School ballot may include special question
Frank D’Amico
UPPER FREEHOLD — Voters in next month’s school elections may face a special question on whether to buy additional buses needed to avoid a proposed new school starting schedule.
If a separate question regarding “tiered busing” is placed on the ballot April 18, it will ask voters whether they support adding money to the 2000-01 spending plan to purchase buses.
Ann Murphy, the Upper Freehold Regional School District business administrator, said the potential ballot question, which at presstime still was under consideration, couldn’t be a simple “yes” or “no” vote on whether voters wanted what has become known as tiered busing.
The concept of tiered busing was introduced by the Board of Education as a cost-saving measure allowing the same number of buses to serve more students by changing the opening and closing times of the schools. However, some parents have spoken out against the plan because it would create three separate starting times at Allentown High School and Upper Freehold Elementary/Middle School.
Administrators did not have a final figure on what it would cost to purchase buses, but used a tax rate increase of 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in both Allentown and Upper Freehold, as an example of potential impact.
Under that scenario, the owner of a house assessed at $150,000 would pay an additional $37.50 if the buses are included in the budget.
Even without the buses needed to avoid tiered busing, Upper Freehold residents face a 10-cent increase in the tax rate if the budget is approved by voters; Allentown residents would see a 22-cent increase.
A penny in the tax rate equals revenue of about $50,000, administrators said at Monday’s budget hearing in the Upper Freehold Elementary/Middle School auditorium.
Normally, the school budget has to be less than a state-mandated spending cap. The budget only can rise a certain percentage, and the proposed $17.2 million plan is a 2.18 percentage increase over the current budget. The budget can’t rise more than 2.56 percent to stay within the budget cap.
Interim Superintendent Thomas Vona said Monday night that a budget can exceed cap if an addition to the budget is approved through a separate ballot question. Many parents at Monday’s hearing said they favor the additional ballot question.
Dr. Murphy stressed that the budget itself must pass in order for the tiered busing question to have a chance in passing. Historically, the budget has had trouble passing.
The board was expected to decide on the ballot question at its meeting Wednesday night.