Edison residents have petitioned the Board of Education (BOE) to cancel the $9M Talmadge Road deal, arguing that the purchase is unnecessary and aligns with the board's core responsibility of educating students. The petition was passed 4-3, with members Russell Azzarello, Ralph Errico, Ronak Patel and Peng voting in favor, while members Christopher Lugo, Virginia White and Vishal Patel opposed. The board's business administrator, Jonathan Toth, stated that the board cannot vote on terminating the land purchase until a future meeting. The controversy arose amid a larger budget battle over a preliminary $372 million budget approved for the 2026-2027 school year, which would raise the local tax levy by roughly $28 million, an 11.9% increase, ending five consecutive years of no tax increases.