ROBBINSVILLE: School budget to require tax increase

By Charley Falkenburg, Packet Media Group
   ROBBINSVILLE — The Board of Education approved a tentative $37.86 million operating school budget on Tuesday that would require property owners to pay an extra $272 in school taxes.
   If adopted, taxpayers would see a 3-cent tax hike for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. As a result, an owner of a home assessed at $381,000 would pay about $5,966 in school taxes. The proposed budget also calls for a $32.8 million tax levy, an increase of 2 percent from last year.
   Superintendent Stephen Mayer said the increase is due to rebates that are part of the Energy Savings Improvement Plan, which was adopted to repair infrastructure at Pond Road Middle School and Sharon Elementary without using tax dollars. However for the board, it was a necessary move.
   ”We’re up to a place where we can repair facilities and not live in fear that something is going to break,” Mr. Mayer said on Feb. 25. “These are the decisions we are making to keep the district in solid shape.”
   Other reasons for the spike include the recently passed $18.9 million referendum and binding increases such as utilities, healthcare, union contracts and transportation. In response to the increase, Mr. Mayer said $300,000 would be put toward debt service. That figure includes the 7-percent increase in the district’s state aid, which brought it up to $2.3 million this year.
   The budget includes funding to update technology resources, one-time expenses to address security measures and room for an additional five and a half full-time teachers and aides. The additional positions marked a small victory for the district, which has been trying to bolster its staffing in recent years.
   ”We’ve been slow with our staffing initiative, but with a capped budget, it’s difficult,” said Mr. Mayer. “This is a strong picture of our current reality and our vision for the future.”
   The public hearing for the final adoption of the budget is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. March 26. The hearing will be held in the Student Activities Center at the Robbinsville High School.