Springfield School District 2004-2005 budget will result in a tax rate increase of 4 cents.
By: Scott Morgan
SPRINGFIELD Under the school district’s proposed $4.2 million budget, the 2004-2005 school budget will rise 4 cents, Business Administrator Barbara Harris said last week.
With the tax rate rising from $1.089 to $1.133 per $100 of assessed property value, the owner of a township average $160,000 home would pay $1,812.80 if this year’s budget is approved by voters April 20.
Of the overall budget, $2.38 million in taxes would be raised for the general purpose fund, plus $160,757 to cover debt service.
The 2004-2005 budget is a $600,000 increase from the 2003-2004 spending plan, which carried a $2.2 million tax levy and was shot down by voters. Eventually, the Board of Education agreed to trim $5,500 from the defeated budget, cutting school field trips to reduce the tax rate by a quarter-cent.
Despite how it looks, this projected year’s increase is relatively low, Ms. Harris said. There are no capital projects in the budget and no secondary questions on the ballot. The increase, she said, is mainly due to the rising costs of salaries, transportation, health insurance (which across the state has risen 5 to 25 percent in recent years), utilities and out-of-district tuition for special needs students.
"Things are higher than they used to be," Ms. Harris said. "Nothing stays static."
There will be $1.27 million in state aid 3 percent more than what the district got last year but most costs, Ms. Harris said, have risen by more than 3 percent.
Still, she said, Springfield has the lowest school tax in Burlington County.
A public hearing will be held at Springfield Elementary School on March 30 at 8 p.m. The public will vote on the budget at the school on Tuesday, April 20.