Apublic hearing on a $174.6 million budget for the 2008-09 school year will be held by the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education when it meets tonight, March 19, at 8 p.m. at the district offices on Pine Street, Englishtown.
The budget is tentative and subject to change before it is formally adopted by the school board.
According to information provided by the school district, the proposed general fund will be $167.1 million and the proposed general fund local tax levy will be $110.9 million. The general fund local tax levy is the amount that will be voted on by residents of the FRHSD’s eight towns in the April 15 school election.
During the 2007-08 school year, the total budget amounted to $167.2 million and the general fund local tax levy was $106.6 million.
The district will see its debt service payment drop from $7.6 million in 2007-08 to $5.4 million in 2008-09. The debt service tax levy will drop from $5 million in 2007-08 to $3.5 million in 2008-09. Residents do not vote on the debt service tax levy.
During the 2008-09 school year, the FRHSD will receive a total of $53.4 million in state aid. That is an increase of slightly more than $8 million from the 2007-08 state aid total of $45.2 million. The amount for the 2008-09 school year was calculated using the state’s new school funding formula.
District officials are budgeting $2 million in capital improvements for 2008-09.
According to information provided by Business Administrator Sean Boyce, the FRHSD tax rates will be the following in the eight sending municipalities:
• Colts Neck: increase of 1.9 cents from 81.2 to 83.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Englishtown: increase of 1.4 cents from 25.3 to 26.7 cents per $100 of assessed valuation (2007-08 rate converted to revaluation basis for comparative purposes).
• Farmingdale: decrease of 4 cents from 37.2 to 33.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Freehold Borough: increase of 0.6 cents from 36.8 to 37.4 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Freehold Township: increase of 0.6 cents from 70 to 70.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Howell: increase of 1.8 cents from 35.3 to 37.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Manalapan: decrease of 0.4 cents from 36.3 to 35.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Marlboro: decrease of 0.8 cents from 85.1 to 84.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The FRHSD school tax rate is used to calculate the amount of property taxes that a property owner pays to support the operation of the district. The FRHSD tax is one portion of a property owner’s overall tax bill. The tax bill also includes municipal taxes, local K-8 school taxes, Monmouth County taxes and several other assessments.
The 2008-09 budget includes a new world language initiative, Mandarin Chinese. The program will be available to all schools provided there is adequate student interest to support the class, according to Boyce.
There is no second ballot question for additional funding and no programs will be cut.
“The budget provides for the continuation of the current programs and services,” Boyce said.
Additional positions for 2008-09 include twoMandarin Chinese teachers; one school nurse; a chief medical inspector; six security guards and three clerical positions. The replacement of 15 buses is also provided for in the budget.
According to Boyce, “The district strives to balance the needs of the regional community in terms of providing an outstanding educational program in a fiscally responsible manner.
“Recent legislative changes to the school funding formula acknowledge that the FRHSD spends below (more than $8 million below) what the state deems adequate, while at the same time increases funding to make progress toward the state meeting its own definition of ‘fair share,’ ” he said.
The FRHSD is made up of eight sending municipalities and operates six high schools. The present total enrollment is about 11,800 students.
“The most recent demographic study conducted showed a leveling off of enrollment district-wide. An update will be provided by the demographer by the end of June,” Boyce said.
In other FRHSD news, three positions on the board will be on the April 15 election ballot.
Colts Neck’s representative Christopher Placitella is running unopposed to retain his seat on the board. Residents of Colts Neck and Marlboro will vote on Placitella’s candidacy.
Marlboro’s representative BonnieSue Rosenwald is being challenged in her bid to retain her seat by Katie Goon. Residents ofMarlboro and Colts Neck will vote on this position.
Freehold Township’s representative Michael Wright is being challenged in his bid to retain his seat by Thomas Caiazza. Residents of Freehold Township and Freehold Borough will vote on this position.

