HOWELL — The Board of Education will not appeal a $700,000 cut to its 2002-03 school year budget as recommended by the Township Council. The cut was ordered in the $82 million budget that was rejected by voters in April. That budget included a local tax levy of $44 million.
On April 16, voters defeated the board’s proposed $82 million budget for the 2002-03 school year. The defeated budget would have increased the local school tax rate 10.4 cents, from $1.572 to $1.676 per $100 of assessed valuation. Now, the tax rate will rise to $1.656 per $100.
The council directed that the tax levy — what Howell property owners pay to support the K-8 school district — be reduced to $43.3 million. The governing body recommended the school board make the cuts in areas ranging from specialty teachers and replacement principals to employee benefits and utility costs.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Enid Golden said the board will cut the $700,000 from the budget, but not in the areas recommended by the council.
"We didn’t think the council’s recommendations were useful," she said, adding that administrators will make the cuts "from accounts that don’t impact the kids." The superintendent said the $700,000 would be cut in the areas of capital outlay, medical insurance and supplies.
She said there have been several teacher retirements announced in recent weeks that will allow the board to save money by hiring new teachers at lower salaries than what the retiring staff members are being paid.
Howell finance director Jeffrey Filia-treault said the $700,000 cut proposed by the council will lower the tax rate increase from 10.4 cents to about 8.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
That means the owner of a home assessed at $150,000 will pay about $126 more in local school taxes next year instead of $156 more, which was the original increase projected with the 10.4-cent increase. For the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 the increase is $168 instead of $208; and for the owner of home assessed at $300,000 the increase is $252 instead of $312.