By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Bottom line: Hillsborough’s school budget for 2013-14 will increase local property taxes by about $15 for each $100,000 of property value.
But all the details on what the money ultimately will buy will be tweaked by board members before Thursday, March 21, when the board holds a public hearing and must vote on a final budget.
That will be the end of the process this year since the school board has opted to cancel the annual yes-or-no referendum on the local tax levy.
The board tentatively adopted a $114.6 total budget Monday night that requires $82.9 million in local taxes from Hillsborough and Millstone property owners.
The increase in local taxes for the “average” Hillsborough home assessed at $368,700 will be about $53 a year, said Superintendent Jorden Schiff.
In Millstone, the “average” assessed home of $320,748 would see an increase of $117, he said.
The budget includes money to hire an additional teacher of Chinese at both the intermediate and high schools as well as two special education staffers, two technology employees, two technology trainers and clerical help in transportation, curriculum and athletic offices, Superintendent Schiff said.
There is no money for additional math teachers despite discussions in recent weeks about the need to boost math scores, particularly among high school students. A presentation Monday night showed math scores lagging at the middle school, too.
Board member Christopher Pulsifer’s motion to add $250,000 to the budget to pay for more staff was defeated, 6-2, with one abstention. The budget as presented then was approved, 8-0, with Mr. Pulsifer abstaining.
Leaving the budget about $425,000 under the state-allowable cap was “shortchanging the people we’re supposed to be serving,” Mr. Pulsifer said.
Mr. Gillette noted the tax increase was larger than last year’s, and the country still was suffering economically.
Board President Thomas Kinst directed the three board committees to meet and make a list of items they proposed to add to the budget with a corresponding list of items they subsequently would drop.
The budget wasn’t finalized until a six-hour Saturday session by the four members of the Operations Committee, two days after the district learned its $25.5 million in state aid would be increased only by about $13,000 next year.
That tiny increase in state aid doomed adding more math staffers to the budget, Mr. Gillette said.
Board members said they needed to develop a strategy to improve the math program. Ms. Haas said she doubted “the magic of hiring five math teachers.”
”Spending money as a psychological thing doesn’t solve the problem,” she said. “We need to figure out a way students’ needs will be met.”
Mr. Gillette said there were ways to reconfigure staff or provide help in math without adding five teachers. Likewise, he questioned adding a language teacher at the high school since more students weren’t going to be taking classes, but there was a redistribution of the existing numbers after adding Chinese.
The budget would deal with increasing health-care costs, pursue a facilities project at every school except the high school and fund the strategic plan to give computer tablets to another 10 percent of the student body, Dr. Schiff said.
Among the capital projects would be repaving the Woodfern School parking lot, improving outdoor lighting at Sunnymead School and dealing with roof water leaks at the intermediate school and the Woods Road School gym area.
Increased savings and revenue will come from a higher enrollment in the district Children at Play after-school program as well as a realignment of bus routes that could save $950,000, the board has said.

