FREEHOLD – Administrators in the Freehold Borough K-8 School District have placed additional state aid the district received for 2017-18 in the general fund, with the increases directed toward employees.
On Aug. 7, Board of Education members passed a resolution to increase the district’s general fund by $655,792.
The $655,792 appropriation was part of a $955,792 increase in state aid the district received over the amount that had initially been allocated during the 2018 state budget process.
The $655,792 appropriation increased the 2017-18 general fund from $16.14 million to $16.8 million. Individual increases made through the additional state aid include:
- $4.58 million to $4.64 million in health benefits, a $57,680 increase
- $2.74 million to $2.86 million in grades 1-5 salaries, a $119,450 increase
- $1.47 million to $1.5 million in grades 6-8 salaries, a $31,905 increase
- $1.1 million to $1.2 million in teacher resource room salaries, an $84,384 increase
- $733,852 to $750,184 in teachers bilingual instruction salaries, a $16,332 increase
- $523,096 to $534,722 in kindergarten salaries, an $11,626 increase
- $436,938 to $442,385 in custodial salaries, a $5,447 increase
- $384,341 to $392,673 in speech, physical therapy and related services salaries, an $8,332 increase
- $301,940 to $351,940 in instruction supplies, a $50,000 increase
- $285,000 to $315,000 in Social Security contributions, a $30,000 increase
- $266,445 to $272,215 in school secretary and clerical assistants salaries, a $5,770 increase
- $260,330 to $266,142 in other salaries for multiple disabilities, a $5,812 increase
- $251,163 to $259,810 in teachers multiple disabilities salaries, an $8,647 increase
- $241,990 to $247,408 in other salaries for resource room, a $5,418 increase
- $238,261 to $288,261 in purchased professional services instruction, a $50,000 increase
- $238,261 to $243,622 in other salaries for instruction, a $5,361 increase
- $213,765 to $218,091 in health services salaries, a $4,326 increase
- $120,000 to teachers basic skills salaries, which previously did not have an appropriation in the general fund.
The remaining $300,000 of the $955,792 in additional state aid was previously designated by the board as tax levy relief for borough property owners.
The 2017-18 school budget that was adopted by the board in April totaled $25.8 million and included $9.74 million in state aid and a tax levy of $11.54 million to be paid by Freehold Borough’s residential and commercial property owners.
The unanticipated $955,792 increase in state aid raised the district’s total state aid for 2017-18 to $10.7 million and the $300,000 the board appropriated for tax relief decreased the 2017-18 tax levy to $11.24 million.