School budget 5 percent larger than last year’s.
By: Lacey Korevec
Increases in the amount paid for employee benefits and in tuition to send students to Princeton High School is driving this year’s proposed school budget increase.
The Board of Education introduced a $16.7 million budget Tuesday that is 5 percent larger than last year’s $14.8 million plan. The budget calls for $6 million to cover salaries and wages, up from $5.8 million in 2006, and $4.1 million to cover the cost of 253 regular students and 12 special education students attending Princeton High School. The plan also includes $1.8 million for employee benefits and $910,236 to cover debt service.
Voters will get their say on the plan during school elections April 17 at Town Hall. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 27 in the Large Group Room at Cranbury School.
The amount to be raised by taxes is $15.5 million.
If the budget is approved by voters, the school tax rate would be 81.33 cents per $100 of assessed value. At that rate, the owner of a house assessed at the new township average of $673,000 would pay $5,474 in school taxes in 2007.
It is difficult, however, to compare that rate with last year’s because the township property revaluation increased the value of all property in the township and drove down the tax rate. Under the revaluation, the average residential assessment increased from $219,439 to $673,176.
According to Cranbury School Business Administrator Carolyn Eversole, the district will receive $727,735 in state aid for 2007-2008, $21,196 more than it received last year. However, Ms. Eversole said the increase won’t make a big dent in the overall budget.
"State aid is a very minor contributor to Cranbury’s budget," she said. "Ninety-four percent of the budget is funded by local tax dollars."
The proposal also calls for the district to spend $105,500 on capital expenses, including new equipment, the replacement of a portion of the school’s roof that was built in 1957, the replacement of the school’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system burner, and four new classroom sinks.
The board also is considering paying for fall field hockey and winter wrestling, but school board President Joan Rue said the budget must be approved first. Ms. Eversole said the board does not yet have an estimate of what it will cost to add the sports because of unanswered questions regarding field space. She said extra money was included in the budget in case the school is able to move forward with the additions, but she could not say what areas of the budget included the extra funds.
"It’s two-fold," she said. "It’s getting the budget to pass and getting fields up and running."
The cost of employee salaries and wages has increased 4.7 percent from last year’s $5.8 million to $6 million. Ms. Eversole said the increase is mostly contractual and that the district is not planning to add any new positions.
Princeton tuition has increased 9.5 percent, up from $3.7 million to $4.1 million. The Cranbury School District will pay for 253 regular education students to attend the school, at a rate of $15,817 per student. It also expects to send 12 students placed in special education, at an average tuition rate of $54,600 per student.
Ms. Eversole said the district worked hard on the budget, but it won’t be an easy year for taxpayers because of the revaluation.
"While the budget is increasing, we tried very hard to balance the needs of the community against the needs of the students," she said.

