BOE Adopts Tax Increase-Free Budget

Superintendent John Bach hopes the budget adopted by the school board Tuesday night is a sign of things to come.

After two years in a row of deep budget cuts, the 2012-13 budget passed unanimously by the board is tax increase-free and, aside from the elimination of three full-time positions, free of cuts as well.

“This budget is the budget promised two years ago when our travails began,” said Bach, alluding to steep state aid cuts made by the Christie administration in 2010-11. “This year, with the restoration of some of our state aid, we’re at equilibrium.”

Moorestown , a $254,250 increase from last year, making it one of only 48 districts to receive an increase. That’s still down from the $4.2 million it received in 2009-10, but .

Since the , this is the first year the district will not have to put the budget to a public vote. But Board President Don Mishler said that knowledge didn’t change the board’s approach to crafting it.

“Nobody said, ‘No one’s going to vote on it, so we don’t have to work on it,’” he said, indicating the board attempted to be just as fiscally responsible with this budget as in every previous budget.

Mishler echoed Bach’s optimism, saying the $59 million budget “gives us everything we want.”

He looked ahead to future expenses, primarily capital projects, and added, “We could spend more money (in this budget). We could do that. But we’re not there yet.”

The three staffing cuts will most likely come from teaching positions at the elementary schools, according to business administrator Lynn Shugars. Those cuts are driven more by declining enrollment than budgetary constraints however.

The district continues to see enrollment decline at all three lower elementary schools and the . According to projections, the district will have 65 fewer elementary students next year.

With that trend expected to continue, Shugars said it’s possible there will be more staffing cuts in subsequent budgets.

To view the budget, visit the district website.