiving-service path that can change the fair denominator. Read with tuition or receiving-revenue rows before treating resident-based cost comparisons as complete.

This panel is a reporting map for Bergen County districts comparisons: dollar paths use proposed General Fund operating-budget scale, while service paths use UFB planning-enrollment rows. It does not claim that these rows add to one total.

Fall enrollment and student need

This section keeps the student denominator beside the budget rows: UFB planning enrollment, fall enrollment, per-student scale checks, and latest fall-enrollment need rows for the same local peer frame.

  1. 49%Student needThe free/reduced-price lunch share is 49% of fall enrollment, +22 pts versus the Bergen County average. Local rank is 15 of 76.
  2. $33,357Fall-student scaleOperating budget per fall-enrolled student is $4,605 above the Bergen County average. Local rank is 18 of 76.
  3. 3,619Enrollment basisUFB planning on-roll and fall enrollment are close in the latest files (3,708 versus 3,619), but they remain different source rows.

Denominator context

MeasureThis districtLocal contextRead as
Fall enrollment3,6193% of peer fall enrollmentNJDOE fall enrollment count used on the district profile.
UFB planning on-roll3,708102% of fall enrollment+89 versus fall
Operating budget per UFB on-roll$32,556$32,908$352 below the Bergen County average
Operating budget per fall-enrolled student$33,357$28,752$4,605 above the Bergen County average

Student-need context

Fall rowCountShareLocal avg / rankGap
Free/reduced-price lunch1,77249%27% · rank 15 of 76+22 pts
Multilingual learners1665%7% · rank 36 of 76-3 pts
Students experiencing homelessness582%<1% · rank 4 of 76+1 pt

Fall rows come from NJDOE Fall Enrollment; UFB on-roll rows come from the NJDOE User-Friendly Budget enrollment file. Operating budget per fall-enrolled student is a scale check for interpretation, not a replacement for NJDOE's published comparative-cost measure.

Service-load and denominator history

Latest UFB planning on-roll is 3,708. From 2019-20 to 2025-26, that denominator changed -153 (-4%). Latest planning-load shares: special education 18%, sent placements 4%, received-from-other-district rows <1% of UFB on-roll. Largest latest service-load category: Special-education on-roll, 18% of on-roll. Largest count movement: Special-education on-roll, -199.

Special-education on-roll

How much of the UFB planning denominator is special education?

Latest load68118% of on-rollPeer avg17%+1 pt vs peersCount movement-199-4 pts on-roll shift
Latest source rowsfull: 681

This is a planning-enrollment row, not a fall enrollment special-education count.

Sent placements

How many students are budgeted outside the district-run setting?

Latest load1304% of on-rollPeer avg10%-6 pts vs peersCount movement+80 pts on-roll shift
Latest source rowsprivate: 66; other districts: 64

Combines private school, contract preschool, sent-to-other-district, and state-facility planning rows.

Sent to other districts

Does the district budget a large regular or special-education outflow to other districts?

Latest load642% of on-rollPeer avg9%-7 pts vs peersCount movement+40 pts on-roll shift
Latest source rowsregular: 30; special ed: 34

Combines regular and special-education sent-to-other-district UFB planning rows.

Net interdistrict flow

Is the district a net sender or receiver in other-district planning rows?

Latest load-62-2% of on-rollPeer avg-4%+2 pts vs peersCount movement-20 pts on-roll shift
Latest source rowsreceived: 2; sent to other districts: 64

Received-from-other-district minus sent-to-other-district rows; private and preschool placements are separate.

Received from other districts

Is this district serving students from outside its resident base?

Latest load2<1% of on-rollPeer avg5%-5 pts vs peersCount movement+20 pts on-roll shift
Latest source rowsreceived from other districts: 2

Receiving rows can make resident-based cost comparisons misleading without tuition and service context.

Sent to private school

Are private placements material enough to shape tuition and service-cost comparisons?

Latest load662% of on-rollPeer avg<1%+1 pt vs peersCount movement+80 pts on-roll shift
Latest source rowssent to private school: 66

Read with tuition, special-services, and transportation rows before calling this ordinary operating growth.

Rows use the UFB budget-enrollment planning file across loaded years, not NJDOE fall enrollment. Latest load and peer average are scaled to each district's UFB planning on-roll. Count movement compares 2019-20 with 2025-26. Peer avg is the Bergen County average where at least six local peer districts have usable planning rows. These rows explain the cost denominator and service-load context; they do not replace NJDOE's published comparative-cost measure.

Labor, benefits, and listed salaries

This section pulls together salary-bearing pupil-cost rows, the employee-benefits appropriation row, and the selected administrative salary side file so labor-cost signals can be read before the raw source tables.

  1. $2.5 millionAdministrative salary fileThe UFB salary side file lists 21 selected administrative base-salary rows; highest listed role is Superintendent at $223,686.
  2. 14%Benefits rowEmployee benefits are 14% of operating-budget scale, 2 pts below the Bergen County average; local rank 61 of 76.
  3. $13,845Salary-bearing cost rowClassroom salaries and benefits is $925 above the Bergen County average.
  4. 31.14%Benefit loadNJDOE reports benefits at 31.14% of salaries, 2 pts below the Bergen County average.

Salary and benefit pupil-cost rows

NJDOE pupil-cost rowThis districtPeer avgGap
Classroom salaries and benefits$13,845$12,920+$925
Support services salaries and benefits$4,157$3,594+$563
Operations and maintenance salaries and benefits$1,367$1,286+$81
Administration salaries and benefits$2,081$2,129-$48
Benefits as % of salaries31.14%33.37%-2 pts

Operating and side-file context

MeasureThis districtLocal contextRead as
Employee benefits appropriation row$17.4 million · 14%17% peer avg; 2 pts below the Bergen County averageNamed UFB appropriation row, scaled to the operating budget.
Benefits as a share of salaries31.14%33.37% peer avg; 2 pts below the Bergen County averageNJDOE pupil-cost row, not an appropriation amount.
Listed administrative base salaries$2.5 million · $673 per UFB on-roll$1,190 peer avg; rank 51 of 7621 selected UFB salary rows.
Highest listed administrative base salary$223,686$225,667 peer avg; rank 41 of 76Superintendent

Salary and benefits rows can overlap with broader NJDOE pupil-cost totals and nested UFB appropriation rows. Administrative salary rows are selected UFB-listed roles with district-reported FTE/shared-service fields; they are not full payroll and should not be added to pupil-cost salary rows. Peer averages use Bergen County districts with usable latest-year UFB rows.

Pupil-cost category movement

NJDOE comparative cost moved -$309 per pupil after inflation from 2019-20 to 2025-26. The largest CPI-adjusted standardized pupil-cost row movement was classroom salaries and benefits, -$1,974 per pupil from 2019-20 to 2025-26. In the latest file, the largest local peer gap among these rows was classroom instruction, +$2,278 versus the Bergen County average.

