Westwood Regional School Alert: Staff Cuts Possible as Healthcare Costs Skyrocket $3M
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Westwood NJ, Parents and educators in the Westwood Regional School District are bracing for a difficult budget season. Superintendent Patrick McQueeney issued a stark warning at the March 5th board meeting: staffing reductions across administration, support, and teaching roles are now a “very real possibility.”
As the district, which serves 2,800 students across Westwood and Washington Township, grapples with a massive $3 million jump in healthcare premiums, the community is left wondering what the “backbone” of their schools will look like next year.
The $3 Million Crisis: Why the Budget is Strained
The primary driver of the current financial “crisis” is a staggering surge in insurance and tuition costs. Despite the district’s best efforts to shop for better rates, external market realities have hit the K-12 district hard.
The Financial Breakdown:
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Health Insurance Premiums: Up 32% (A $3M increase).
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Prescription Benefits: Up 25%.
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Out-of-District Tuition: Up 33%.
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Total Projected Healthcare Cost: Rising from $8.9M to $11.9M.
Why Not Just Switch Providers?
Business Administrator Keith Rosado explained that the district is currently caught in a “perfect storm.” While Westwood Regional saved $1 million three years ago by leaving the state’s health plan, their current provider, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, initially proposed a 46% increase due to a high “experience rating” (meaning claims paid out exceeded premiums collected).
While the district negotiated that down to 32%, other providers refused to accept the district’s business, leaving them with few options but to absorb the cost.
Jobs and New Programs on the Line
The $71 million budget is being scrutinized line by line. The Superintendent noted that even “great positions” on the district’s wish list are now in jeopardy.
At-Risk Positions & Programs:
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Proposed Autism Program: Includes a teacher and two paraprofessionals currently on the “wish list.”
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11 New Positions: Requested by administrators to improve district services.
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Existing Staff: Redundancies and “under-prescribed” areas are being reviewed for potential cuts.
“We are in a position where staffing reductions… are a very real possibility. We do not take these potential impacts lightly,” said Superintendent McQueeney.
Key Dates for Parents and Taxpayers
The community is encouraged to stay involved as the budget process moves toward its final stages:
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March 24, 2026: Introduction of the Preliminary Budget. This is when specific line items and potential job cuts will be more clearly defined.
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Ongoing Meetings: The board will continue to study “redundancies” to protect academic rigor while balancing the books.
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What’s the co-pays for that solid gold medical plan?
Probably plenty of fluff to get rid of anyway.
Health insurance is out of control . We have to make fundamental changes that stop incentivizing fraud and abuses. Some amount of small copayments is needed to discourage it
Why is it that municipal employees have better health care plans than the taxpayers
Because over time as health insurance kept going up and up faster that inflation, cfo’s had to react by reducing benefits to keep the cost lower. Over the past 20 years this has resulted in much worse health insurance for private companies while public employees have just kept the same insurance. The difference being that the cost of that insurance has increased much faster than inflation. current plans probably cost 30,000 a year per employee f