MARLBORO – Five members of the nine-person Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education have voted to introduce a $94.57 million budget to support the operation of the school district during the 2022-23 school year.
The budget was introduced with a 5-3 vote during a meeting on March 22. Board President Randy Heller, Vice President Tricia Branch, Jessica Piernik, Susan Shrem and Jill Strafaci voted “yes” on a motion to introduce the budget.
Board members Aldo Patruno, Kathleen Amster and Christina Russotto voted “no” on the motion to introduce the budget.
Board member Jennifer Silacci was absent from the meeting.
The tentative budget will now be submitted to the executive county superintendent of schools for approval. The executive county superintendent of schools is an arm of the New Jersey Department of Education.
A public hearing on the 2022-23 budget has been scheduled for 7 p.m. April 26 at the Marlboro Memorial Middle School. Board members may adopt the budget following the public hearing.
According to information provided by the board, the $94.57 million budget will be supported through the collection of $80.14 million in taxes from Marlboro’s residential and commercial property owners.
Marlboro will see its state aid decrease from $8.62 million during the 2021-22 school year to $7.71 million during the 2022-23 school year, according to information provided by the New Jersey Department of Education.
The board’s March 22 agenda which contained the total appropriations and the tax levy for the upcoming school year did not provide information as to how the proposed budget will impact local property taxes.
The school district’s 2021-22 budget totals $93.38 million and is being supported through the collection of $79.2 million in taxes from Marlboro’s residential and commercial property owners.
For 2021-22, Marlboro’s K-8 school tax rate was projected to be $1.088 per $100 of assessed valuation. The average home in the township was assessed at $494,783. The owner of that home paid about $5,382 in K-8 school taxes (1.088 x 4,947).
In addition to K-8 school taxes, property owners also pay Marlboro municipal taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes and Monmouth County taxes.
The total amount an individual pays in taxes is determined by the assessed value of his home and/or property, and the tax rate that is set by each taxing entity.
The Marlboro school district consists of the Asher Holmes Elementary School, the Robertsville Elementary School, the Marlboro Elementary School, the Frank J. Dugan Elementary School, the Defino Central Elementary School, the David C. Abbott Early Learning Center, the Marlboro Middle School and the Marlboro Memorial Middle School. The schools have a total enrollment of about 4,500 students.