  1. -$309Comparative-cost movementNJDOE’s published comparative-cost line, converted to real dollars across loaded UFB years.
  2. -$1,974Largest category movementClassroom salaries and benefits, after CPI adjustment.
  3. +$2,278Largest latest peer gapClassroom instruction, above the Bergen County average.
Real movement by pupil-cost rowSigned dot plot of inflation-adjusted movement in NJDOE standardized pupil-cost rows Values are dollars per pupil, centered on zero.Real movement by pupil-cost row2025 dollars per pupil, first loaded UFB year to latest-$2,500$0+$2,500Classroom salaries and benefits-$1,974Classroom instruction-$1,429Classroom purchased services+$953Operations and maintenance+$789Classroom supplies and textbooks-$409Administrative costs+$250Legal costs+$220
Latest gap versus local peersSigned dot plot of latest local peer gaps in NJDOE standardized pupil-cost rows Values are dollars per pupil, centered on zero.Latest gap versus local peersLatest-year dollars per pupil, this district minus peer average-$3,000$0+$3,000Classroom instruction+$2,278Classroom purchased services+$1,420Classroom salaries and benefits+$925Support services+$736Operations and maintenance+$653Legal costs+$214Administrative costs+$158
NJDOE pupil-cost row2019-20 real2025-26 realReal movementBergen County averageLatest gap
Classroom salaries and benefits$15,819$13,845-$1,974$12,920+$925
Classroom instruction$17,629$16,200-$1,429$13,922+$2,278
Classroom purchased services$1,020$1,973+$953$553+$1,420
Operations and maintenance$2,783$3,572+$789$2,919+$653
Classroom supplies and textbooks$790$381-$409$449-$68
Administrative costs$2,493$2,743+$250$2,585+$158
Legal costs$60$280+$220$66+$214
Support services$5,178$5,282+$104$4,546+$736
Extracurricular costs$510$443-$67$490-$47
Equipment costs$39$75+$36$140-$65

First-to-latest movement uses NJDOE standardized pupil-cost rows converted to 2025 dollars with CPI-U. The Bergen County average and latest gap columns use latest-year UFB per-pupil values for the same rows. Several rows are subcomponents of broader totals, so this is a category-movement screen, not an additive budget bridge.

NJDOE pupil-cost breakdown

Pupil-cost lineThis districtBergen County averageGap
Classroom instruction$16,200$13,922+$2,278
Classroom salaries and benefits$13,845$12,920+$925
Support services$5,282$4,546+$736
Operations and maintenance$3,572$2,919+$653
Administrative costs$2,743$2,585+$158
Classroom purchased services$1,973$553+$1,420
Classroom supplies and textbooks$381$449-$68
Extracurricular costs$443$490-$47
Equipment costs$75$140-$65
Legal costs$280$66+$214

Pupil-cost rows are NJDOE-published per-pupil figures for the proposed budget year, not amounts divided by enrollment on this page.

Budget enrollment and placements

UFB enrollment rowCountShare of on-roll
On-roll, full3,02782%
Special education on-roll, full68118%
Sent to private school662%
Sent to other districts, regular30<1%
Sent to other districts, special education34<1%
Received from other districts2<1%

These are UFB budget-enrollment planning rows, not the fall enrollment counts used elsewhere on the profile.

Budget report section

Comparison matrix

Which tax basis, tax effort, averages, ranks, and gaps shape the comparison?

Tax basis reconciliation

The UFB summary tax levy is $104,918,488, while the esttax total-school levy sums to $105,535,638 (+$617,150 difference). The esttax file has one districtwide tax-rate slice. Those bases are kept separate below before any local-burden comparison.

  1. $104.9 millionSummary operating levyUsed for UFB levy per planning student and levy share of operating budget.
  2. $105.5 millionesttax total-school levy+$617,150 vs summary levy
  3. $8.2 billionTaxable assessed valueLocal assessed valuation denominator; date: May 31, 2024.
  4. $8.4 billionEqualized valueState equalized valuation for cross-municipality comparison; date: May 31, 2024.
BasisValueRateDenominator / dateReader use
UFB summary operating tax levy$104,918,488n/a$28,295 per UFB on-rollProfile-facing UFB summary row; this is the basis for levy-per-student comparisons.
esttax General Fund levy$104,918,4881.286 per $100Taxable assessed value; May 31, 2024.Taxable assessed-value rate basis; matches summary levy.
esttax total-school levy$105,535,6381.293 per $100Taxable assessed value; May 31, 2024.Taxable assessed-value rate basis; +$617,150 vs summary levy.
Equalized total-school levy$105,535,6381.251 per $100Equalized value; May 31, 2024.Equalized-value rate basis for cross-municipality comparison.
Taxable assessed value$8.2 billionn/aMay 31, 2024Assessed valuation denominator for source tax-rate rows.
Equalized value$8.4 billionn/aMay 31, 2024Equalized valuation denominator used to compare tax bases across municipalities.

This panel reconciles the UFB summary tax levy with the esttax side-file levy, rate, and valuation bases. Rates are estimates per $100 of valuation. Taxable assessed value is the local assessed-value denominator; equalized value is the state-adjusted valuation used for cross-municipality comparison. Valuation dates travel with the source rows. The table is local-burden context for reporting, not tax-bill advice or audited property-tax data.

Tax effort and tax base

Lower base with higher rate. Tax levy per UFB on-roll was $28,295, +$5,579 versus the Bergen County average. The estimated school-tax rate was 1.251 per $100, +0.2951 versus the Bergen County average. Equalized value per UFB on-roll was -$818,909 versus the Bergen County average.

  1. Low baseTax-context signalGenerated from UFB tax levy, planning enrollment, and estimated tax-rate side rows.
  2. $28,295Levy per UFB on-roll+$5,579 versus Bergen County average; rank 12 of 75.
  3. 1.251Estimated rate+0.2951 versus Bergen County average; equalized value weighted.
  4. $2,275,322Equalized basePer UFB on-roll; -$818,909 versus Bergen County average.
Tax effort versus local peersDots compare this district with the Bergen County average for tax levy per UFB on-roll, estimated tax rate, and equalized value per UFB on-roll where available.this district versus Bergen County averageTax levy per UFB on-roll$28,295$22,716Estimated school-tax rate1.2510.9559Equalized value per UFB on-roll$2,275,322$3,094,231This districtBergen County average
MeasureThis districtBergen County averageGapLocal rankBasis
Tax levy per UFB on-roll$28,295$22,716+$5,57912 of 75UFB summary tax levy divided by UFB on-roll planning enrollment.
Tax levy / operating budget87%77%+10 pts17 of 75UFB summary tax levy divided by proposed operating budget.
Estimated school-tax rate1.2510.9559+0.295116 of 73UFB esttax side-file rows; equalized value weighted.
Equalized value per UFB on-roll$2,275,322$3,094,231-$818,90936 of 73Total equalized value from plausible UFB esttax rows divided by UFB on-roll.
Municipal rate spread00.0203-0.02039 of 76Highest minus lowest plausible estimated rate across municipal/regional slices.

Estimated tax-rate slices

SliceDisplayed rateEqualized rateTotal levyEqualized value
Teaneck Twp1.2511.251$105.5 million$8.4 billion

Tax levy per UFB on-roll comes from the UFB summary tax levy and planning enrollment. Estimated tax rates and equalized values come from the UFB esttax side file, use plausible rate rows only, and are shown per $100 of valuation. This is tax-base context for budget reporting, not tax-bill advice or audited property-tax data.

Budget measures that stand out locally

MeasureThis districtPeer avgGapRank
Listed admin base salaries per UFB on-roll student$673$1,190-$51751 of 76
Tax levy per UFB on-roll student$28,295$22,716+$5,57912 of 75
Operations and maintenance per pupil$3,572$2,919+$65312 of 75
Classroom instruction per pupil$16,200$13,922+$2,2788 of 75
Support services per pupil$5,282$4,546+$73611 of 75
Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$24,524+$3,77012 of 75
Tax levy as operating-budget equivalent87%77%+10 pts17 of 75
Budgeted out-of-district placements share4%10%-7 pts27 of 73

Peer averages and ranks compare against Bergen County districts with usable values for the same 2025-26 UFB measure. Rank is ordered from highest value to lowest value; higher is not automatically better or worse.

UFB lines unlike local peers

Largest line-item differences: Total Tax Levy is 87%, +11 pts versus the peer average; Equalization Aid is 0%, -5 pts versus the peer average.

