by Davy James, Staff Writer
The South Brunswick School District presented a tentative budget Tuesday that carries a 2.8 percent increase from last year but does not increase taxes.
Taxpayers will vote April 21 on a tax levy of $96 million with a zero-cent increase on last year’s tax rate of 2.605 per $100 of assessed valuation.
”We stress that there is no school tax increase in South Brunswick with this proposed budget,” said Business Administrator Anthony Tonzini during the meeting.
Under that rate, the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $196,400 can expect to pay $5,116 in school taxes for the 2009-10 school year.
The proposed $139,383,922 budget was able to carry the 2.8 percent increase from last year’s budget without raising the tax rate due to a number of factors.
The district received a 5 percent increase in state aid from last year, bringing the aid total to $25,251,515. The district also used $3.95 million in surplus to offset the need for a greater tax levy, in addition to bond refinancing and fiscal prudence.
”We didn’t anticipate an increase in state aid and we’re pleased to get an increase,” said Superintendent Gary McCartney during the meeting.
”There was no way for us to have no tax increase this year without additional funding.”
The district announced it would be eliminating 25 positions, with 13.6 positions eliminated due to retirement and resignation.
The remaining positions to be eliminated range from administrators, secretaries, paraprofessionals, custodians and supervisors, according to Dr. McCartney, who called the staff cuts a difficult situation.
”These are tough times and nobody wants to be out of work,” Dr. McCartney said. “We have to balance the cost of education versus the community’s ability to pay for it.”
Dr. McCartney said the staff elimination would save the district $1.1 million. He said no classroom teachers lost their jobs, which may not be the case next year.
He also pointed out that in the past other districts have proposed a school budget with no tax increase that were defeated by voters.
In April of last year voters defeated the school’s proposed $135 million spending plan. In accordance with state law, the budget was turned over to the Township Council which voted to cut $1.03 million from the original proposal.
”We have no place to go if this budget gets cut further,” Dr. McCartney said.
”If it does it will be encroaching on programs and personnel.”
Dr. McCartney stressed the importance of voters supporting the budget on school election day, which is April 21.
”We encourage people to vote to pass this budget,” he said.
”If we can do that then someone else won’t get our budget to make a decision.”

