By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Township residents will have a chance to weigh in on the Lawrence Township public school district’s proposed $64.6 million budget for 2011-12 on Tuesday night.
The Lawrence Township Board of Education has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed spending plan for 7 p.m. at the Lawrence High School Commons. The school board gave preliminary approval to the budget last month.
Voters will be asked to approve the proposed $57.3 million tax levy to support the budget at the annual school board election, set for April 27. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Although the proposed budget is $425,491 less than the current $65 million budget, it carries a 3-cent increase in the school district tax rate — from $2.30 per $100 of assessed value to $2.33. The tax rate increase is due to a decline in the township’s ratable base, which has dropped by $122 million in the last two years. None of the tax rate increase is a result of increased school spending.
The 3-cent increase in the school district tax rate means the owner of a house assessed at the 2011 township average of $161,292 would pay $3,758 in school district property taxes. This is a $49 increase over the 2010 tax bill, based on a $2.30 tax rate.
School district officials attributed some of the budget savings to salary freezes and an increase in employees’ contributions toward their health benefits.
They also pointed to $354,000 in net revenue from the district’s solar energy initiative, which placed solar panels on the roofs of every school building in the district. The district sells solar renewable energy credits (SREC) that are generated by the solar panels.
Additional information on the school district’s proposed 2011-12 budget is available at www.ltps.org, under the “Budget Central” quick link.