UFB rowFileAmountOp. equiv.Peer avgGapRank
Total Tax LevyRevenue$104,918,48887%76%+11 pts17 of 76
Transfer of Funds to Charter SchoolsAppropriation$8,700,0007%<1%+7 pts2 of 76
Total Revenues from Local SourcesRevenue$106,264,08288%82%+6 pts30 of 76
Equalization AidRevenue$00%5%-5 pts18 of 76
Total Special Revenue FundsAppropriation$9,724,7608%3%+5 pts9 of 76
Total Grants and EntitlementsRevenue$9,724,7608%3%+5 pts9 of 76
Total Revenues from State Sources (520)Revenue$9,381,4318%12%-4 pts30 of 76
Total Revenues from State Sources (770)Revenue$6,657,2856%1%+4 pts7 of 76
Total State ProjectsAppropriation$6,659,2856%2%+4 pts9 of 76
Preschool Education AidRevenue$5,255,3294%<1%+3 pts7 of 76
Total General Current ExpenseAppropriation$111,191,00292%95%-3 pts67 of 76
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Student Transportation ServicesAppropriation$9,655,1698%5%+3 pts7 of 76

This scans contextual revenue and appropriation rows against Bergen County districts with usable 2025-26 UFB data. The operating-equivalent columns use each district’s proposed operating budget as a scale reference; peer-common rows missing from this district are treated as $0 so absences can surface. Rows remain nested and non-additive.

Budget comparison matrix

MeasureThis districtBergen County averageLocal rankNJ avgNJ rank
Comparative cost per pupil$28,294$24,52412 of 75$23,59164 of 566
Operating budget per UFB on-roll student$32,556$32,90819 of 76$39,253123 of 578
Tax levy per UFB on-roll student$28,295$22,71612 of 75$17,83558 of 566
Local operating revenue share88%82%30 of 7669%125 of 595
State operating revenue share8%13%30 of 7425%411 of 574
Federal operating revenue share<1%<1%33 of 47<1%299 of 386
Fund balance / other operating revenue share4%6%48 of 767%374 of 595
Charter / Renaissance transfer share7%1%2 of 322%18 of 344
Employee benefits share14%17%61 of 7617%458 of 586
Operations and maintenance share9%8%33 of 769%279 of 587
Student transportation share8%5%7 of 766%111 of 592
Special Revenue Funds equivalent8%3%9 of 767%224 of 585
Debt Service Funds equivalent<1%3%52 of 614%364 of 406
Budgeted out-of-district placements share4%10%27 of 7310%207 of 526
Special-education on-roll planning share18%17%15 of 7618%131 of 576
Classroom instruction per pupil$16,200$13,9228 of 75$13,43461 of 569
Support services per pupil$5,282$4,54611 of 75$4,32984 of 569
Operations and maintenance per pupil$3,572$2,91912 of 75$2,87999 of 569
Administrative costs per pupil$2,743$2,58522 of 75$2,27061 of 569
Listed admin base salaries per UFB on-roll student$673$1,19051 of 76$1,366312 of 575
Highest listed admin base salary$223,686$225,66741 of 76$199,341168 of 580

Averages and ranks use districts with usable values for the same latest UFB year. Ranks run from highest value to lowest value, so rank 1 is not automatically better or worse.

Budget report section

Budget anatomy

How do operating sources, operating uses, all-funds totals, grants, and debt fit together?

Budget anatomy

Money in

RowAmountOp. share
Local sources$106.3 million88%
State sources$9.4 million8%
Fund balance / other$5.1 million4%
Federal sources$7,378<1%

Operating uses

RowAmountOp. share
General current expense$111.2 million92%
Charter / renaissance transfers$8.7 million7%
Capital outlay$827,935<1%

All-funds and outside-operating rows

RowAmountOp. equiv.
All-funds net above operating$10.3 million9%
Special Revenue Funds$9.7 million8%
State projects$6.7 million6%
Preschool Education Aid$5.3 million4%
Federal projects$2.5 million2%
Debt Service Funds$617,150<1%

This anatomy starts with the proposed operating budget as the common denominator. The outside-operating column uses the same denominator only as a scale reference; those rows can include grants, debt service, capital, and nested fund sections. The dynamic tables below scan 44 positive revenue rows and 58 positive appropriation rows; 52 changed revenue rows and 57 changed appropriation rows from the latest UFB files.

Budget report section

Side files

Which tax, balance, reserve, unusual-item, shared-service, school-resource, or salary rows matter?

Side-file history

UFB yearTax fileBalances / reservesNotes / shared servicesResource / salary files
2019-20tax-file levy $91.3 million; rate 1.588Restricted--General Operating Budget: Capit... $4.1 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $2.1 million11 shared-service rows11 admin salary rows · $1.3 million
2020-21tax-file levy $93.2 million; rate 1.524Unrestricted--General Operating Budget $2.1 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $1.6 million11 shared-service rows20 admin salary rows · $2.3 million
2021-22tax-file levy $95.0 million; rate 1.514Restricted--General Operating Budget: Capit... $2.6 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $2.9 million1 unusual row · $500,000; 10 shared-service rows19 admin salary rows · $2.2 million
2022-23tax-file levy $95.2 million; rate 1.489Unrestricted-General Operating Budget $3.7 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $9.1 million1 unusual row · $2.1 million; 10 shared-service rows19 admin salary rows · $2.3 million
2023-24tax-file levy $95.6 million; rate 1.344Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capita... $2.4 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $5.4 million10 shared-service rows16 admin salary rows · $2.0 million
2024-25tax-file levy $101.4 million; rate 1.21Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capita... $1.8 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $6.3 million9 shared-service rows20 admin salary rows · $2.4 million
2025-26levy $104.9 million; rate 1.251Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capita... $3.9 million; reserve/fund-balance sources $3.7 million233 unusual rows · $400.0 million; 9 shared-service rows21 admin salary rows · $2.5 million

This table summarizes UFB side files across loaded years so latest-year tax, balance, unusual-item, shared-service, school-resource, and salary rows can be read in context. Recap rows, shared-service savings, and salary files are district-reported context rows, not audited operating totals.

Balance and reserve history

Latest projected close-year balances total $8,349,894, 7% of operating-budget scale. After inflation, total projected balance changed -$711,708 from 2019-20 to 2025-26. Restricted or named-reserve rows account for 71% of the latest projected balance. Largest latest category: Capital reserve, $3,890,284. Largest real movement: Capital reserve, -$1,258,649.

Capital reserve

How much balance is set aside for capital projects or capital expenses?

Latest projected$3,890,2843% op. equiv.; 1 rowsPeer avg12%-9 pts vs peersReal movement-$1,258,649-1 pt op. shift
Largest latest recap rowRestricted-General Operating Budget: Capital Reserve$3,890,284

Capital reserve balances can make a district look cash-rich without changing current operating service levels.

Maintenance reserve

How much facilities maintenance cushion appears outside current spending lines?

Latest projected$1,826,6432% op. equiv.; 1 rowsPeer avg1%0 pts vs peersReal movement+$309,8310 pts op. shift
Largest latest recap rowRestricted-General Operating Budget: Maintenance Reserve$1,826,643

Maintenance reserve is a balance row; compare with facilities and capital lines before treating it as spending.

Unrestricted operating balance

How much close-year operating cushion is not restricted to a named reserve?

Latest projected$2,381,9242% op. equiv.; 1 rowsPeer avg2%0 pts vs peersReal movement-$13,9320 pts op. shift
Largest latest recap rowUnrestricted-General Operating Budget$2,381,924

Estimated close-year balance from the UFB recap file; not an operating appropriation.

Special-revenue scholarship fund

How large are scholarship-fund balances in the special-revenue fund?

Latest projected$251,043<1% op. equiv.; 1 rowsPeer avg<1%0 pts vs peersReal movement+$251,0430 pts op. shift
Largest latest recap rowRestricted-Special Revenue Fund: Scholarship Fund$251,043

Special-revenue balances are context rows, not General Fund operating cushion.

Recap rows are UFB projected balances at the close of the budget year, not operating appropriations or a spendable-cash claim. Tiny placeholder rows below $1,000 are suppressed. Money movement compares 2019-20 with 2025-26 in 2025 dollars, and operating-equivalent shares use each year's proposed operating budget. Peer avg is the Bergen County average where at least six local peer districts have usable recap rows.

