State aid hike offsets increase in spending.
By: Bill Greenwood
JAMESBURG A boost in state aid is helping to offset a 3.59 percent spending increase, keeping school tax bills at their 2006-2007 level.
The proposed budget would keep the tax rate at $2.73 per $100 of assessed valuation. Under that rate, the owner of a house assessed at the borough average of $123,319 would pay about $3,367 in school taxes.
A public hearing on the $11.26 million budget will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the John F. Kennedy School. The budget will go to voters on April 17.
Board President Don Peterson said he was happy with the proposed budget and expected it to be approved by voters.
"We go into the budget cycle every year with the goal of maintaining services and providing all the programs necessary to meet the mission of the district," he said. "With this budget, we were able to maintain all the programs that we had in place last year" with no tax increase.
School Business Administrator Tom Reynolds said an increase in aid and the use of additional surplus as revenue in the budget is offsetting a $390,000 spending increase. The district will receive an additional $193,816 in formula and kindergarten aid from the state, or a total of $4.45 million. He said the district also would use an additional $94,267 from its free balance, a total of $220,991.
The proposed budget would raise $6.59 million from taxes, $6.38 million of which must be approved by voters. The remaining $211,947 is for debt service.
Mr. Reynolds said the total payroll would be $3.19 million and that $834,861 is being budgeted for health benefits, $1.23 million for special education tuition, $495,671 for special education transportation, $197,289 for heating and electricity, $686,698 for transportation, and $44,240 for extracurricular activities. The district also would spend $75,000 to build an equipment garage.
Mr. Peterson said the district could receive an additional $109,000 in state targeted at-risk achievement aid if the budget passes. He said the money most likely would be used to increase test scores by reinstating a media specialist position cut from the budget several years ago, hiring an English as a Second Language teacher and adding a new basic skills position.

