NEW HANOVER The New Hanover-Wrightstown Board of Education introduced a $4.1 million tentative budget March 7 that would decrease school taxes in Wrightstown.
By:David Koch
The proposed budget would reduce the school tax rate in Wrightstown 11 cents to $1.63 for each $100 of assessed property value.
A homeowner at the township average of $94,000 would pay $1,532 in school taxes this year, a decrease of $103 from last year.
New Hanover’s school tax rate would remain at $1.52 for $100 of assessed property value. A homeowner at a township average of $130,000 would pay $1,976 in school taxes.
This year’s budget would be a decrease of $55,000 from last year’s budget, despite the building of a $2.5 million addition to New Hanover’s elementary school.
The new addition will provide preschool for 4-year-olds, and classrooms for special education students. The inclusion of special education students into New Hanover’s schools will save a lot of money, according to Superintendent George Pratt.
The school district would no longer have to pay for tuition or transportation costs to send the district’s special education students to other schools. Superintendent Pratt estimates that the district will save $80,000 on tuition costs alone.
The district also expects an increase of $109,000 in early childhood aid from the state because of the addition of preschool care for 4-year-olds.
A total of $2 million was received in state aid for the budget. An additional $262,000 was taken out of surplus.
The budget remained stable despite increases from inflation in the cost of salaries and supplies. The cost of fuel was a significant increase in the budget, according to Superintendent Pratt.
But, overall, response to the budget has been positive.
"We were able to keep nice programs we had in place, including a new addition, bring some students back into the school, and maintain the tax levy," said Superintendent Pratt.
