MILLSTONE: Tax relief, iPads proposed in new school budget

Average assessed home would see school taxes drop $247

By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
   MILLSTONE — The school board has approved a tentative $36.6 million total budget that calls for no increase in the tax rate, which, coupled with new lower property values, means a $247 drop in school taxes for the average assessed home.
   The 2012-13 school budget sets a $26,371,784 general fund tax levy — the amount of taxes that need to be collected to run the district. The general fund tax levy, which is the part of the budget subject to the 2 percent cap law, remains the same as in the current year budget.
   Since the average assessed value of a Millstone home has dropped from $511,000 in 2011 to $450,000 in 2012, maintaining a flat tax rate means the average school tax bill will decline $256, Schools Superintendent Scott Feder told the school board in a Feb. 28 PowerPoint presentation.
   This savings is slightly offset by a $23,444 rise in the debt service tax levy (set at $3,383,308 for 2012-13), which reduces the overall school tax savings from $256 to $247 for the same average assessed home.
   The preliminary budget was approved unanimously at the March 5 Board of Education meeting and now goes to the Monmouth County executive schools superintendent for review. The board will hold a public hearing and vote on adoption at 7 p.m. March 26 in the Millstone Middle School media center.
   In addition to tax relief, the budget also provides money for four new staff positions and significant technology upgrades, including $200,000 to purchase 300 iPads for the district. These new iPads will be supplemented by donations from the Millstone Foundation for Educational Excellence so there are enough units to provide five iPads for every classroom next September, Mr. Feder said.
   ”This budget represents a rare opportunity in education where we can do some amazing things,” Mr. Feder told the Board of Education.
   The $200,000 for technology includes the cost of the iPads, a comprehensive $100-per-machine insurance policy that covers everything from theft to accidental breakage and extensive teacher training courses on iPads and software applications (“apps”) that will be offered over the summer.
   ”If you have five of these in a room, all wireless connections, and teachers who are well trained in their use, you can do pretty impressive classroom work,” Mr. Feder said, according to videotape of the Feb. 28 public meeting.
   The budget also provides $350,000 for new hires, including a language arts staff developer, a gifted-and-talented program teacher, an accountant for the central office and either a supervisor or assistant principal who has expertise in the Readers and Writers Workshop literacy program, Mr. Feder said.
   Funds are also in the budget to implement new state-mandated initiatives, including a teacher evaluation program and the technology upgrades to support PARCC testing — a new type of state student assessment coming in October.
   In addition, the budget calls for the suspension of all 2012-13 student activity fees, which will save more than $500 a year for some families who have children participating in numerous school clubs and sports teams, Mr. Feder said.
   The money to fund new initiatives and provide tax relief comes from a number of sources, including a 6.7 percent boost in state aid and a $544,000 tuition refund from the Upper Freehold Regional School District, Mr. Feder said.
   Budget-driven program cuts at Allentown High School have lowered per pupil spending costs at AHS, which has directly impacted the tuition calculation for Millstone students who attend Allentown High School.
   ”This year, we’re getting $544,000 returned,” Mr. Feder said.
   That $544,000 provides the district with a way to pay for the ambitious technology upgrades, offer tax relief and still maintain a flat general fund tax levy.
   The four new staff positions are “sustainable” because funds are coming from the reallocation of money already in the operating budget, Mr. Feder said.
   ”It’s nice when you get a little lump sum, but staffing is not the way to spend that money if you cannot sustain it year to year,” Mr. Feder said, referring to the Upper Freehold tuition reimbursement. “Anything we are proposing staffing-related, we are very confident we can sustain for many years out.”
   Millstone voters will not cast ballots on the school budget this year because a new state law now allows school boards to have the final say on any general fund tax levy that’s within the 2 percent cap, provided the election for school board seats is moved to November.
   The three Board of Education members whose terms were due to expire next month — Kevin McGovern, Amy Jacobson and Patrick Whalen — will serve until the end of the year. The election for their three seats, all for three-year terms, will be held Nov. 6 instead of April 17.
   Anyone interested in running for a Millstone school board seat must submit signed nominating petitions to the county clerk in Freehold by June 5.