By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
Three of the area’s eight school districts received a surprising, if small, increase in state aid for the next academic year, according to the state Department of Education.
The Bordentown Regional, Chesterfield, and Florence school districts all received a 5 percent increase over the current year’s aid, while other area districts’ state funding will remain flat.
“We were very surprised,” said Bordentown Regional School District Business Administrator Peggy Ianoale. “We had no idea.”
Ms. Ianoale said the districts that saw an increase in state aid received it because their budgets call for spending less than their adequacy budgets, which are calculated by the state and are meant to determine how much a district needs to spend to provide a proper education to its students.
“I think what (our increase) is saying is we’re a district that needs more state aid,” she said.
In the 2009-2010 year, Bordentown Regional, which covers the city, township, and Fieldsboro, will receive $8,336,415 in state aid, an increase of $396,972.
That money will allow “a little bit of breathing room” in the budget, Ms. Ianoale said, but will not affect the tax rate because the tax levy increase will reach the state-mandated cap of 4 percent.
The district will introduce its budget April 1.
Chesterfield School District, which includes the elementary school, will see an increase of $18,107 next year, bringing its state aid number up to $380,242.
Business Administrator Louise Zoilkowski said the increase was unexpected, and will go toward tax relief for residents.
“Every little bit does help,” she said.
Due to its growing enrollment, Chesterfield also has the option to raise taxes above the 4 percent cap. But, Ms. Zoilkowski said, the district will not take that option.
Chesterfield will hold a public hearing on its budget March 31.
In Florence, the district will receive $9,733,933, an increase of $463,521.
“In light of what’s coming out of Trenton as far as the ambivalence and the information that was delayed, we don’t usually expect to receive any additional funds,” said Superintendent Louis Talarico. “I was working on the worst-case scenario and working backwards from that.”
Northern Burlington County Regional School District was among the many that will not see any change in its $12 million in state aid for next year.
“They’ve certainly conditioned the school systems and everyone else in the state to be very pleased we didn’t get a decrease,” said Superintendent James Sarruda.
He said the district has moved its focus off state aid and onto other forms of revenue.
The district plans to put a referendum on the ballot asking voters to approve a project that would replace sections of roof in the high school, add solar panels, and replace a heating unit and an antiquated fire alarm.
The cost of the $3.8-million project is offset by $4.1 million in financial incentives, according to Business Administrator Richard Kaz. That includes state grants and debt service aid, a solar energy rebate, and the power generated by the panels.
Over the 15-year life of the debt, Mr. Kaz said the panels would allow the district to save about $450,000 on energy costs and sell additional power for about $1.4 million.
Dr. Sarruda said that package is necessary for the district.
“What I’m hoping for, more than I was hoping for the state aid numbers—what’s critical to Northern Burlington’s survival—is this (outside funding) we’ve been awarded,” Dr. Sarruda said.
That money, he said, is so important because the proposed budget, which will be under the 4 percent cap, does not include items like roof repair, new equipment, or fire alarm replacement.
“We can’t turn away grant dollars,” he said, encouraging voters to approve the referendums. “That’d be more damaging than the state aid numbers. As a school system I can no longer function with what the state gives us.”
