BOE to Introduce Preliminary Budget

The Board of Education is holding a special meeting on Monday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school Lecture Hall for the submission of the 2013-14 preliminary budget to the Ocean County Superintendent of Schools.

Last week, Gov. Chris Christie announced that  in state funding than they did in 2012-13.

While Lacey received $20,972,424 in state aid in the 2012-13 year, the district will receive $21,059,702 in 2013-14. This is a 0.4 percent increase.

"While it is a relief to all concerned in Lacey Township to learn that this year's State funding has not been reduced for our school district, the manner in which educational funding is allocated in the State of New Jersey continues to be unnerving,” board President Eric Schubiger said.

The state continues to award disproportionate and additional funding to underachieving districts, Schubiger said.

“This practice sends a poor message to the many proactive communities around our great State who work hard to continually improve the educational opportunities afforded to the children in their respective districts,” he said.

In 2010, the State significantly reduced funding to most school districts, including Lacey Township, Schubiger said.

“This was done despite our own local efforts to stabilize our budget through the implementation of initiatives which decreased our expenses and increased our nontax revenues,” he said. “Although these efforts have assisted us in stabilizing our budget in the short term, a significant reduction in State funding, even for one year, has a lasting negative impact at the local level because the funding is never replaced.”

The State also continues to create costly mandates without funding them, he said, increasing the burden on taxpayers.

“In Lacey, we will continue to seek a balance between quality and affordability, which is what our community expects and what the school district is committed to delivering,” Schubiger said. “However, the State's inability to develop a sufficient funding formula and insistence on creating unfunded mandates will make it increasingly difficult for the school district to meet that goal.”

At the next school board meeting on Monday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m., the district will do a formal presentation on the budget.

A public hearing will be held in the Lecture Hall on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m.

In 2012, the school board adopted a budget with a $99 tax increase on the average homeowner.

Return to Lacey Patch tomorrow for information on the preliminary budget.