Taxes, reserves, and balances

Tax-rate estimate

MeasureValue
General Fund levy$104,918,488
General Fund school-tax rate1.286
Total school levy$105,535,638
Total school-tax rate1.293
Equalized total school-tax rate1.251
Estimated taxable valuation$8.2 billion

Balances projected at year-end

Recap categoryProjectedVs prior audited
Restricted-General Operating Budget: Capital Reserve$3.9 million-$904,300
Unrestricted-General Operating Budget$2.4 million-$3,784,384
Restricted-General Operating Budget: Maintenance Reserve$1.8 million-$1,342,128
Restricted-Special Revenue Fund: Scholarship Fund$251,043+$35,000

Reserve and fund-balance sources

Revenue rowAmount
Budgeted fund balance$3.4 million
Maintenance reserve withdrawal$268,000

Tax rates are NJDOE estimated school-tax-rate rows per $100 of valuation. Balance rows come from the UFB recapitulation file; the projected column is the estimated balance at the close of the budget year, not a spendable operating line.

Unusual items and shared-service profile

The latest unusual-item file lists 233 positive rows totaling $400.0 million, 331% of operating-budget scale, +326 pts versus the Bergen County average. Largest unusual category: labor, contracts, and benefits, $216.0 million. The shared-service file lists 9 arrangements with no dollar savings reported, 0 pts versus the Bergen County average; peer average 8.4 rows. Most visible shared-service category: purchasing and procurement.

Unusual-item explanation categories

CategoryLatest amountLargest source row
Labor, contracts, and benefitsAre contracts, salaries, health benefits, or employee benefits the one-off explanation?$216.0 million179% op. equiv.; 67 rows2.51 % includes 2% tax levy and .51% health benefit waiver$104,918,488; tax levy increase from tax payers
Other unusual explanationsWhich remaining one-off explanations need district-report follow-up?$122.3 million101% op. equiv.; 119 rowsTOTAL UNDISTRIBUTED EXPENDITURES$69,956,358; total undistributed expenditures
Transportation and operationsDo transportation, utilities, facilities operations, or maintenance explain the unusual row?$23.2 million19% op. equiv.; 12 rowsTOTAL UNDIST. EXPEND.-OPER. AND MAINT. OF PLANT SERV.$10,773,882; total undist. expend.-oper. and maint. of plant serv.
Preschool, grants, and restricted aidIs the unusual amount tied to preschool, restricted aid, federal grants, or program carryover?$13.0 million11% op. equiv.; 13 rowsPreschool State Funded$5,255,329; enrollment increase over prior year with estimated 390 students compared to 330 students in current year. state rep...
Tuition and placementsAre tuition, private placements, special education, or out-of-district services the unusual item?$12.7 million10% op. equiv.; 7 rowsPrivate school tuition$9,169,250; private school tuition sp.ed
State aid, loans, and timingAre unusual rows really about aid timing, advances, loans, or state-support mechanics?$8.7 million7% op. equiv.; 3 rowsState Aid$5,279,712; state aid based on assa
Capital, facilities, and debtIs the unusual item an all-funds, capital, facilities, bond, or debt-service story?$3.0 million2% op. equiv.; 10 rowsPrincipal - Energy Savings Impr Prog Bonds$1,097,867; principal - energy savings impr prog bonds
Legal, settlement, and judgment rowsDoes a legal or settlement explanation account for a visible budget row?$1.0 million<1% op. equiv.; 2 rowsLegal Services$927,808; estimated

Shared-service categories

CategoryRows / savingsExample arrangement
Purchasing and procurementDoes the district report purchasing cooperation rather than a direct service consolidation?4 rowsno savings reportedPurchasingBergen County Cooperative Bid
Insurance and benefitsAre insurance, benefit, or coverage arrangements reported as shared services?2 rowsno savings reportedInsurance Coverages and BenefitsNESBIG JIF
Municipal and public worksDoes the district rely on municipal or public-works arrangements?2 rowsno savings reportedMunicipal/Public WorksTownship of Teaneck - Recreational program that operates in district facilities throughout the year
Transportation shared servicesAre transportation arrangements part of the cost story?1 rowno savings reportedTransportation Services, including FuelRegion V Council for Special Education

This panel classifies the latest UFB unusual-item and shared-service side files using the same reporting categories as the statewide budget explorer. Positive unusual-item dollars can duplicate named revenue or appropriation rows elsewhere in the budget. Shared-service savings are optional district-entered context, not audited offsets to current spending. Peer comparisons use Bergen County districts where enough peers have usable side-file rows.

Budget notes and shared services

Unusual revenue or appropriation items

Source / reasonAmountExplanation
2.51 % includes 2% tax levy and .51% health benefit waiver$104,918,488tax levy increase from tax payers
TOTAL UNDISTRIBUTED EXPENDITURES$69,956,358total undistributed expenditures
TOTAL PERSONAL SERVICES - EMPLOYEE BENEFITS$17,351,400total personal services - employee benefits
TOTAL UNALLOCATED BENEFITS$17,351,400total unallocated benefits
Health Benefits$12,882,000health benefits
TOTAL UNDIST. EXPEND.-OPER. AND MAINT. OF PLANT SERV.$10,773,882total undist. expend.-oper. and maint. of plant serv.

Showing 6 of 233 unusual rows.

Shared-service entries

CategoryDescriptionSavings
Insurance Coverages and BenefitsNESBIG JIFnot reported
Insurance Coverages and BenefitsState Health Benefits Programnot reported
Municipal/Public WorksTownship of Teaneck - Recreational program that operates in district facilities throughout the yearnot reported
Municipal/Public WorksTownship of Teaneck- fuel, recycling, vehicle repairs, pruning, paving repairs, snow removalnot reported
PurchasingBergen County Cooperative Bidnot reported
PurchasingEducational Data Services Cooperative Bid Programnot reported

Showing 6 of 9 shared-service rows.

Unusual items and shared services are district-reported UFB explanation rows. Shared-service savings are optional, so a listed arrangement can show no dollar amount.

Listed administrative salary history

The UFB employees side file lists selected administrative salary rows for 7 loaded budget years. Listed base salary moved from $1.6 million in 2019-20 to $2.5 million in 2025-26 in 2025 dollars (up $892,296). The selected-row count changed from 11 to 21 (+10).

  1. $2.5 millionLatest listed base21 selected rows, shown in 2025 dollars.
  2. 21Latest listed FTE0 rows marked shared service.
  3. $673Latest base per UFB on-rollScale check for selected listed administration only.
  4. 63Latest text term entriesPayout, buyback, comment, non-work-day, or post-employment text fields.

Loaded-year salary side-file trail

UFB yearListed baseRows / FTEHighest listed roleAdd-ons / terms
2019-20$1.6 million11 rows; FTE 11no shared rows$226,670Dr. Christopher Irving · Superintendent$600,862 add-on dollar fields44 text-term field entries
2020-21$2.8 million20 rows; FTE 20no shared rows$230,625Dr. Christopher Irving · Superintendent$552,114 add-on dollar fields80 text-term field entries
2021-22$2.6 million19 rows; FTE 19no shared rows$255,444Christopher Irving · Superintendent$439,535 add-on dollar fields76 text-term field entries
2022-23$2.5 million19 rows; FTE 19no shared rows$241,247Christopher Irving · Superintendent$446,215 add-on dollar fields76 text-term field entries
2023-24$2.1 million16 rows; FTE 16no shared rows$227,165Dr. Andre D. Spencer · Superintendent$347,606 add-on dollar fields61 text-term field entries
2024-25$2.5 million20 rows; FTE 20no shared rows$225,070Dr. Andre D. Spencer · Superintendent$451,598 add-on dollar fields81 text-term field entries
2025-26$2.5 million21 rows; FTE 21no shared rows$223,686Dr. Andre D. Spencer · Superintendent$376,989 add-on dollar fields63 text-term field entries

Latest local peer scale checks

MeasureThis districtBergen County averageGapRead as
Listed base per UFB on-roll$673$1,190-$517Selected admin base salaries divided by UFB planning on-roll.Local rank 51 of 76 among Bergen County districts with usable salary rows.
Listed rows per 1,000 UFB on-roll5.78.8-3.2Selected listed administrative rows scaled to enrollment.Local rank 47 of 76 among Bergen County districts with usable salary rows.
Listed FTE per 1,000 UFB on-roll5.78.8-3.2FTE field total scaled to enrollment; not district staffing headcount.Local rank 47 of 76 among Bergen County districts with usable salary rows.
Shared-service row share0%1%-1 ptShare of selected salary rows marked shared in the side file.Local rank 5 of 76 among Bergen County districts with usable salary rows.

