Westwood School Board Proposes $52 Million Budget

The Westwood Regional Board of Education approved a $52 million preliminary budget during their meeting last week.

The proposed budget includes a $47 million tax levy, which will shift slightly in Westwood's favor this year, though the borough will still be paying the larger portion, district Business Administrator Keith Rosado said. Westwood property owners will pay about 53 percent — down from 54 percent last year — and Washington Township property owners will pay about 46 percent of the tax levy if the budget is approved.

The district will also r, but that figure does not include the increase of about $400 in fees the district must pay to the Schools Development Authority, which provides funding to districts across the state for capital projects.

The fee will affect the debt service budget rather than the operating budget, according to Rosado.

Acting Superintendent Rory McCourt previously said district officials had expected funding to remain flat, so the figure would not cause a problem for the budget.

"It doesn't really impact us one way or the other because we had been anticipating it," McCourt previously said.

The budget will next go to the county for approval and district officials will present it to the public at a hearing March 28.

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