Increased student enrollment may inflate taxes
By: Rebecca Tokarz
MONROE A projected 9.6 percent increase in student enrollment could mean a 12.2 percent increase in school taxes for the 2003-2004 school year.
The increase is part of a $54.32 million spending plan that was introduced by the school board Wednesday. A public hearing is scheduled for March 26, after which the board is expected to officially approve the budget. It would then go to voters on April 15.
District spending will increase from $48.41 million in the current school budget to $54.32 million in the 2003-2004 school year, a 10.9 percent increase. District officials say hiring new staff to accommodate rising enrollment is driving the budget increase.
If the proposed budget is approved by voters, the tax rate will increase 12.7 cents, according to School Administrator Wayne Holliday.
If approved, the tax rate will be $ 1.62 per $100 of assessed valuation, a 12.7-cent increase over last year’s rate of $1.49. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $148,485 would pay $2,405 in school taxes, an increase of $304.
Business Administrator Wayne Holliday said most of the increased spending is necessary to cover increasing enrollment.
According to district enrollment figure, there were 3,787 students in Monroe schools on Jan. 31. The district anticipates that 4,152 students will be enrolled during the 2003-2004 school year.
The budget includes $1.6 million to add 16 portable trailers at Applegarth Middle School, Monroe Township High School and Brookside Elementary. The amount also covers staffing the trailers, architectural fees, site work and utility costs.
School board member Jay Ellis Brown said the trailers’ costs are equal to about 3 cents of the tax hike.
The district is expecting to hire a total of 41 new staff members to accommodate continued increases in student enrollment.
The district is budgeting $1.2 million for new regular program teachers and another $610,270 to cover salary increases for existing teaching staff. Overall, the district plans to spend $17.06 million on regular program instruction, $13.99 million of it on salaries for teaching staff.
It plans to hire an elementary school world language teacher and an elementary school music teacher. The positions will be shared by the four elementary schools.
In addition, Barclay Brook School is slated to add three new teachers one kindergarten, one first-grade and one second-grade. Brookside School is slated to get four new teachers two third-, one fourth- and one fifth-grade. Woodland School is slated to get one new fifth-grade teacher and Mill Lake is slated to get a new first- and new third-grade teacher.
The budget also calls for Applegarth School to get six new full-time teachers physical education, math, science, two language arts and Spanish and a new part-time art teacher. In addition, a part-time industrial arts teacher will be made fulltime.
At the high school, eight new teaching positions are included: math, family and consumer science, physical education/health, science, Spanish, history and two language arts.
In-district special education costs are slated to increase from $3.48 million to $4.12 million, including $335,948 for new special education staff.
"We need to be prepared (by adding teachers) and have allotted slots for them (students)," Superintendent Ralph Ferrie said.
Tuition costs for special education students who attend out-of-district schools are slated to increase $290,532, from $2.01 million to $2.3 million.
The hiring of the full-time equivalent of 7.5 staff members throughout the district as in-class support teachers also is planned, at an estimated cost of $335,948.
Transportation salaries are slated to increase $64,389 from $938,331 to slightly more than $1 million to cover contractual increases and a bus driver for a new bus route. Overall, transportation costs are expected to increase $293,674 to $3.38 million, including a $100,060 increase for special education transportation.
In addition, the district will lease one new 54-passenger bus and a 16-passenger van to cope with increased student enrollment.
The budget for maintenance and plant operation is proposed to increase by $112,339 to $2.4 million for the 2003-2004 school year. New staff will cost the district $145,381. Also, two full-time custodians one for Applegarth and the other as a floater and a part-time custodian for Mill Lake and Brookside are included in the budget.