Dollar columns in the history table are converted to 2025 dollars with CPI-U. The UFB employees side file lists selected administrative salary rows, FTE/shared flags, add-on compensation fields, work/leave terms, and comments; it is not full payroll, a staffing census, total compensation, or an operating-budget category. Peer checks use the latest matched year only and rank higher numeric values first.

Listed administrative salaries

The UFB salary side file lists 21 selected administrative rows totaling $2.5 million in base salaries. It also includes district-reported add-on compensation fields, work and leave-day terms, and payout or buyback text where those fields are filled.

  1. $2.5 millionListed base salaries21 selected administrative rows; not full payroll.
  2. $223,686Highest listed baseDr. Andre D. Spencer · Superintendent
  3. $351,950Largest add-on fieldPost-employment benefits; 20 reported rows.
  4. 63 row entriesText term fieldsPayout, buyback, comment, or non-work-day text fields reported in the side file.

Compensation fields in the salary side file

FieldReported totalCountLargest listed rowRead as
Base salary$2.5 million21$223,686 · Dr. Andre D. Spencer · SuperintendentSelected listed administrative base salaries.
Post-employment benefits$351,95020$46,630 · Dr. Andre D. Spencer · SuperintendentDistrict-reported post-employment benefit field.
Allowances$13,52021$8,501 · Dr. Andre D. Spencer · SuperintendentDistrict-reported allowance field.
Insurance$11,5192$6,327 · Nancy Loiacono · Other: Asst. School BADistrict-reported insurance field.

Work and leave-day fields

FieldMedianRangeRows
Work days260144 to 26021
Vacation days200 to 2521
Sick days127 to 1221
Personal days40 to 421
Consulting days00 to 14421
Non-work days150 to 1521

Payout, buyback, and comment text

Field groupCountDistinct termsCommon text examples
Personal-day payout215included in sick days (16 rows); Included in sick days (2 rows); included in sick
Sick-day payout215Maximum upon retirement (16 rows); maximum upon retirement (2 rows); Maximum Upon Retirement
Vacation-day payout214upon separation (17 rows); Upon Separation (2 rows); n/a

Highest listed base-salary rows

Listed employeeRoleBase salaryFTE/shared
Dr. Andre D. SpencerSuperintendent$223,6861
Dr. Marshall ScottAssistant Superintendent$200,3711
Anthony D’angeloOther: Dir Facilities & Grounds$166,7471
Glasshebra JonesOther: Dir HRM & Compliance$160,0001
Colin F. BurkeOther: Asst. Dir. Facilities/Gr.$140,6891
Concepcion Le'Other: Dir IT, PR, Comm Ed$136,9901
Nancy LoiaconoOther: Asst. School BA$130,0001
Linda KuhranOther: Executive Assistant$124,8541

Administrative salary rows are selected listed roles from the UFB employees side file, not complete payroll, a contract audit, or an operating-budget total. Component fields are shown separately because allowances, benefits, remuneration, leave days, payouts, and comments are mixed units and can overlap in meaning. Dollar fields are nominal latest-file values. Showing the top 8 of 21 listed rows.

Budget report section

Source rows

Which visible UFB revenue and appropriation rows support the report?

UFB source-file ledger

These are the exact NJDOE User-Friendly Budget CSV files behind this report. Links open the statewide source files for 2025-26, while the row counts show how much of each file matched this district in the local warehouse.

FileLatest source fileRows from this districtUse and limit
Revenue file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)rev26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV44 positive rowsNamed levy, aid, grant, tuition, fund-balance, reserve, and other source rows behind the operating-revenue mix.Includes subtotals and non-operating context rows; it is not one additive revenue schedule.
Appropriation file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)approp26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV58 positive rowsHigh-level operating uses, transfers, fund totals, lower-level program rows, capital, debt, and special-revenue scale.Many rows are nested; operating-equivalent shares are scale references, not additive totals.
Pupil-cost file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)pupcst26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV16 published rowsNJDOE standardized per-pupil cost rows used for classroom, support, operations, administration, and benefits comparisons.These are published NJDOE rows; the report does not recompute them from appropriations or enrollment.
Budget-enrollment file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)enroll26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV10 planning rowsUFB on-roll, special-education on-roll, sent/received placements, contract preschool, and denominator context.Planning enrollment is not the same as fall enrollment and should not be added to dollar rows.
Recap / balance file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)recap26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV14 balance rowsProjected close-year balances, reserves, restricted balances, and fund-balance context.Balance rows are not current operating appropriations or spendable-cash claims.
Estimated tax file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)esttax26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV1 sliceEstimated school-tax rates, levy slices, taxable values, equalized values, and municipal/regional spread context.Estimated tax rows are UFB context, not tax-bill advice or audited property-tax data.
Unusual-item file2021-22 to 2025-26 (3 files)unusual26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV233 rowsDistrict-reported unusual revenue or appropriation explanations that may change the current-year story.Rows can duplicate named revenue or appropriation rows and should not be stacked as separate spending.
Shared-services file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)shared26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV9 arrangementsDistrict-reported shared-service arrangements and optional savings fields.Reported savings are context rows, not audited offsets against the operating budget.
Admin-salary file2019-20 to 2025-26 (7 files)employees26.csv2025-26 NJDOE UFB statewide CSV21 listed salary rowsSelected administrative salary rows, FTE, shared-service flags, contract fields, and comments where published.Selected listed administration is not complete payroll or total compensation.

The links are source-file provenance, not district-specific extracts. Each CSV covers all districts published in that UFB file; the generated report filters those rows to this district and keeps source-family caveats attached before making comparisons.

Largest current UFB lines

UFB rowFileAmountOperating equiv.
Total General Current ExpenseAppropriation$111,191,00292%
Total Revenues from Local SourcesRevenue$106,264,08288%
Total Tax LevyRevenue$104,918,48887%
Total Undistributed ExpendituresAppropriation$69,947,83058%
Total Regular Programs-InstructionAppropriation$26,666,78822%
Total Personal Services-Employee BenefitsAppropriation$17,351,40014%
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition)Appropriation$12,272,75110%
Total Special Education-InstructionAppropriation$11,812,49510%
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Operation and Maintenance of Plant ServicesAppropriation$10,773,8829%
Total Special Revenue FundsAppropriation$9,724,7608%
Total Grants and EntitlementsRevenue$9,724,7608%
Total Undistributed Expenditures-Student Transportation ServicesAppropriation$9,655,1698%
Total Revenues from State Sources (520)Revenue$9,381,4318%
Transfer of Funds to Charter SchoolsAppropriation$8,700,0007%
Total State ProjectsAppropriation$6,659,2856%
Total Revenues from State Sources (770)Revenue$6,657,2856%

Selected dynamically from every positive revenue and appropriation row in the latest UFB files after dropping outer totals. Rows come from different files and fund sections, so the operating-equivalent column is only a scale reference.

Main funds and transfers

UFB appropriation rowAmountOperating equiv.
Total expenditures net of transfers$131,058,847109%
General Fund grand total$120,718,937100%
General current expense$111,191,00292%
Transfer to charter schools$8,700,0007%
Special Revenue Funds$9,724,7608%
State projects$6,659,2856%
Preschool Education Aid$5,257,3294%
Federal projects$2,453,9512%
Capital outlay$827,935<1%
Facilities acquisition and construction$575,553<1%
Debt Service Funds$617,150<1%

Rows mix all-funds totals, General Fund rows, transfers, capital, special-revenue, and debt-service lines. The operating-equivalent column is a scale reference, not a claim that these rows add to the operating budget.

