West Orange Adopts Resolution Urging Permanent School Funding Reform: What It Means for Your Taxes

West Orange's Township Council adopted Resolution 269-26 at its October 13, 2026 meeting, formally calling on Gov. Mikie Sherrill and state lawmakers to make permanent changes to the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), the law that sets how New Jersey funds K-12 districts. The resolution, presented by Mayor Susan McCartney, does not set school taxes by itself, but it backs the district's fight for a fairer funding formula as West Orange Public Schools works through a roughly $13.5 to $15 million structural deficit. Here is what the resolution says, what it can and cannot do, and what it means for homeowners and buyers.

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What the council did

At the October 13 council meeting, Mayor McCartney presented Resolution 269-26, which the council adopted. The resolution urges the governor and legislature to make permanent changes to the SFRA, the 2008 law amended in 2018 that determines how state aid flows to districts. West Orange's argument is straightforward: the district has lost millions in state aid over successive budget cycles even as enrollment has stayed roughly stable and costs have climbed, and the current formula does not account for that reality.

The township announced the resolution on October 16, and RLS Media covered it the same day. It is the municipal government formally joining the school board's long-running fight over state funding, which is a real political signal heading into the state budget cycle and the November election.

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Why the resolution matters: the district's budget math

The resolution lands against the backdrop of West Orange Public Schools' 2026-27 budget, which the board adopted after confronting a structural deficit of roughly $13.5 to $15 million. To balance the roughly $206.8 million budget, the district cut about 70 staff positions, consolidated courses, increased class sizes, and approved a 2.5 percent local tax-levy increase, about $294 a year on the average home assessed at roughly $615,000, for a levy near $168.7 million.

The honest caveat: a resolution is advocacy, not an appropriation. It does not put money into the district, and it cannot erase the deficit on its own. What it does is put the township on record that it believes the state formula is broken, which matters because school taxes are the single largest line on most West Orange property tax bills and a major driver of what buyers are willing to pay.

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What this means for homeowners and buyers

• School taxes were already set for this year. The 2.5 percent levy increase is baked into the adopted 2026-27 budget, so the resolution does not change this year's bills. Expect the impact, if any, to show up in future budgets if the state actually reforms the formula.
• Funding stability protects home values. Districts that keep losing aid are the ones forced into repeated staff cuts and levy increases, which is exactly the pressure buyers worry about when they compare towns. A credible fight for more state money is, over time, good news for the tax burden that shapes resale values.
• Watch the state, not just the town. SFRA reform is decided in Trenton. The November 3 election, the state budget process, and which legislative candidates back permanent formula changes are the real levers, and West Orange's resolution is a bid to keep the issue in front of them.
• It pairs with the municipal budget story. West Orange entered October still without a finalized 2026 municipal budget, with taxes the dominant issue in the mayor's race. School funding and municipal finances are separate fights, but they land on the same tax bill, so they read as one story for homeowners.

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What to watch next

The next markers are the state budget cycle and the November 3 election, where taxes and development dominate the West Orange races. Also watch whether other Essex County towns, including Montclair, which has pushed its own fair-share funding fight as it works through a roughly $20 million deficit, coordinate on the SFRA issue. If a coalition of affected towns forms, the pressure on Trenton grows.

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The bottom line

West Orange's council went on the record October 13 calling for permanent School Funding Reform Act changes, joining its school board in arguing the state formula has shortchanged the district for years. The resolution is a political statement rather than a budget act, so this year's school taxes are already set, but it keeps the pressure on Trenton at a moment when the November election makes school funding a live issue. For homeowners and buyers, the takeaway is that school funding, property taxes, and home values in West Orange are tied together, and this is a town actively fighting for the stability that protects all three.

If you are buying or selling in West Orange and want to understand how school funding and the tax picture could affect your decision, I am happy to walk you through it. No pressure, just honest local guidance.