School Board Proposes Tax Increase in Preliminary Budget

The Board of Education approved its preliminary school district budget, which includes a $99 increase to the average homeowner, to be sent to the Ocean County Superintendent of Schools.

“The finance committee is still working on the final budget,” Vice President Eric Schubiger said at a meeting Monday night. “We spent a lot of time looking at school district needs. It was a collaborative effort.”

After boasting a zero percent tax increase for two straight years, the school board is proposing a 1.7 percent increase in the local tax levy. Voters will be unable to vote on the increase this year since the board to move elections to November and forego the tax levy ballot.

“It’s still under the state-mandated 2 percent cap,” he said. Budgets increasing beyond the 2 percent threshold would still need voter input.

The proposed operating budget includes a $424,335 decrease since last year. It includes the for 2012-13, the from 2011 that the district deferred to the upcoming school year and $1 million for solar renewable energy credits, Business Administrator James Savage said.

“We were pretty fortunate to receive additional state aid,” Schubiger said. “Thanks to the (solar energy) project, we’re able to maintain a bare bones budget. The project had a two-part, win-win for the school district. It continued to reduce energy costs while bringing in revenue.”

No cuts or layoffs are anticipated under the proposed budget, Schubiger said.

While some areas saw decreases in the proposed budget, including health services, speech and guidance, others saw increases.

“Across the district we’re consolidating things to be more efficient,” Schubiger said. “We’re not in the position to make cuts.”

The district will be “streamlining” certain areas throughout the district, he said.

“The focus this year is on technology, curriculum and building improvements,” Schubiger said. The decision to concentrate on those areas was made by utilizing staff and district comments, he said.

Superintendent Dr. Sandra Brower emphasized the need for technology improvements in her

"In the upcoming months, we will be forming a technology committee to help us create a plan to maximize instructional technology for students and teachers," Brower said. "We are in the planning stages now for a reliable  Internet environment with a wireless network that can support technology such as the iPad and other 1:1 devices."

The proposed budget also allocates funding for additional promethean boards throughout the district, she said.

"We are very excited about the possibilities which will be outlined in more detail on March 26," she said. "This was a very challenging budget to craft because cuts still had to be made but we kept those cuts away from the classroom and instructional programs."

The school district is also in the process of reviewing the K-2 math program, which was introduced this school year, Brower added. The program will be extended to third through sixth grade next year.

Building improvements will be district wide, Schubiger said. The high school is 30 years old so there are some improvements that need to be made.

“We’re making a concerted effort to make improvements while balancing changes in curriculum and technology,” he said.

The preliminary budget was approved by five votes. President Jack Martenak and Maureen Tirella were absent.

A public hearing, in which the board will vote to adopt the budget, will be held on Monday, March 26 at 6 p.m. in the Lacey Township High School Lecture Hall.

See the attached PDF for a copy of the proposed budget.

Below are the proposed figures for the preliminary budget:

Budget Category

2010-2011 Actual

2011-2012 Revised

2012-2013 Anticipated

Local Tax Levy

38,379,406

39,413,121

40,090,630

Total Local Repayment of Debt

5,065,599

5,122,788

5,028,138

Total Operating Budget

57,593,870

64,642,232

64,216,897

Total General Current Expense

57,211,686

64,082,522

63,728,015

Total Expenditures

65,641,245

71,095,320

70,599,335