Selected operating cost lines

UFB lineAmountOp. sharePeer avg
Regular programs instruction$26,666,78822%25%
Employee benefits$17,351,40014%17%
Instruction tuition$12,272,75110%10%
Special education instruction$11,812,49510%8%
Operations and maintenance$10,773,8829%8%
Student transportation$9,655,1698%5%
School administration$3,350,6123%3%
Child study teams$3,241,7753%3%
General administration$2,213,4722%2%
Guidance$1,938,4612%2%

Not additive: these lower-level appropriation rows add texture, but they are nested inside broader fund categories and should not be added together as a complete budget mix.

Selected revenue lines

UFB revenue rowAmountOp. sharePeer avg
Total tax levy$104,918,48887%76%
Special education aid$5,279,7124%5%
Preschool Education Aid$5,255,3294%<1%
Budgeted fund balance$3,399,5563%3%
Transportation aid$2,359,6732%<1%
IDEA Part B$1,414,0111%<1%
Unrestricted miscellaneous revenue$1,152,849<1%<1%
Security aid$1,042,046<1%<1%
Title I$730,288<1%<1%
Extraordinary aid$700,000<1%<1%
Maintenance reserve withdrawal$268,000<1%<1%
Tuition revenue$142,010<1%3%

These are selected source rows from operating, special-revenue, debt-service, and reserve sections. They are not additive because several are subtotals or belong to different funds.

Current UFB line appendix

Revenue file · 37 contextual rows

LineAccountUFB rowAmountOp. equiv.
100/11410-1210Total Tax Levy$104,918,48887%
19010-1300Total Tuition$142,010<1%
24010-1410Transportation Fees from Individuals$10,000<1%
26010-1910Rents and Royalties$34,207<1%
30010-1XXXUnrestricted Miscellaneous Revenues$1,152,849<1%
33010-1XXXInterest Earned on Maintenance Reserve (330)$2,528<1%
34010-1XXXInterest Earned on Capital Reserve Funds$4,000<1%
370n/aTotal Revenues from Local Sources (370)$106,264,08288%
42010-3121Categorical Transportation Aid$2,359,6732%
43010-3131Extraordinary Aid$700,000<1%
44010-3132Categorical Special Education Aid$5,279,7124%
47010-3177Categorical Security Aid$1,042,046<1%
520n/aTotal Revenues from State Sources (520)$9,381,4318%
54010-4200Medicaid Reimbursement$7,378<1%
570n/aTotal Revenues from Federal Sources (570)$7,378<1%
58010-303Budgeted Fund Balance-Operating Budget$3,399,5563%
63010-310Withdrawal from Maintenance Reserve$268,000<1%
64010-311Withdrawal from Tuition Reserve for Tuition Adjustments$150,000<1%
70010-5XXXOther Financing Sources$1,248,4901%
73720-1760Student Activity Fund Revenue$271,836<1%
74020-1XXXOther Revenue from Local Sources$339,688<1%
74520-1XXXTotal Revenues from Local Sources (745)$611,524<1%
76020-3218Preschool Education Aid$5,255,3294%
76520-32XXOther Restricted Entitlements$1,401,9561%
770n/aTotal Revenues from State Sources (770)$6,657,2856%
77520-4411-4416Title I (775)$730,288<1%
78020-4451-4455Title II (780)$169,387<1%
78520-4491-4494Title III (785)$54,082<1%
79020-4471-4474Title IV (790)$86,183<1%
80520-4420-4429I.D.E.A. Part B (Handicapped) (805)$1,414,0111%
830n/aTotal Revenues from Federal Sources (830)$2,453,9512%
83520-5200Transfers from Operating Budget-Pre-Kindergartenindergartenindergartenindergartenindergartenindergar (835)$1,000<1%
83620-5200Transfers from Operating Budget-Pre-Kindergartenindergartenindergartenindergartenindergartenindergar (836)$1,000<1%
840n/aTotal Grants and Entitlements$9,724,7608%
86040-1210Local Tax Levy$617,150<1%
885n/aTotal Revenues from Local Sources (885)$617,150<1%
935n/aTotal Repayment of Debt$617,150<1%

Appropriation file · 52 contextual rows

LineAccountUFB rowAmountOp. equiv.
320011-1XX-100-XXTotal Regular Programs-Instruction$26,666,78822%
1030011-2XX-100-XXTotal Special Education-Instruction$11,812,49510%
1116011-230-100-XXTotal Basic Skills/Remedial-Instruction$973,242<1%
1216011-240-100-XXTotal Bilingual Education-Instruction$590,301<1%
1710011-401-100-XXTotal School-Sponsored Cocurricular Or Extracurricular Activities-Instruction$301,342<1%
1760011-402-100-XXTotal School-Sponsored Athletics-Instruction$896,476<1%
2918011-000-100-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Instruction (Tuition)$12,272,75110%
2968011-000-211-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Attendance and Social Work$353,479<1%
3062011-000-213-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Health Services$1,457,4311%
4058011-000-216-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Speech, OT, PT and Related Services$1,571,9211%
4108011-000-217-XXUndistributed Expenditures–Other Support Services, Students–Extraordinary Services$1,390,7031%
4166011-000-218-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Guidance$1,938,4612%
4220011-000-219-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Child Study Teams$3,241,7753%
4320011-000-221-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Improvement of Instruction Services$1,693,2871%
4362011-000-222-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Education Media Services/Library$605,430<1%
4418011-000-223-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Instructional Staff Training Services$90,410<1%
4530011-000-230-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Support Services-General Administration$2,213,4722%
4616011-000-240-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Support Services-School Administration$3,350,6123%
4720011-000-251-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Central Services$1,599,0921%
4762011-000-252-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Administrative Informationtechnology$388,555<1%
5112011-000-26X-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Operation and Maintenance of Plant Services$10,773,8829%
5248011-000-270-XXTotal Undistributed Expenditures-Student Transportation Services$9,655,1698%
7126011-XXX-XXX-2XTotal Personal Services-Employee Benefits$17,351,40014%
72140n/aTotal Undistributed Expenditures$69,947,83058%
7218010-606Interest Earned on Maintenance Reserve (72180)$2,528<1%
72260n/aTotal General Current Expense$111,191,00292%
7588012-XXX-XXX-73Total Equipment$248,382<1%
7626012-000-400-XXTotal Facilities Acquisition and Construction Services$575,553<1%
7638010-604Interest Deposit to Capital Reserve$4,000<1%
76400n/aTotal Capital Outlay$827,935<1%
8400010-000-100-56Transfer of Funds to Charter Schools$8,700,0007%
8410020-XXX-XXX-XXLocal Projects$339,688<1%
8420020-475-XXX-XXStudent Activity Fund$271,836<1%
8512020-218-100-XXTotal Preschool Education Aid Instruction$2,803,1712%
8638020-218-200-XXTotal Support Services$2,454,1582%
8710020-218-XXX-XXTotal Preschool Education Aid$5,257,3294%
8800020-XXX-XXX-XXNonpublic Textbooks$75,279<1%
8802020-XXX-XXX-XXNonpublic Auxiliary Services$226,901<1%
8804020-XXX-XXX-XXNonpublic Handicapped Services$478,918<1%
8806020-XXX-XXX-XXNonpublic Nursing Services$212,940<1%
8808020-XXX-XXX-XXNonpublic Technology Initiative$72,128<1%
8809020-XXX-XXX-XXNonpublic Security Aid$335,790<1%
88180n/aTotal Other State Projects$1,401,9561%
8820020-XXX-XXX-XXTotal State Projects$6,659,2856%
8850020-XXX-XXX-XXTitle I (88500)$730,288<1%
8852020-XXX-XXX-XXTitle II (88520)$169,387<1%
8854020-XXX-XXX-XXTitle III (88540)$54,082<1%
8856020-XXX-XXX-XXTitle IV (88560)$86,183<1%
8862020-XXX-XXX-XXI.D.E.A. Part B (Handicapped) (88620)$1,414,0111%
8874020-XXX-XXX-XXTotal Federal Projects$2,453,9512%
88760n/aTotal Special Revenue Funds$9,724,7608%
89980n/aTotal Debt Service Funds$617,150<1%

This appendix lists all 89 contextual positive latest-year UFB revenue and appropriation rows after dropping outer totals, deduct rows, and known duplicate tax-levy label variants. Rows are still source-file rows, not one additive schedule; the operating-equivalent column uses the proposed operating budget only as a common scale reference.

