Municipal budget may increase, but district to cut spending
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Continuing its tradition of sharing notes, Township Council and the Lawrence Township Board of Education outlined their respective budgets at a joint meeting at the Municipal Building on Tuesday night.
Although Township Council has not introduced its proposed 2009 budget, the school board adopted its preliminary budget Monday night and sent it to the county for review.
As the host of the event, Mayor Pam Mount welcomed the school board members, noting that “this is a difficult time” for both governing bodies. The township has lost $122,708 in state aid and the school district is facing the loss of $237,740 in state aid.
The overall municipal budget proposed for 2009 has increased by 2.5 percent — from $39.7 million to $40.7 million. But the school district’s proposed 2009-10 budget of $65.3 million cuts spending by $12,147.
Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun outlined seven categories of expenditures in the proposed 2009 municipal budget. Some categories showed increased spending and others showed decreased spending.
The Public Safety Department, which includes police, dispatchers and the handful of paid firefighters, accounts for 35 percent of the budget expenditures. The Department of Public Works consumes 16 percent of the expenses.
Mr. Krawczun told the school board that salaries accounted for most of the overall budget increase, following by the full phase-in of the township’s share of pension benefits for some employees. The budget also includes an increase for state health insurance benefits and an increase in the cost of utilities.
The result is a 3-cent tax rate increase for township property owners — from 71 cents per $100 of assessed value to 74 cents. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $164,581 would pay $1,219.04. This is an additional $49.37, Mr. Krawczun said.
Superintendent of Schools Philip Meara assured Township Council that despite a flat spending budget, the district is committed to maintaining small class sizes in first grade and to ensuring that all students are challenged academically. The district is continuing its own academic assessments of students, he said.
Mr. Meara also told the council that although the state has adopted an “efficiency model” that calls for schools to enroll about 400 students each, the Lawrence district is not deviating from its present configuration. The elementary schools enroll fewer than 400 students, for example, he said.
The district’s neighborhood partnerships with Eggerts Crossing Village and the Lawrence Neighborhood Service Center is “totally outside anything envisioned by the state,” Mr. Meara said.
Business Administrator Thomas Eldridge walked Township Council through the proposed 2009-10 school budget, noting the spending plan has decreased by $12,000 — “something that has not been done in 18 years.”
“We faced some hurdles along the way, but the picture is not as bleak because we have reined in some expenses,” Mr. Eldridge said.
The district is spending less on tuition to send special education students to specialized schools because it has begun to offer classes in the district, he said.
And although the spending plan is flat, Mr. Eldridge said, the school district tax rate is expected to increase by 2 cents — from $2.19 per $100 of assessed value to $2.21. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $164,580 would pay $3,637 in school district property taxes — an increase of $33 over the current tax bill.
Mr. Eldridge said the property tax is split across two calendar years, because the budget also is divided over two calendar years. A portion of the property tax increase is attributable to the 2008-09 budget.
When the meeting was opened to public comment, Bearfort Way resident Glenn Collins asked the school board whether it had sought to reopen the contracts between itself and school district employees.
Mr. Meara said he asked the unions to consider reopening their contracts if the district lost some funding, but they have not done so. School board President Laura Waters added that it’s not so simple because the Lawrence Township Education Association, which includes teachers, is governed by the New Jersey Education Association.
“It’s a challenge,” Ms. Waters said.