MANALAPAN – Voters in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District will be asked on April 15 to approve a $46.5 million tax levy to support a proposed $75.7 million budget for 2008- 09. Polls will be open from 3-9 p.m. on Election Day.
There are 5,519 students enrolled in the K-8 school district.
Information about the 2008-09 school budget was presented to the Township Committee and members of the public when the school district’s business administrator, Joseph Passiment, discussed the spending plan at the committee’s March 19 meeting.
According to Passiment, the budget for the upcoming academic year does not cut any programs or curriculum. He said the only new position proposed in the budget is a counselor’s position at the John I. Dawes Early Learning Center.
Although there are no capital improvement projects proposed for the upcoming school year, Passiment did note that some improvements have been provided. These improvements include the replacement of the heating and air conditioning system and the installation of energy efficient windows at the Pine Brook School, and the replacement of seats in the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School auditorium.
Passiment said there will be a social studies textbook adoption for grades one through three, non-fiction text enhancement for grades one through three, and language arts technology support for grades seven and eight.
He noted that money has been appropriated in the budget for use in the future for a new administration building.
Costs reflected in the 2008-09 budget include the replacement of computers throughout the district and the creation of a computer lab at the Taylor Mills School, according to Passiment.
Passiment had previously stated that the largest increase in the budget is the additional $532,288 needed for the district’s required contribution for pension payments. According to the business administrator, all of the other accounts in the spending plan remained the same or had a slight increase.
According to his presentation before the Township Committee, in the 2008-09 school year the district will be required to fund 100 percent of the mandatory contribution to the pension plan for noncertificated personnel. Passiment said the costs are anticipated to be $1 million, an increase of 94.2 percent.
Non-certificated personnel include secretaries, substitutes (instructional and non-instructional), instructional assistants, bus drivers, bus attendants and maintenance personnel.
Passiment said the Manalapan- Englishtown district will receive $21.6 million in state aid during the 2008-09 school year. The 2007-08 spending plan totaled $71.8 million.
The general fund for 2008-09 is projected at $69.5 million. A local tax levy of $46.5 million is needed to support the general fund. The $46.5 million amount is what residents will vote on during the April 15 school election.
The general fund tax levy in 2007-08 amounted to $45.2 million.
The district’s debt service tax levy for 2008-09 is projected to be $2.9 million. Residents do not vote on the debt service tax levy. The debt service tax levy in 2007- 08 amounted to $4.6 million. Debt service is the repayment of outstanding loans (i.e. for completed construction projects).
According to Passiment’s presentation at the meeting, state education statistics show that at $9,821 per student, theManalapan Englishtown Regional School District has the lowest per pupil cost when compared to neighboring districts such as Freehold Township,Marlboro and Howell. The state median per pupil cost was reported to be $11,353.
If voters approve the tax levy on April 15, Manalapan property owners will see an increase of $5 per $100,000 of assessed valuation (i.e. $20 increase on a home assessed at $400,000) and Englishtown property owners will see an increase of $13 per $100,000 of assessed valuation (i.e. $39 increase on a home assessed at $300,000).
School taxes are one part of the overall property tax bill which also includes municipal taxes, Monmouth County taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes and other assessments.
Representatives of the Manalapan- Englishtown Regional School District made a presentation about the district’s 2008-09 budget to the Englishtown Borough Council on March 12.

