BY DAN NEWMAN
Staff Writer
HAZLET – The Board of Education recently adopted a nearly $46 million tentative budget with the hope that it can reverse its fortunes from last year, when the school spending plan was defeated by voters for the first time since 2002.
The proposed total budget amount is $45,991,047. If adopted in its current form at a public hearing next week, township residents will be voting April 17 on a $31,405,948 local tax levy for the operating budget and a debt service amount of $555,563 for the 2007-08 school year. The proposed budget would raise the school tax rate by 10.8 cents, resulting in an additional $145.64 in taxes annually for the owner of a home assessed at $135,468, the township’s median.
Assistant Business Administrator Dennis Kotch was quick to point out that the district is receiving a state aid increase for the first time in five years, but that it’s not necessarily something that is going to make a huge difference.
“People think that when we receive state aid it’s the cure-all, and that’s just not true,” Kotch said. “Still, we’re pleased with what we received.”
Schools Superintendent Renae LaPrete said that there are many reasons to vote for the budget, such as the fact that no teaching positions would be removed and the average student-teacher ratio of 16:1, which is a much lower ratio than many other districts, would be maintained.
“Also, our administrative costs are much lower than the state average,” LaPrete said. “And whereas most districts use up the entire 4 percent tax levy cap, we’re only at 3.7 percent and we’re very proud to be below that number. This budget is a good one. You won’t find many other districts like ours.”
Other items involved in this year’s budget are new computer labs at the elementary schools, a security system at Raritan High School, and two new biology labs in the high school.
LaPrete hopes to wash away the memory of last year’s 1,771-869 budget failure at the polls. She feels that last year the public may have been misinformed about the high school athletic facility, which was part of a lease-purchase agreement but not part of the $30 million budget. She was also disappointed with a low voter turnout last year of only 2,640 residents.
“We need to get the vote out because we want to grow,” LaPrete said. “Our test scores are very good and we’re looking to expand to make this an even better district than it already is.”
A public hearing on the 2007-08 budget will be conducted on Monday at 7 p.m. at Raritan High School, 419 Middle Road.