School Budget Presentation, Vote Tonight

The West Orange Board of Education is slated to approve the 2013-14 school budget following with a full public presentation at 8 p.m. Wednesday night in West Orange High School. 

The proposed budget is $131,312,875, with a tax levy of $120,538,165. For a meeting agenda, see the attached pdf.

It is unknown if the proposed budget will reflect the expected tax increase announced last week. 

On March 22, the school district announced the expected school tax increase will be 1.29 percent or less, a spokesperson for the district said. 

Under the proposed 1.29 percent tax increase, an average township home assessed at $339,000 would see raise taxes by approximately $186. 

The board  for the 2013-14 school year earlier in the month. That budget came in $3.2 million more than last year's blueprint.

However, according to a spokesperson for the district, the board has asked interim Superintendent James O'Neill to cut costs twice in the last few weeks.

West Orange received flat funding from New Jersey this year, which gives the district a total of $6,809,707 of state aid.