By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The Freehold Township K-8 School District Board of Education has adopted a budget that will fund the operation of the school district during the 2016-17 school year.
Following discussion among district administrators and board members, a $76.8 million budget was adopted at a recent meeting. The budget will be supported by a tax levy of $66.6 million to be paid by Freehold Township’s residential and commercial property owners, plus $4.29 million in state aid and $2.3 million from the district’s surplus funds (savings), according to information provided by the district.
The school district’s 2015-16 budget totaled $77.8 million and was supported by a tax levy of $65.59 million. The average home in the township was assessed at $375,365, the school tax rate was $1.11 per $100 of assessed valuation and the owner of that home paid $4,165 in K-8 school taxes.
The school tax rate for 2016-17 will decrease to $1.10 per $100 of assessed valuation, but the average home in the township is now assessed at $380,000 and the owner of that home will pay $4,180 in school taxes over the next 12 months, according to district administrators.
School taxes are one component of a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Freehold Township municipal taxes, a fire district tax and other assessments. Individuals pay more or less in taxes depending on the assessed value of their home and/or property.
District administrators said the budget will feature a new program for the 2016-17 school year that provides Chromebook laptop computers to second grade pupils. Chromebook computers are currently provided to pupils in grades three through eight.
“This is a tight budget,” Business Administrator Robert DeVita said. “It does not have a lot of bells and whistles.”
Prior to the board’s vote, resident Leonard Nachbar objected to the purchase of Chromebook laptop computers for every pupil in the second grade. Nachbar asked why the pupils could not share the computers to reduce costs.
Superintendent of Schools Ross E. Kasun said the computers serve as a replacement for textbooks, which the district no longer has.
“You would not share textbooks,” Kasun said.
Resident Delores Malysa asked how the budget impacted administrators’ merit bonuses and suggested they be cut back.
According to DeVita, there is no increase in merit bonuses for the year.
Board President Christopher Marion, Vice President Jason Levy and board members Michael Amoroso, Kay Poklemba-Holtz, Edward Hudak, Michelle Lambert and Staci Triandafellos voted to adopt the budget.
Board members Daniel DiBlasio and Jennifer Patten voted no on the motion to adopt the budget.
“I voted no because I believe there were not enough responsible cuts made to the budget,” DiBlasio said. “If you compare (the 2015-16) budget to (the 2016-17) budget, we could have done more to align our budget to meet district goals as it relates to supporting directly our children’s educational achievements.”
“I voted no to the budget because it is not a realistic statement of priorities,” Patten said. “It is nice to be unanimous, but that is not a true representation of all stakeholders at this time. With so much being put on districts, even a thorough budget process such as ours is not enough to ensure all needs are met. I am hoping the strategic plan helps align those priorities. I encourage all parents to participate if they can and I hope we can continue to provide the best for the children of Freehold Township.”