Allentown and Upper Freehold voters turned down the proposed school budget and supporting tax levy in the April 27 election.
Upper Freehold Regional School District’s budget question failed in a vote of 619-460. This means that the Allentown Borough Council and Upper Freehold Township Committee will review the spending plan and determine whether or not to reduce the supporting 2 percent tax levy increase.
The school district proposed a $33 million budget for the 2011-12 school year. The spending plan relies on collecting $18.5 million in taxes from Allentown and Upper Freehold. If voters had approved the 2 percent tax levy increase, the average Allentown tax bill would have increased $76 and the average Upper Freehold tax bill would have increased $118. The tax rate in both towns will automatically increase 3 cents per $100 of assessed value to pay down debt for previously approved school construction projects. The debt service will increase the average Allentown tax bill $88 and the average Upper Freehold tax bill $137.
The district made multiple spending cuts when preparing the budget — reducing staff, teaching hours, maintenance costs, textbook purchases and a technology lease. The district also plans to outsource transportation services and sell its bus fleet to save over $485,000.
The proposed budget also contained new revenue sources, such as a new fee for credit completion and increased fees for the kindergarten complement program, subscription busing and combined special education classes. The district also intends to sell its original school in Imlaystown, which it no longer uses, to generate $200,000.
Other revenue sources for next year’s budget include $550,000 that the district anticipates having leftover from this year’s budget, state aid in the amount of $4 million, and federal aid in the amount of $176,933.
The proposed budget totals $636,317 more than the 2010-11 budget and would increase the tax rate by 2.6 cents per $100 of assessed value in both Allentown and Upper Freehold. The budget does not provide for any new programming in the district.
If municipal officials decide to reduce the supporting tax levy by 1 percent, the district would have to cut $180,839 from the budget. If the towns decide to eliminate the tax increase, the district would have to cut $361,678 from the budget. To make any additional cuts, the district may have to look at spending on sports, extracurricular activities, libraries and music programs, according to Fitzpatrick.
This is the second year in a row that voters have turned down the school district’s proposed budget at the polls.