TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—Westwood Regional is preparing for another rise in employee health insurance costs as it builds its 2027–28 budget. The district’s benefits advisers expect a substantial increase, Superintendent Patrick J. McQueeney told families in his November update, though the district is still waiting for a renewal rate from its private health plan.
Families in Westwood and the Township of Washington felt the effects of rising costs in the last budget cycle. The district adopted a $78.9 million budget for 2026–27 that raised taxes and cut 14 positions — 10 teaching and secretarial jobs combined and four administrative positions. Rising health insurance costs were among the pressures the district faced.
McQueeney said he discussed insurance costs at the Oct. 29 Board of Education meeting. In his November update, he cited the average 34.4% premium increase New Jersey approved for active employees in the state’s School Employees’ Health Benefits Program for 2027. Westwood Regional buys coverage separately. Its advisers told the district to prepare for a similarly steep increase, but the local figure will depend on its renewal.
Administrators are reviewing expenses, staffing and program needs. McQueeney said no decisions on the 2027–28 budget have been finalized. His update identified no proposed cuts and gave no estimate of the effect on school taxes in either town. The district expects to present the budget for approval in April 2027.
When does a screen help students learn?
At its first meeting Oct. 8, Westwood Regional’s Digital Steering Committee took up a question teachers face across grade levels: When does a school-issued device help a student learn, and when would the lesson work better with a printed book, a pencil or a conversation?
McQueeney said the committee discussed what counts as educational screen time and how expectations should change as students move from the early grades through high school. Parents, students, teachers, administrators, technology professionals and school board representatives serve on the advisory group. Administrators plan to use its feedback, along with research and a review of classroom practices, to develop a guide for teachers.
Board recognizes students for national academic honors
The Westwood Regional Board of Education recognized five Westwood Regional High School students named Commended Students in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. Alphonsa Alexander, Elliott Beyer, Nicholas Doell, Kate Lambert and Kaan Noyan scored among the top 50,000 students nationwide on the PSAT.
Doell, Lambert and Noyan were also among 31 Westwood Regional students the board recognized for earning honors in the 2026 College Board National Recognition Program. The program recognizes academic achievement on the PSAT or Advanced Placement exams.
The other College Board honorees were Tomiris Amirbekova, Feyisayo Amusan, Hudson Cerne, Danielle Chan, Sydney Chan, Carter Cimino, Aca Comunale, Ean Connelly, Sophia DeMarco, Audrey Duda, Grace Eustic, Jake Faggello, Alexis Grigoriou, Kezia Gunawan, Isabella Iorio, Ritikka Jeyachandran, Aram Kalayli, Ariana Kalayli, Claire Lee, Riza Lodi, Jacob Mahtaban, Dante Makula, Zoe McGregor, Kaitlyn McKay, Hannah Murray, Sean Pierro, Juleimy Reyes and Logan Weinzierl.
Doell is one of 110 high school and college students in the 2027 class of New Jersey Governor’s STEM Scholars. Doell has worked as an assistant HVAC tradesman, interned at two engineering design firms and co-authored a research paper on quantum matter simulations, according to his program profile. (See also Oct. 26, 2026 Pascack Press.)
At Brookside School, three fifth-graders recently brought McQueeney a proposal of their own. The school is collecting tickets that recognize five traits in the district’s Cardinal P.R.I.D.E. program — perseverance, respect, integrity, discipline and excellence. The students met with the superintendent to pitch ideas for a schoolwide celebration if Brookside fills its ticket bucket.
Disclosure: The writer has a student attending Westwood Regional High School