to vote in support of
$61M plan on April 15
Board members say budget
provides school necessities
Residents will be asked
to vote in support of
$61M plan on April 15
By jeanette M. eng
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — After an extensive process that included a nine-month audit of educational programs, a series of meetings to explain their budget to residents and careful scrutiny, Board of Education members interviewed by the News Transcript are in mutual support of the 2003-04 school year budget they will ask voters to approve on April 15.
The board’s $61.7 million budget for 2003-04 will be supported by a local tax levy of $47.5 million. The budget as introduced by the board will raise the K-8 school tax rate from $1.57 to $1.66 per $100 of assessed valuation, according to figures provided by the board.
That means the owner of a home assessed at $150,000 will pay $2,490 in K-8 school taxes in 2003-04, up from $2,355 in the current year. The owner of a home assessed at $250,000 will pay $4,150 in K-8 school taxes in 2003-04, up from $3,925 in the current year. The owner of a home assessed at $350,000 will pay $5,810 in K-8 school taxes in 2003-04, up from $5,495 in the current year.
The K-8 school taxes are one portion of the overall property tax paid by Marlboro property owners. The total tax bill also includes municipal government taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes and Monmouth County taxes, among others.
According to board President Dr. Terry Spilken, this year was the first time the administration has conducted a complete program audit of the district.
"I’m very confident to be able to present to the public the budget as the most cost-effective and efficient budget that will still meet the educational needs of the children of Marlboro," Spilken said.
A big piece of this year’s budget included the opening of the Marlboro Memorial Middle School on Nolan Road, which opened its doors on March 17.
This was a necessary step toward an effective education system, according to board member Martin Karasick, who recalled that prior to 2001 district administrators were unable to keep class sizes at the level they wanted to because there was "no place to put anyone."
"It impeded the delivery of education to the kids. The long-term impact of that result is a reduction in property values," Karasick said.
According to the board member, the recent opening of the district’s two new schools [the Marlboro Early Learning Center and the Marlboro Memorial Middle School] have resulted in a reduction in class size and an increase in costs.
"In my opinion, we have done an effective job in balancing both of those needs and have made an exhaustive attempt to identify any fat in the budget and get rid of it," Karasick said. "This is a very reliable, lean and efficient budget."
Although most board members were satisfied with the budget as presented to them by district administrators, board member Mark Orenzow had much to question. The board member was often concerned with the use of the fund balance, a budget savings which the board has maintained at about 3 percent of the total budget this year.
Law requires that school boards maintain a fund balance of about 3 to 6 percent of their total budget, according to the school district business administrator Cindy Barr-Rague.
"The use of fund balance to pay for operating expenses is still a concern for me. I was concerned that when you use it to pay for recurring expenses, you’ll have a problem next year," Orenzow explained. "But I asked them to define the one-time expenses [they were supporting with fund balance] and they came back with a list that was good, so I supported the budget."
A public hearing on the budget was scheduled to be held at the board’s March 25 meeting.
Residents will cast their votes on the budget on April 15. At the same time, residents will elect three people from a field of six candidates to fill three-year terms on the board.
If the budget is defeated by voters it will be sent to the Township Council for review. The council can recommend and/or negotiate cuts in the budget with the board or leave it as the school board proposed.
Board member Bari Sobel noted that when the proposed 2002-03 school year budget was defeated by voters, Superintendent of Schools David Abbott had to find items in the budget to cut. She said she hopes that residents realize how lean the 2003-04 budget already is.
"Any more cuts are going to start cutting into the education," Sobel said. "People have to realize that education is a necessity and have to support it in order to maintain a high quality of education."