by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
ROBBINSVILLE — Residents owning a home assessed at the township average of $381,000 will pay $269 more in the school tax portion of their property tax bill as a result of the 2013-14 budget.
With the tax increase, the average school tax bill amounts to $5,963.
The $37.97 million budget, approved unanimously at the March 26 Township Board of Education meeting, budgets up to the 2 percent tax cap levy and represents a 2.6-cent increase per $100 of assessed value for the general fund budget.
Superintendent Dr. Steve Mayer and Business Administrator Robert DeVita presented the budget and discussed its educational and fiscal implications at the meeting.
Dr. Mayer said the district, which spends the least per pupil in its peer group, has to be especially cognizant of how it is spending taxpayer money.
”When you have limited resources you have to make decisions all the time about where to allocate those resources,” he said. “This budget takes some very strategic steps forward in terms of support for content, support to students and really how we can move forward as a school district.”
Among the 2013-14 budget priorities, he said, are increasing district standing in its peer group specifically with regards to the advanced proficient level.
Other priorities include supporting program growth and district infrastructure and technology.
The tax increases are also due to the debt service funding as a result of the 2012 $18.9 million facility referendum approved by voters in December to add classrooms to Sharon Elementary and Pond Road Middle schools and to expand the two schools’ cafeterias in addition to other building upgrades.
Another significant new expenditure is the hiring of five full-time positions including a math supervisor, financial officer and two special education support staff.
Dr. Mayer said the inclusion of new staff is part of the district’s strategic process of bringing staff back from the nearly 30 positions cut in the 2010-11 budget.
”Over the last three years we’ve been able to restore a portion of the 26 (positions cut) but it will take us probably 10 years to even get to the staff level that we were at in ‘10-’11,” he said.
Mr. DeVita explained that while the district received an additional $154,758 in state aid, the net increase is actually only $109,538 due to an additional assessment of $45,220 for the each school district that received debt service aid or grants in previous school budgets.
”They know exactly how much is attributable and they’re saying you pay us 15 percent of that,” Mr. DeVita said.
Board Vice President Carol Boyne opined the assessments amounted to the state essentially reneging on previous commitments.
”So just to be clear, back when we passed referendums and the state committed funds to us, they’re sort of reneging on the commitment and taxing us for the funds they committed,” Ms. Boyne said.
Mr. DeVita said even if the state did not charge the assessment itself, they simply would have reduced the district’s state aid by the same amount — ensuring either way the district received the same net amount of aid.
District officials also pointed to the 2013-14 budget’s use of nearly $300,000 to reduce the debt service tax levy, providing some relief to taxpayers.
During the public comment session Robbinsville High School freshman Tanis Dorwart and her mother, Cheri, both asked about technology expenditures in the budget due to concerns regarding the amount of computers available to students without smart phones.
”It’s just been a struggle for some of us,” Tanis said, noting many students who need to do research on the internet who don’t own smart phones form a lengthy line behind the few computers available.
Dr. Mayer said the district intends to continue to address technology in the future, pointing to efforts in the previous year’s budget to upgrade servers to enable older computers to function as quickly and efficiently as their newer counterparts.
