Public hearing set for April 29
by James McEvoy, Managing Editor
ROBBINSVILLE — The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $368,000 could pay nearly $100 more in school taxes, not including debt service, school officials said during the introduction of the 2014-15 budget last week.
Superintendent Stephen Mayer, and other school officials, acknowledged the tax impact of the budget, which includes a proposed general fund of $38.5 million, may be reduced by monies generated by payment in lieu of taxes agreements, also known as PILOTs, such as the one that paved the way for the Amazon warehouse.
”We’re going to illustrate what we think the absolute impact is, and your tax bill is probably not going to reflect all of that,” said Board Vice President Matthew O’Grady. “It may be lessened when you get your actual bill.”
In addition to the nearly $100 increase, residents can expect to pay, on average, $36 for the second half of the referendum coming online.
There may be additional tax implications due to the township’s value, which school officials said had decreased by $60 million
The budget is set to increase 2.1 percent, which Dr. Mayer explained the district can do as the state permits certain expenditures outside the tax levycap – in this case, approximately $20,000 due to enrollment growth.
An additional $135,000 the district could have appropriated in the budget was banked after the presentation and could be used within the next three school budgets.
Last year, residents saw an average increase of $269 more in the school tax portion of their property tax bill as a result of the 2013-14 budget.
Proposed in this year’s budget is 3.5 new positions, of which include a content supervisor and two new teaching positions in the K-5 level to address class size concerns.
”In 2010 we lost 26 positions since then we may have hired 18 or so back, and this budget has a 3.5 additional one,” Dr. Mayer said, noting that an additional $59,000 the district expects to receive in state aid will go toward funding the salaries.
School officials noted that class sizes in the K-5 level are creeping up, while Carol Boyne, board president, cited studies that correlate class size with academic success.
Also included in the budget in the 2014-15 budget is $150,000, which along with $50,000 in the current budget, will be used for technology purchases. While noting the district is not pursuing a one-to-one program, school officials said the district does intend to appropriate monies for tablets or Chromebooks.
During the presentation, Dr. Mayer said the district is the lowest spender in the state among districts of similar size and is the third lowest spender in its peer group.
”That’s not something we’re necessarily proud of, it’s just our reality,” he said, though he added they are proud of the results achieved within the district despite having to “be creative with the resources that we have.”
According to Dr. Mayer, the district spends $14,706 per high school student. In their peer group, Monroe Township High School, the median, spends just over $18,000 per student while the top, Shore Regional High School, spends nearly $25,000.
A public hearing on the budget will be held April 29 at 7 p.m. at Robbinsville High School, 155 Robbinsville Edinburg Road.

