School officials pointed to the growing enrollment as the reason for the proposed 9-cent increase in the property tax rate. The budget will be placed before voters April 17.
By: Amanda Bok
Increased enrollment could result in a 5.4 percent hike in the school tax rate for the 2001-2002 school year.
The district unveiled its $89.7 million preliminary budget Monday night that calls for 72.6 new positions, increased debt payments and higher special education, building maintenance and transportation costs.
The budget is 9.3 percent larger than the $82 million set aside for the current school-year budget and would set the school tax rate at $1.75 per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of 9 cents.
At the proposed rate, the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $181,600 would pay about $3,178 in school taxes for the coming year, or about $163 more than last year.
A public hearing will be held March 26. The budget will be sent to voters April 17.
The school board is proposing adding 32.5 teaching positions and a $2.7 million increase for instructional salaries to cover an anticipated 5 percent to 5.7 percent increase in the number of students attending the township’s 10 schools.
The district also is anticipating a $1.2 million increase in debt payments.
Those two areas account for more than half the total increase.
"We think this budget meets the need of the increased enrollment and the program improvement that is necessary," said Jeff Scott, assistant superintendent of business.
Mr. Scott also said the sudden increase in the school tax is not high when dispersed over the last three years, during which it remained stable.
"In 1998 we were at $1.66 per $100 of assessed value. Now we are at $1.75. That’s an average increase of about 3 cents per year."
Board members estimate enrollment will increase by about 373 to 427 students for the 2001-2002 school year, enough students to fill Greenbrook School, Mr. Scott said. This means a 34.6 percent increase in general supplies, from about $918,000 to $1.2 million.
Total instructional salaries will increase 12 percent, from $21.9 million to $24.6 million. Much of the increase will be used to cover new teaching positions.
The estimated average salary increase for each current teacher is about $2,500.
Total salaries for preschool and kindergarten teachers will increase 10.6 percent from $1.7 million to $1.9 million. Total salaries for elementary school teachers will increase 11.8 percent from $7.9 million to $8.9 million. These include the salaries for four new full-time teachers for kindergarten through fifth grade.
Total salaries for middle school teachers will increase 15.2 percent from $5.4 million to $6.3 million. This includes salaries for the equivalent of 12.2 full-time teachers.
The proposed budget also allocates $250,000 to help the district make the transition to new elementary school sending zones and districtwide grade configurations. The district will redraw elementary and middle school sending zones for fall 2002, when the new elementary school, to be located on the corner of Deans Rhode Hall Road and Route 130, is slated to open.
Then all elementary schools will change from a kindergarten through fourth-grade configuration to a kindergarten through fifth-grade setup. Sixth-graders will join seventh- and eighth-graders at the middle-school level and the Upper Elementary will become a second middle school.
The $250,000 will go mostly to current staff preparing the reorganization and transition. This includes money for after-school and summer planning.
Total salaries for high school teachers will increase 11.6 percent from $6.8 million to $7.6 million. This includes hiring 11.7 new teaching positions.
To accommodate a projected increase of about 144 high school students, more money is being slated for the school’s extra-curricular activities which will increase 21.6 percent, from about $363,000 to about $442,000. The cost of athletics will increase 5.7 percent from about $624,000 to about $660,000.
The district’s total debt service will increase 14.6 percent from about $8 million to about $9.3 million, because the district has begun to repay the $46.9 million borrowed for the construction of the new school and renovation of the Upper Elementary School and high school.
In addition to the new elementary school, the district is building an addition to Upper Elementary, scheduled to open this fall, and an addition to the high school, slated for completion in fall 2003.
Special education costs will increase 13 percent from about $4.2 million to about $4.8 million. This includes 5.2 new staff positions and an 8 percent increase in instructional salaries from about $3.5 million to about $3.8 million. Supplies will increase by 72 percent from about $61,000 to about $105,000.
Transportation costs will increase by 14.1 percent from about $4.4 million to about $5 million. This includes a 3 percent increase in total transportation salaries, from $1.3 million to $1.7 million.
The cost of providing heat, electricity and natural gas will increase by 37.2 percent from $1.8 million to $2.5 million. Board members estimate an 8.9 percent increase in the price of electricity and a 69 percent increase in the price of natural gas. In June, the district’s two-year natural gas contract which fixed natural gas rates will expire.