Hardyston Board of Education Meeting Recap: January 20, 2026
The Hardyston Board of Education's meeting on January 20, 2026, was marked by constructive discussions and significant decisions that will shape the district's educational...
Overview
Hardyston BOE’s second meeting of 2026 focused on the essentials: strategy, budget reality, and progress updates.
The board revisited goals set in 2022 around student accountability, family engagement, and equitable learning access.
Key discussion points
Some real wins were highlighted:
- Preschool expanded from 24 to 90 children.
- Special education supports were strengthened with dedicated staff.
- Academic indicators improved, including higher test performance.
- Hardyston Elementary earned the top Sussex County K-8 summative ranking.
Public questions and concerns
Board discussion tied these gains to staff performance and resource discipline, including a 55th-percentile per-pupil operating cost position.
Facilities and finance updates included completed security radio upgrades and elementary air conditioning improvements.
Next steps
The board also flagged unfinished work at the middle school: fire panel replacement, boiler needs, and roof work.
Translation: progress is real, but big-ticket maintenance is still coming.
Additional notes
Budget planning for 2026-27 comes with pressure points:
- Flat state aid
- Reduced grant funding
- Projected 18% healthcare increase
Even with that, the board discussed holding staffing steady and maintaining supports like world language and BCBA-related intervention programming.
Upcoming meetings will drill into line items, infrastructure funding options, and ways to avoid dumping the full burden on taxpayers. Community input was encouraged as budget decisions move from broad strategy to hard numbers.