School Tax Increase Lowest In 3 Years

The Board of Education introduced a $30.2 million budget Tuesday night that would fund facility upgrades and enhancements, focus on technology and invest in teachers through professional development.

The 2012-13 school budget calls for a 1.63% increase in property taxes, the lowest in three years. The tax impact of the increase is $34.99 for every $100,000 of a home's assessed value. An average home assessed at $410,000 would see an increase of $143.

The means that there will be no taxpayer vote on the school budget because the tax increase required to fund it is below the state-mandated 2 percent cap. Still, Superintendent Michael Polizzi and the Board of Education said it was important to present the budget to the public and lay out the district's goals.

Despite the fact that this is the lowest tax levy since Polizzi came on board as Superintendent, he and Business Administrator and BOE Secretary Michael Sawicz said it ensures that the district continues to focus on growth and hailed it as a significant achievement for the district and for borough taxpayers. 

In introductory remarks preceding the budget overview, Polizzi said that are to invest in growth and innovation, create a learning environment that reflects the ever-changing world that the students will be graduating into and focus on refurbishing the school district's aging infrastructure as outlined in the Master Plan. 

Polizzi said that the district remains focused on recovering the $1.4 million in state aid that the district lost two years ago. One new source of revenue is the Inner Bridge Crossing (IBC) School for children with autism. The establishment of the IBC allows the district to bring children back to the district rather than paying to send them to special schools.

"New Milford was sending out 11 students for $55K plus transportation," Sawicz said. "Now we're educating them here, saving money and we can bring in kids from other districts that pay us tuition."

The same is true for the Alternative High School Program. 

Other cost savings come in the form of employee contributions. Polizzi told the audience that for the first time, all employees contribute to their health benefits and with seven retirements the district was able to hire 15 people.

Polizzi said that New Milford is receiving $1,728,705 in state aid, including $864,000 of state aid recovered and $475,000 in extraordinary aid.

The district also has $366,087 in surplus. The BOE is required by law to put surplus money back into the budget. This money is being used towards the purchase of text books, Polizzi said.

When asked what happens next year if we use that surplus money this year, he said, "Next year we won't need that appropriation for text books."  

One of the first priorities Polizzi had upon arriving in New Milford was to create a master plan for reinvesting in the infrastructure. "For too long, the infrastructure had been neglected and repairs made only as emergencies arose," he said. 

Upon taking the helm as Superintendent, Polizzi said, "We immediately identified the roof on the high school as needing to be replaced."  

A new roof is going on the pitched areas with a product that is not only "green," but has a 75-year warranty with a life expectancy of 125 years. 

"The cost is not much more than the cost of an asphalt roof," he said, adding that the money for this is coming from the capital reserve and not the operating budget. 

The Berkely School has been identified as needing improvements to the grounds. Those improvements will begin in the next few months, with other schools following.  

Polizzi said it is the goal of his administrative team, along with the board, to design an effective learning experience that will take students into the global forum of the 21st Century.

"We're constantly looking at ways to creatively accomplish this at little to no cost to the taxpayers," Polizzi said.