Anticipated growth and transportation costs will be two topics impacting the 2025-26 budget when budget discussions take place for the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education in 2025.
In December, the school district administration presented a 2025-26 budget overview to the school board and public touching on the expected challenges the district is forecasting in managed costs, and district needs.
Robert Colavita, assistant superintendent for business, said the Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD) is already experiencing student growth within its schools especially at Bear Tavern Elementary School as anticipated residential growth continues in the valley.
“There are costs to it, and I know [Hopewell Township] said there wasn’t, but we are already seeing increases in certain class areas,” he added.
The valley has seen the openings of two new residential developments in 2024 – Hopewell Parc and The Collection at Hopewell.
The school district will potentially have to add three routes for bus transportation “at a minimum,” Colavita said.
It’s just the way the developments were laid out and where the students are located, Schools Superintendent Rosetta Treece added.
“… They are currently trying to re-route certain buses to eliminate having to add routes mid-stream,” Colavita said. “We don’t have the drivers right now and we don’t have the contractor who is willing to offer any additional space.”
Bus route renewals are about 50% of HVRSD’s transportation costs. The district itself transports most of its special education students and some regular education students.
“We contract out most of regular education students,” Colavita said.
The school district is experiencing a bus driver and van attendant shortage similar to districts statewide and across the country.
“We are currently five drivers down right now and we are probably three to four van attendants down,” Colavita said, noting they partner with the township for fuel. “Fuel and parts again we pay a pretty decent rate on fuel. Parts, cost to repair and to get parts for our buses is incredibly high right now.”
The potential elimination of courtesy busing as an option to cut expenses will be discussed by the school board and administration in the new year.
Colavita said eliminating courtesy busing would probably free up three bus routes and could help fill gap for the buses that the district needs.
“Right now we are only bringing in $59,000 and it is costing us another $113,000,” explained Board President Anita Williams Galiano of the courtesy busing costs.
The average cost of a seat is close to $1,200.
HVRSD currently has 144 courtesy busing students – the majority in the Stong Brook sending area go to Stony Brook Elementary School and in the Toll Gate area go over to the Hopewell Valley Central High School.
“Since we increased the rate of $500 at the high school, it has always been $500 at the elementary, we did have students drop out,” Colavita said. “What we have allowed is one-way transportation, which is costing us money because it is a full seat you sell for half the price.”
“So, the students ride in the morning and not in the afternoon. We only charge them half so if we don’t fill the seat in the afternoon the seat goes empty.”
