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The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education covered a wide range of updates at its November 17 meeting, including sharply rising health-care cost projections for 2026, this year’s student safety data, a proposed restructuring of Board committees, and recognition of the district’s newest National Merit Scholars.
Health-care costs expected to rise sharply in 2026
The Board received a detailed briefing on health-benefit trends from consultant Robert McGuire of Integrity Consulting. McGuire said districts statewide are experiencing unusually steep increases driven by post-pandemic medical utilization, delayed elective procedures, and a surge in high-cost claims.
Insurance carriers, he said, are currently projecting 11 to 13 percent increases on medical premiums and 18 to 20 percent increases on prescription drugs for 2026. “What they believe on the prescription is that the same prescriptions this year could be 18 to 20 percent higher,” he told the Board.
To illustrate the volatility, McGuire pointed to the state School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, which approved increases this year of 25 percent for the Educators Plan (created in 2020), 32 percent for legacy plans, and 58 percent for prescription costs. “You can see the numbers are just staggering,” he said.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance Robert Colavita emphasized that Hopewell remains in a better position than districts in the state plan because HVRSD is self-insured. Even so, he said, the district is currently running “about $1.5 million over budget” in health-benefit costs this year—though quarterly prescription rebates and seasonal utilization patterns may moderate that number.
SSDS report: HIB cases rise, substance incidents decline
The District presented the 2024–25 Student Safety Data Systems (SSDS) Report, which the Board unanimously accepted. The district reported:
- 77 in-school suspensions
- 47 out-of-school suspensions
- 0 expulsions
- 24 confirmed harassment, intimidation, or bullying (HIB) cases
- 58 total reportable incidents, plus 12 behavioral threat assessments (9 completed, 3 identified)
Three-year trends show declining substance-related incidents and steady levels of weapons and vandalism, but an increase in HIB cases, particularly at Timberlane Middle School. The district is responding with expanded restorative practices, digital-wellness initiatives, and increased Tier 2 SEL supports.
Superintendent Dr. Rosetta Treece said the rise in conflicts mirrors broader social-media challenges. “Kids’ behavior trends match what’s going on in the greater community,” she said. “Social media causes that — what they see, they repeat.”
The SSDS presentation highlighted a range of ongoing prevention programs, including Character Strong, Hope Squad for grades 6–12, restorative circles with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, school counseling lessons, and county partnerships focused on mental health and substance-use prevention.
Board moving toward major committee restructuring
The Board discussed revising it’s committee system, discussed during both the Government Relations report and the Policy/Governance review.
Board Member Dhruv Kapadia explained that the Government Relations Committee, created last year as an ad hoc body, was originally designed to sunset at the end of 2025. As part of its charge, the committee needed to determine whether it should become a standing committee.
Kapadia said the Policy Committee is now recommending the creation of a combined Government and Community Relations Committee beginning in 2026, effectively merging the ad hoc group with the existing Community Relations Committee. “The fundamental goals of the community relations committee — transparent communication, community engagement, listening to our neighbors — are going to be enshrined in the language of this committee,” he said.
He added that other districts have begun looking to Hopewell Valley’s approach after the committee successfully secured state funding. “Several districts throughout the state… are mirroring the Government Relations Committee format, mission, and structure,” Kapadia noted.
During the Policy/Governance report, Dr. Pamela Lilleston said the committee is also recommending a merger of the SEL Committee and the Education Program Committee, citing significant overlap in their work. “Because there’s substantial overlap between the two committees… we felt that it would be helpful to combine them into one committee,” she said.
Board Vice President Dr. Jacquie Genovese explained that the newly combined SEL/Education Committee would be co-chaired to ensure both areas remain fully represented. It will also have co-administrative liaisons.
The consolidation would reduce the Board’s total number of standing committees from six to five. In a brief procedural note, Treece clarified that the Board President is not required to serve on every committee.
National Merit Scholars recognized
The Board recognized 22 Hopewell Valley Central High School students named National Merit Scholars this year, including 19 Commended Scholars and three National Merit Semi-Finalists. HVCHS principal Patricia Riley praised not only their academic excellence but also their involvement in sports, arts, leadership, and service. Commended Scholars honored were Eliott Casagrande, Sean Cui, Trevor Daly, Eshaan Doshi, Elisa Enroth, Connor Foy, Thomas Huang, Liam Jain, Wakana Kobayashi, Erica Li, Jinrie Liu, Ivan Plazonic, Samuel Renaud, Graham Saville, Manas Sinha, Elle Sullivan, Ryan Szustakowski, Nancy Wang, and Julia Yu. This year’s National Merit Semi-Finalists are August Reynertson, Brady Wan, and Aileen Zhang.
Additional district updates
Treece reported that the district has posted the full demographer presentation at hvrsd.org—including video and slides—following last month’s public briefing. She also noted ongoing conversations with Hopewell Borough regarding an upcoming redevelopment proposal and said she would be following up with local mayors on youth-voting initiatives discussed through the Government Relations Committee to see if there is interest in expanding the voting age for school board elections.