The budget answer sheet turns the current proposal, peer and slice position, revenue model, use categories, student/service load, inflation-adjusted movement, and reserve/side-file context into direct reader questions in the first-read path. The budget front brief replaces the dense opening paragraph with a lead sentence, anchored takeaways, and a short synthesis paragraph so each load-bearing number has a comparison, time basis, fund scope, or denominator before the detailed report opens. The budget essentials panel answers the main resident questions before the long evidence stack: first read, peer cost, proposal movement, payer mix, category/source-family signal, inflation-adjusted trend, student denominator, and side-file context. The budget machine panel now appears immediately after the thesis and reporting notebook, preserving the same operating-squeeze route as the front brief when recurring pressure is the selected first read, then extracting the resident-facing mechanism across cost position, funding model, recurring cost engine, inflation and denominator movement, and proposal/reserve timing before the long evidence sections. The budget squeeze explainer now appears in the first-read path, connecting recurring operating sources, recurring cost families, CPI-adjusted per-student movement, service-load denominators, current proposal rows, one-time support, and local record checks before the long evidence sections. The budget evidence board now appears in the first-read path, putting peer and slice comparison frames, category-family movers, inflation/denominator checks, and nominal proposal rows side by side before the answer sheet and detailed proof sections. The budget operating model turns the first-read evidence into six compact resident reads: operating scale, payer mix, source-family uses, CPI-adjusted movement, latest proposal movement, and one-time, tax, or service-load checks that can change the interpretation. The comparison brief puts the published cost line into named local peer, statewide, funding-model, scale, cost-band, and high-signal category or service-load frames before the long report begins. The budget diagnosis ranks the strongest generated explanatory lanes before the long evidence sections, separating what each lane can explain from what it cannot prove. The peer position snapshot now follows the front brief so the opening cost, funding, and category or service-load comparisons are visible as local peer distributions before the report map, language key, and long evidence sections. The budget explanation brief now appears in the top report path after the answer sheet, separating largest current source-row family, widest local peer gap, largest inflation-adjusted family movement, and latest proposal-column movement before the map and detailed proof sections. The budget story package now appears in the top report path after the explanation brief, keeping the UFB-supported claim, fair comparison, inflation/category/proposal checks, next reporting move, and blocked overread on the same row before the peer snapshot and map. The budget mechanism read now appears in the top report path before the map, separating relative-cost, funding, category/slice, inflation/denominator, student/service-load, proposal-timing, one-time-support, and outside-operating explanations into proof, next-reporting, and blocked-overread columns. The budget thesis and reporting-order panel now appears directly after the front brief, turning the first-read evidence into an editor-style route: compare peers and slices first, then read categories/source rows, use CPI-adjusted movement and denominator checks as guardrails, and hand causal claims to outside reporting. The opening budget-story panel ranks the strongest generated reporting leads from latest-year peer comparisons, row-level scans, planning-enrollment rows, and inflation-adjusted movement. The budget story spine keeps each reportable signal beside its UFB proof, fair comparison, outside-reporting need, and overread caveat before the report opens the longer evidence sections. The budget storylines panel packages the strongest UFB signals as article routes with a working nut graf, reader value, proof basis, outside-reporting gap, and sentence to avoid before writing. The budget reading memo turns the strongest UFB signals into an opening editorial route: the lead angle to test, why the simple read is weak, which context changes the read, and what records or checks should come next. The question-to-reporting path turns the strongest district-specific UFB signals into resident questions, first comparison frames, records to pull, and unsupported shortcuts to block before writing. The public-hearing agenda converts the proposal, relative-cost, category, inflation, student/service, and side-file signals into concrete meeting questions, record requests, proof links, and unsupported readings to block. The budget news judgment filter labels ordinary nominal growth as background, separates UFB-ready facts from leads that need a second signal or outside records, and blocks causal or quality claims from UFB alone. The budget claim audit turns the strongest UFB-supported signals into sentence-level claims, then labels what still needs outside reporting and which unsupported shortcuts to block before writing. The comparison movement brief pulls selected peer-position trend measures into the opening story so readers can see whether the district moved toward or away from the local average on cost, funding, tax, category, and service-load signals. The comparison-frame movement panel takes the latest-year local, statewide, funding-model, scale, and cost-band frames from the relative-cost ladder and checks whether published comparative cost moved closer to or farther from each frame after inflation. The operating story basis panel separates recurring General Fund operating evidence from live proposal movement, fund-balance/reserve sources, side-file context, and outside-operating rows before readers interpret the budget story. The structural squeeze test checks whether main operating-source movement, appropriation/use-family movement, limited support, service-load denominators, and peer position support a recurring-pressure hypothesis, while naming the outside records needed before writing a deficit, levy-cap, cut, or causal claim. The budget flow bridge keeps the relative cost frame, money in, money out, proposal movement, outside-operating rows, side files, and student denominator in one scan before readers enter the detailed evidence sections. The budget pressure map ranks the cost, funding, category, proposal, student/service-load, inflation, reserve/side-file, and outside-operating pressures a reader should test first, while separating what each pressure can explain from what it cannot prove. The budget tension checks pair current cost position, inflation-adjusted movement, proposal movement, tax burden, funding model, category slices, service load, reserves, and outside-operating rows so a reader can see which simple budget reads need a second signal. The category story map pulls current source-row scale, local peer gaps, inflation-adjusted movement, and latest proposal movement into one first-read map before the detailed category, trend, and proposal tables. The proposal-versus-trend bridge checks whether latest proposal-column movement continues, counters, or sits apart from loaded-year inflation-adjusted category movement. The budget reporting lead sheet turns the strongest generated signals into a ranked reporting agenda with evidence, reader questions, caveats, and links to the proof sections. The budget reporting notebook now appears directly after the thesis, translating the ranked UFB leads into outside records, interview checks, proof links, and unsupported readings to block before the longer report path opens. The editorial frame separates what UFB can establish from what still requires board documents, tax records, contracts, staffing context, or other outside reporting before causal claims are made. The budget model synthesis connects cost position, funding model, spending structure, service load, live proposal movement, inflation-adjusted trend, and side-file context into one reporting frame before the detailed evidence sections. The cost gap ledger translates the comparison into per-UFB-on-roll dollar gaps for operating scale, funding sources, use categories, pupil-cost rows, and service-load denominators before the detailed evidence sections. The cost-position clues panel now appears in the first-read path, naming the concrete UFB measures, funding and tax signals, named rows, proposal movement, denominator checks, and budget-year context that can explain or complicate the district’s comparative-cost position without claiming causality. The cost-position judgment panel now follows the clue scan in the first-read path, deciding whether the visible UFB signals line up with the published comparative-cost position, complicate it, or leave the explanation to outside reporting. The UFB source-coverage panel inventories the latest matched summary, revenue, appropriation, pupil-cost, planning-enrollment, tax, balance, unusual-item, shared-service, school-resource, and salary source families before the report routes them into evidence sections. The UFB source-file ledger links the exact latest NJDOE CSV files behind the district report and names the row count, use, and limit for each loaded budget file. The statewide budget-model panel names the broader comparison frames this district belongs to before the report moves into local peer evidence and source rows. The statewide slice-comparison panel opens with a relative-cost ladder across local peers, all NJ UFB districts, and matching latest-year groups for funding model, UFB on-roll scale, comparative-cost band, and generated category signals. The named similar-budget-model comps panel turns statewide slice logic into concrete district examples by naming districts with nearby latest-year UFB funding, scale, use, service-load, tax, and