Holmdel Board of Education 2026: LoPresti, Libecci & Hayden

There is no magic bullet. New Jersey school budgets are shaped by state funding, mandated costs, contractual obligations, statutory tax limits and rising expenses — many of which are outside the Board's direct control.

That doesn't mean the Board is powerless. Responsible financial leadership means understanding the numbers, studying long-term trends, questioning expenditures, identifying efficiencies, evaluating staffing and programs, and advocating for meaningful state funding reform.

But ultimately, there are only so many levers to pull: staffing, programs, services and taxes. Every choice has consequences.

Anyone promising to solve Holmdel's budget challenges on Day One is ignoring the realities of school finance. You cannot promise everything to everyone while also promising it will cost less.

Leadership requires more than promises. It requires understanding the facts, making difficult decisions and being honest with the community about the tradeoffs.

The next Board will face consequential decisions about academics, staffing, programs, spending and taxes. Those decisions will shape Holmdel schools for years to come.

This election isn't about who can make the biggest promises. It's about who understands the challenges, who has demonstrated a willingness to do the work, and who voters trust to make difficult decisions responsibly.

We bring experience and fresh perspective, a proven record and a clear understanding of what's ahead. We won't promise everything to everyone. We will tell you the truth, follow the facts and make decisions with one goal in mind: Protecting what matters. Our students. Our schools. Our taxpayers.

Because the circumstances changed dramatically.

Some have suggested their NO votes were simply because 2026 is an election year. That is not why Alison and Anthony voted NO. Board members are entrusted with evaluating each year's budget based on the facts, circumstances and consequences before them — not based on how they voted the year before.

Alison and Anthony supported the prior two budgets because, after weighing the needs of students, staff and taxpayers, they believed those budgets responsibly supported the district's educational priorities.

The 2026–27 budget presented a fundamentally different equation. Residents were being asked to absorb an extraordinary 7.2% school-tax increase, while the district was simultaneously reducing staff and services — including 26 full-time employee RIFs, 7 part-time/hourly RIFs, and the elimination of courtesy and late busing.

That combination made all the difference.

A significant tax increase is difficult on its own. Significant reductions in staffing and services are difficult on their own. Asking taxpayers to pay substantially more while simultaneously accepting significant reductions in people and services crossed a threshold Alison and Anthony could not support.

Responsible leadership does not mean voting YES because you voted YES the year before. It means evaluating each budget on its own merits, weighing its impact on students, schools and taxpayers, and being willing to vote NO when the facts and circumstances warrant it.

Their votes changed because the circumstances changed. Their responsibility to students, schools and taxpayers did not.

Eliminating courtesy busing was one of the most difficult decisions in the 2026–27 budget. We recognize that Holmdel is not highly walkable and that this change creates real challenges and safety concerns for families.

With courtesy busing costing approximately $700,000 annually, the Board faced a difficult choice: eliminate the service or make an estimated 7–8 additional staffing cuts that could directly affect students’ education.

Alison believed the Board needed to make this decision rather than pass it to voters through a ballot question, and Anthony supported that approach. Board members are elected to weigh the facts, consider the consequences and make difficult decisions, even when those decisions are unpopular.

Both Alison and Anthony believe courtesy busing should be evaluated year by year, allowing the Board to reconsider the service as financial circumstances change rather than treating its elimination as permanent.

We remain hopeful that courtesy busing can be restored in a future budget, based on the district’s finances, educational priorities and students’ needs and safety.

This was a choice between two difficult outcomes, and protecting classroom instruction weighed heavily in the decision.

We believe sex education should be age-appropriate, transparent and respectful of the role parents play in their children's upbringing.

We strongly support the Board's current approach, which gives families access to the videos, lesson materials and other resources used in health and sex education before instruction takes place. Parents can review the materials in advance and make an informed decision about whether the instruction is appropriate for their child, including exercising their right to opt out of the lesson.

We recognize that families have different values, beliefs and comfort levels, particularly when lessons address sensitive or sexually explicit topics. Parents deserve to know exactly what their children are being taught and have a meaningful voice in whether that instruction is appropriate for their child.

Our position is straightforward: Transparency, age-appropriate instruction and parental choice should go hand in hand.

Experience matters in every election, but it is especially critical right now because we know the challenges ahead.

The next Board will have very little time to get up to speed. Just three months after the January reorganization, the district will be finalizing the 2027–28 budget — with consequential decisions about spending, staffing, programs, services and taxes that could affect Holmdel for years to come.

This is not the time for a learning curve. Board members need to understand the numbers, the history behind them, the constraints we face and the consequences of the choices before us.

Alison and Anthony bring three years of firsthand Board experience and institutional knowledge. Peter brings a fresh perspective and has already committed himself to understanding the issues and doing the work. Together, our team will be informed, prepared and ready to make the difficult decisions ahead from Day One.