By Amber Cox
Voters approved school budgets in North Hanover Elementary District and Springfield Elementary District while all other area school district budgets were defeated on April 27.
>Chesterfield District
The elementary district’s total operating budget of $9.4 million was defeated by a 301-170 vote.
Had the budget passed residents would have had a tax rate of $1.105 per $100. Homeowners assessed at the average $396,500 would have paid $4,381.33 in taxes.
Incumbent Craig Thier and newcomer C. Samuel Davis were running unopposed for two three-year school board seats.
Mr. Thier won a seat with 264 vote, and Mr. Davis won the other with 238 votes.
Florence School District
The K-12 district’s total operating budget of $27.9 million was defeated by a 508-450 vote.
Had the budget passed residents would have had a tax rate of $1.356 per $100. Homeowners assessed at the average $321,420 would have paid $3,138.05 in taxes, an increase of $48.45.
Incumbents Shawn Dennis, John Groze and Davis Lease were running unopposed for three three-year school board seats and newcomer Anne Lipsett ran unopposed for the one unexpired term. Mr. Dennis won a seat with 561 votes, Mr. Groze with 605, Mr. Lease with 572 and Ms. Lipsett with 550.
Mansfield School District
Residents in the elementary district defeated the proposed total operating budget of $10.3 million by a vote of 858-548.
Had the budget passed residents would have had a tax rate of 70.7 cents per $100. Homeowners assessed at the average $339,100 would have paid $2,397.44 in taxes, an increase of $60.70.
Incumbents Curtis Wyers and Joe Broski ran unopposed for two three-year school board seats. Mr. Wyers won a seat with 757 votes and Mr. Broski won the other with 819 votes.
Residents also voted down the township referendum question to raise $90,000 to fund and sustain the Mansfield Township First Aid Squad by a vote of 761-391.
”We’re going to make some cuts somewhere along the line,” Mayor Arthur Puglia said. “We haven’t decided how we’re going to do it. We have to cut $45,000 for sure. Right now, the Chief Financial Officer is looking to see where we can do the cuts. The ambulances will continue to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
New Hanover District
The elementary and middle school district’s budget defeated by a vote of 56-55.
The proposed total operating budget of about $4.8 million carried with it a tax levy of about $1.62 million.
Incumbent Charles Roohr and newcomer William Castner ran unopposed for two three-year school board seats. Mr. Roohr won a seat with 91 votes and Mr. Castner won the other with 73.
North Hanover
(Elementary)
School District
Residents passed the proposed total operating budget of $23.3 million by a vote of 90-72.
Residents will have a tax rate of 49 cents per $100. Homeowners assessed at the average will pay $1,565 in taxes.
Incumbents Paulinea Johnson, incumbent Michael Crawford, newcomer Megan Giebel and newcomer Jeanine Foley were running for two three-year school board seats. Ms. Johnson won a seat with 185 votes and Ms. Giebel won the other with 139. Mr. Crawford lost with 128 votes and Ms. Foley lost with 124 votes.
Superintendent Richard Carson said he said it’s great that the budget has passed. The district has to maintain a certain tax levy in order to keep its eligibility for Impact Aid because the district has so much land that is tax-exempt federal property. Dr. Carson said the residents of the district support what it has to do in order to maintain the funding by Impact Aid.
Northern Burlington
Regional School District
Residents in the district defeated the proposed total operating budget of $32.9 million by a vote of 1,558-1,235.
In Chesterfield, residents would have had a tax rate of 54 cents per $100. Homeowners living in an average assessed home at $386,500 would have paid $2,141 in taxes.
In Mansfield, residents would have had a tax rate of 62 cents per $100. Homeowners living in an average assessed home oat $340,200 would have paid $2,109 in taxes, a decrease of $44 from last year.
In North Hanover, residents would have had a tax rate of 60 cents per $100. Homeowners living in an average assessed home at $319,400 would have paid $1,916 in taxes.
In Springfield, residents would have had a tax rate of 73 cents per $100 assessed. Homeowners living in an average assessed home at $321,400 would have paid $2,346 in taxes, an increase of $105.87 from last year.
One three-year school board seat was available in Mansfield and newcomer Debbie Pribell ran unopposed, winning with 852 votes. One three-year seat was available in North Hanover and newcomer Edmund Nowak ran unopposed, winning with 227 votes. One three-year seat was available in Springfield and incumbent Paul Tootell ran unopposed, winning with 355 votes.
Springfield Township
(Elementary)
School District
The elementary district’s total operating budget of $4.7 million passed by a vote of 285-203.
Residents will have a tax rate of 70 cents per $100. Homeowners assessed at the average $321,429 will pay $2,249.94, an increase of $31.
The voters also passed a special ballot question to fund $99,268 for a full-day kindergarten program. Residents will now be paying 73 cents per $100, $32,345.12 in taxes annually.
Incumbents Lisa Giovanelli, James Specca and David Reinisch ran unopposed for three three-year school board seats. Ms. Giovanelli won with 317 votes, Mr. Specca with 321 and Mr. Reinisch with 320.
Interim Superintendent Joseph Miller said it was very nice to be able to experience the budget passing on Wednesday night.
”It certainly makes life a lot easier when your budget passes, rather than fails,” he said. “We’re pleased we can continue pretty much status quo for next year.”
Mr. Miller also stated that he is glad the debt service is paid off and that the district was able to renew the budget at the full 2 percent and that it is now able to implement a full-day kindergarten program.
”I know some of the residents are excited to keep their children in town rather then sending them to a private or parochial school out of district,” he said. “It will allow us to cover a lot more ground with our kindergarten students so they will hopefully be more advanced when they enter first grade and excel throughout the rest of their school career.”