cost profiles. The change-driver panel summarizes first-to-latest UFB movement across real operating scale, planning-enrollment denominator shifts, peer-position changes, source shares, use shares, and named line rows. The comparative-cost timing-basis panel maps the latest UFB file’s actual-cost, original-budget, revised/current-budget, and proposed-budget columns before readers interpret trend or proposal claims. The per-student cost-change anatomy panel decomposes real operating budget per UFB on-roll into a budget-numerator effect and a planning-enrollment denominator effect, while keeping NJDOE comparative cost distinct. The operating funding-shift panel shows who paid differently across loaded UFB years by separating local, state, federal, and fund-balance/other operating-source shares, real-dollar movement, and latest local peer mix. The pupil-cost category movement panel shows which NJDOE standardized per-pupil cost rows moved after inflation and how the latest row values compare with the local peer average. The current-proposal panel compares the latest UFB revised/current-budget column with the proposed-budget column for operating revenue, high-level uses, NJDOE pupil-cost rows, and UFB planning enrollment. The proposal package panel groups material named revised/current-to-proposed UFB row movement into budget families, separating increases, reductions, net movement, largest rows, and local peer scale before the named-line driver table. The named-line proposal-driver panel scans every latest-year UFB revenue and appropriation row with revised/current and proposed amounts, then surfaces material nominal row changes with operating-budget-equivalent scale and same-row local peer context. The cost-basis reconciliation panel separates NJDOE comparative cost, operating-budget-per-student scale checks, all-funds context, and tax-levy pressure so per-student ranks are read with their numerator and denominator. The student-flow and money-path panel separates operating-dollar routes from UFB planning-enrollment routes so transfer rows, school-based budgeting, special-education load, sent placements, and received-student rows are read as distinct evidence. The dot strip compares 2025-26 comparative cost per pupil across Bergen County districts; each dot is one district, shown in 2025 dollars. The local-standout table ranks funding, spending, placement, and pupil-cost measures against the same peer set; rank 1 means the highest value, not the best value. The local peer evidence strips show the strongest generated budget measures as peer distributions, so the rank and gap can be checked visually. The named peer context panel identifies the local districts immediately above and below this district on selected measures, plus the local range behind the average. The local comparison roster names every district in the local peer set behind the averages and ranks, with comparative cost, UFB planning enrollment, operating scale, and funding-model context. The current operating mix comparison uses paired stacked bars to compare this district with the local peer average for General Fund operating revenue sources and high-level operating uses, keeping the operating-budget denominator and non-additive category caveat visible. The position-over-time panel tracks selected budget measures against the local peer average across loaded UFB years, with money values converted to real dollars. The fall-enrollment and student-need panel puts UFB planning enrollment beside fall enrollment, per-student scale checks, free/reduced-price lunch, multilingual learners, and homelessness for the same local peer frame. The service-load history panel tracks UFB planning-enrollment rows across loaded years so denominator movement, special-education on-roll, sent placements, contract preschool, and receiving rows are visible before per-pupil cost comparisons. The labor-cost context panel puts salary-bearing pupil-cost rows, employee benefits, and selected administrative salary side-file rows in the local peer frame without treating those rows as complete payroll. The loaded-year ledger gives the annual operating-budget, UFB on-roll, real per-student cost, peer-average, funding-mix, and largest-use context behind the trend panels. The named-line history panel shows the selected UFB revenue and appropriation row movers year by year in real dollars and operating-budget-equivalent scale. The fund-balance and reserve source-history panel separates named balance, reserve, and carryover source rows from local, state, and federal operating-source summaries, then shows latest scale, local peer scale, proposal-column movement, and first-to-latest real movement. The category history table compares major operating uses, nested cost rows, and outside-operating scale rows by latest amount, peer share, first-to-latest share movement, and inflation-adjusted dollar movement. The budget-family context matrix gives a scan-first category view of which source-row families are largest now, furthest from local peers, or moving most after inflation before the detailed family cards and source rows. The named family peer context names the local districts immediately above and below this district on selected budget-family shares, plus the local range behind the peer average. The budget-family lens groups contextual UFB revenue and appropriation rows into reader-facing families with latest scale, local peer scale, first-to-latest real movement, and largest source-row evidence. The anatomy panel separates operating sources, high-level operating uses, and all-funds or outside-operating rows before the lower-level tables. The budget diagnostic turns the UFB source files into fixed reader questions about cost position, funding model, spending mix, student-service load, inflation-adjusted movement, and side-file context. The walkthrough gives the report a reader-facing path through money in, money out, costs and students, real-dollar changes, and UFB side files before the detailed tables. The comparison matrix extends the same measures to county and statewide averages and ranks where enough districts have usable values. The tax-effort panel separates UFB summary tax levy per planning student, estimated school-tax rates, equalized tax base, and municipal slice spread before the raw tax-rate side-file rows. The tax and balance panel uses NJDOE estimated tax-rate rows and recapitulation-of-balance rows, separating levy/rate context from operating spending. The side-file history table shows whether tax, balance, unusual-item, shared-service, school-resource, and salary context is persistent or latest-year-only. The balance and reserve history panel tracks projected close-year recap balances by category across loaded UFB years, with real-dollar movement, local peer scale, and restriction caveats. The administrative-salary table lists selected UFB administrative salary rows; it is not complete payroll. The listed administrative salary history panel tracks selected UFB employees side-file rows across loaded years in real dollars, then compares latest listed base, row, FTE, and shared-service scale with local peers. The budget-notes panel surfaces district-reported unusual revenue or appropriation explanations and shared-service entries. The unusual/shared-service profile classifies district-reported unusual-item explanations and shared-service arrangements before the raw side-file rows, while blocking additive or audited-savings readings. The spending-category bars use high-level General Fund appropriation rows as shares of the proposed operating budget; the neutral tick is the average among Bergen County districts with usable category data. The stacked trend bars show category shares of each loaded UFB year’s proposed operating budget, so they foreground structure rather than nominal dollar growth. The budget turning-points table compares adjacent loaded UFB years so annual real-dollar, peer-gap, payer-mix, source-family, named-row, and service-load movements surface before the longer trend evidence. The largest-lines table is selected from the positive line rows in the latest UFB revenue and appropriation files, excluding only outer totals. The current UFB line appendix lists every contextual positive latest-year revenue and appropriation row, keeping source-file line numbers and accounts visible. The peer-line table compares contextual UFB revenue and appropriation rows against the local peer set so unusually large, small, or absent named rows surface before the full line appendix. The main-funds table keeps all-funds, General Fund, transfer, special-revenue, capital, and debt-service rows visible without treating them as one additive mix. The selected cost table uses lower-level UFB appropriation rows for reader context; those rows are nested inside broader categories and are not additive. The trend-driver table compares contextual UFB rows from the first loaded budget year to the latest year in 2025 dollars; share changes use the operating budget as a scale reference. The selected revenue table pulls named aid, levy, reserve, and grant lines from the UFB revenue file; some rows are subtotals or come from non-operating funds. The pupil-cost table uses NJDOE-published per-pupil breakdown rows for the proposed budget year. The enrollment/placement table uses UFB budget-enrollment planning rows, which can differ from fall enrollment. The line adjusts NJDOE’s published comparative per-pupil cost for each loaded User-Friendly Budget year to 2025 dollars using BLS CPI-U annual averages. The lighter line shows the Bergen County average across districts with usable comparative-cost values, adjusted on the same basis. The stacked bar shows proposed General Fund operating revenue sources; grants, debt service, and transfers can make all-funds totals differ. Source: NJDOE User-Friendly Budgets, 2025-26; BLS CPI-U.

Budget report built from NJDOE User-Friendly Budget files loaded in the local warehouse, 2019-20 through 2025-26. Bergen County budget brief → · Compare all district budgets → · How this budget data works →