by Davy James, Staff Writer
School officials said the upcoming budget will be largely shaped by the amount of state aid the district receives.
The district is developing multiple plans to account for each possible aid scenario once the final word is handed down from Gov. Jon Corzine, which is expected to happen in early March.
”The biggest challenge we face right now isn’t the budget itself but the current economic climate,” said Business Administrator Anthony Tonzini. “We’re deciding what to keep in the budget and we won’t know what we’re going to be getting in state aid until March 12. It would be great if we got the same amount in state aid as last year but we really don’t know. The biggest challenge we face is uncertainty because we don’t know what kind of assistance we’re getting and it’s hard to build a budget not knowing where you stand on those terms.”
In 2008, the district received approximately $24.5 million in state aid after the state revamped the school funding formula.
In April, voters defeated a proposed $135 million spending plan by a vote of 1,233 to 1,174. The budget carried a 2.3 percent tax rate increase that would have raised the rate from $2.56 per $100 of assessed value, to $2.618 of assessed value. At that rate, the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $194,200 would have paid $5,084 in school taxes.
The budget was turned over to the Township Council, which cut $1.03 million from the proposed $94.45 million tax levy, the amount to be raised through taxation. The final school tax rate was set at $2.605 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Under the approved rate, the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $194,200 paid $5,058.91 in school taxes, an increase of $87.39 from 2007.
In anticipation of less aid coming to the district this school year, administrators placed a freeze on nonessential spending, effective Jan. 6. The State Commission of Education then issued a memo instructing school districts to suspend nonessential spending, which the state had done on Jan. 16.
”We were ahead of the game on that one because at that time we didn’t know about the spending freeze from the state,” Mr. Tonzini said. “There are certain things that we have to pay for, like graduation for example, but everything else is being reviewed. It’s something that we’ve done in the past to be prudent and cut back where we can. I don’t expect the economy to get better quickly so we’re doing what we can to cut back.”
In an effort to look for savings wherever they might be found, the district is conducting an energy audit to see if costs can be reduced. Mr. Tonzini said every possible program and budget item is under careful review.
”The best-case scenario we’re working with is getting the same amount as last year,” he said. “We also need to project for a decrease in state aid. We’ll probably do a few different scenarios that equal a 5 percent decrease and a 10 percent decrease. Then, we’ll get the actual figures and see where we stand.”
Mr. Tonzini said he expects to have a preliminary budget in place by March 18. The district must have the final budget ready to present at a public hearing by March 30. The district will hold three public budget meetings at the Board of Education offices at 231 Blackhorse Lane from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, March 5 and March 17.
