Freehold Twp. school budget includes layoffs

BY MARK ROSMAN Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A public hearing will be held at 8 p.m. March 31 in the Freehold Township Board of Education offices on Stillwells Corner Road on the proposed 2009-10 school budget.

The budget includes the layoff of 15 employees: five teachers, eight special education teacher assistants and two curriculum supervisors, according to information provided by the school district.

At a meeting held March 17, the board introduced and adopted a tentative budget of $70.3 million for the 2009-10 school year. Changes to the budget may be made up until the public hearing.

The budget includes a general fund of $65.7 million, a special revenue fund of $1.2 million and a debt service fund of $3.4 million, according to information provided by Brian Boyle, the business administrator for the Freehold Township School District.

There is a proposed general fund tax levy of $55.5 million to support the operation of the school district. That is an increase of $2.5 million from the 2008-09 general fund tax levy. Residents will vote on the general fund tax levy in the April 21 school election.

The debt service tax levy for 2009-10 is $3.4 million. Residents will not vote on that amount, which is the repayment of the district’s outstanding loans.

The Freehold Township School District will receive $6.2 million in state aid during 2009-10. That is the same amount that was received during 2008-09, according to information provided by the school district.

Enrollment in the K-8 district is projected to drop from 4,524 pupils to about 4,400 pupils in the 2009-10 school year, Boyle said.

The K-8 school tax rate during the 2008- 09 school year was $1.792 per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $200,000 paid about $3,584 in local school taxes.

All property in Freehold Township has been reassessed and the new K-8 school tax rate is projected to be 92.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The average home in the township is now assessed at $400,000.

With a home assessed at $400,000 and a tax rate of 92.1 cents per $100, that homeowner would pay about $3,684 in local school taxes in 2009-10.

The local school tax is one component of a property owner’s overall tax bill, which also includes municipal taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.