BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer
Residents in the eight towns that make up the Freehold Regional High School District will be asked to approve a $100.8 million tax levy for the 2006-07 school year in the April 18 school election.
The FRHSD Board of Education has adopted a $158.5 million budget for 2006-07. Administrators said the budget is up 5.28 percent from 2005-06.
The district will receive $41.1 million in state aid for the 2006-07 school year, an increase of $407,864 over 2005-06. Administrators said the increase was applied to tax relief.
Freehold Borough representative Bunny Hammer called the extra state aid “a drop in the ocean.”
Nevertheless, the FRHSD tax rate will still rise an average of 3.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in all eight municipalities that comprise the district.
“We’re trying to keep it as reasonable as possible,” Business Administrator Joan Nesenkar Saylor said. “We all have to pay the bills.”
“In this time where the budget is difficult, we can be sure that we have put in a frugal, comprehensive budget to sustain our students,” said board member Terry Kraft of Howell. “It deserves to pass with flying colors.”
“To see what we offer with below average costs is phenomenal,” board member Ronald Lawson of Howell said.
Breaking down the budget, Fund 10 includes the day-to-day operations of the district and for 2006-07 this account totals $148.5 million.
Fund 20 for 2006-07 totals $2 million. Included in this fund is capital outlay for school buses, equipment and capital projects.
Fund 40 for 2006-07 totals $7.9 million. Included in this fund is debt service, interest and principal on buildings.
On April 18, specific polling times vary by municipality, but polls will be open from at least 3-9 p.m. across the district.
Among the highlights of the proposed budget provided by district administrators and contingent on the budget’s approval:
+ District-wide, five teachers, one secretary and one nurse will be added. The Law Enforcement Academy and Alternative High School will be added to the curriculum. Additional levels of lacrosse and volleyball will begin. The Junior Statesman and Technology Students Association will have additional advisers. With regard to equipment, computers, computer carts, musical instruments, weight room supplies, wrestling mats, scoreboards and a spring floor for gymnastics will be purchased.
+ Colts Neck High School will have a retaining wall and concrete pad project completed and the entire building will be rekeyed for security purposes. However, the school will not receive additional visitors bleachers, as previously reported.
+ Freehold High School will have windows replaced, the auditorium balcony renovated, air conditioning revamped in the auditorium and bleachers repaired.
+ Freehold Township High School will have windows replaced, the technology room renovated and the air conditioning renovated in the main office.
+ Howell High School will have its auditorium renovated and its tennis courts resurfaced.
+ Manalapan High School will receive a new roof for the main gymnasium and the science room will be renovated. However, additional tennis courts will not be constructed, as previously reported.
+ Marlboro High School will begin work on a 20,000-square-foot roofing project and renovate the girls locker room.
The budget proposes the following tax rates:
+ Colts Neck, FRHSD tax rate rising from 76 to 77 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
+ Englishtown, FRHSD tax rate rising from 60.6 to 69.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
+ Farmingdale, FRHSD tax rate rising from 41.4 to 43 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 would pay $860 in FRHSD taxes in 2005-06, up from $828 in 2005-06.
+ Freehold Borough, FRHSD tax rate rising from 34.5 to 37.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
+ Freehold Township, FRHSD tax rate rising from 61.4 to 67.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
+ Howell, FRHSD tax rate rising from 72.9 to 79.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at $200,000 would pay $1,582 in FRHSD taxes in 2006-07, up from $1,458 in 2005-06. The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 would pay $2,373 in 2006-07. The owner of a home assessed at $400,000 would pay $3,164 in 2006-07.
+ Manalapan, FRHSD tax rate rising from 81.7 to 83 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
+ Marlboro, FRHSD tax rate rising from 82.3 to 84 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The FRHSD school tax is one portion of a property owner’s overall tax bill. The tax bill also includes municipal taxes, K-8 school taxes, Monmouth County taxes and several other assessments.
If the budget is defeated by voters on April 18 it will be sent to the municipal governing body in all eight municipalities. The municipal officials will review the spending plan and leave it unchanged or negotiate with FRHSD administrators for an amount to be removed from the spending plan.