The Moorestown Board of Education passed the 2015–2016 budget with an eight-to-one vote on Tuesday, April 29. With this budget, the average Moorestown homeowner, with a home assessed at $446,500, will pay an additional $237.38 per year in school taxes.
“I thank the board, the community and staff for supporting all of these wonderful programs we provide our children,” Superintendent Timothy Rehm said.
The budget was projected at $65.4 million in expenditures and $64.3 million in revenue. The board said the projected $1.1 million deficit would be made up by using a Spending Growth Limitations Adjustment of $683,601 for health-care costs as well as the use of $390,442 in banked cap from the 2012–2013 budget.
The SGLA is a spending adjustment cap that allows the district to go beyond the 2 percent cap without a need for a referendum. Moorestown didn’t qualify for this in previous years, but does this year.
The tax levy breakdown is $58.5 million for the general fund and $4.8 million for the debt service fund, making the total tax levy $63.3 million.
State aid was $3.7 million, which mostly remained flat, except for the extraordinary aid, which is anticipated to go up $200,000. For the debt service fund, state aid was $463,735, which was down $864 from last year. Board members asked members of the public at the first reading to write to the Legislature and let it know that Moorestown deserves more aid for upcoming years.
The district’s health benefits plan with Aetna was estimated to increase by 22 percent to 27 percent. The board said it has been in talks with the South Jersey Health Insurance Fund to try to save money. The fund has a maximum increase of 15 percent, so switching the district’s health insurance provider would help it save $1 million. According to business administrator/board secretary Lynn Shugars, the predicted increase is 13.7 percent, which would save even more money for the district. Salaries and benefits account for $52.5 million, or roughly 80 percent, of the total budget.
The budget was reduced by $100,000 with the activities fee removed; the budget was reduced in salaries due to two retirements, totaling $61,000; and the maintenance budget was reduced by $39,000.
Additions to the 2015–2016 school budget include resources to provide support for special needs students with either one-to-one or related service support; a full-time basic skills position to address the need for reading and math support at the elementary level; and resources to support the three-year technology plan developed to create a one-to-one environment for grades seven through nine.
Cuts include an operational-mechanic/attendance officer, physical education teacher at the middle school/high school and a world language teacher at the middle school, along with the retirements.
Rehm said the district’s main goals for the 2015–2016 year are to maintain a curriculum for all grades that supports excellence in academic achievement, to continue to provide technology resources to meet how society is today, and to be sure the district is remaining efficient in all areas of the budget.
Members of the board voted in favor of the budget, except for board member Brandon J. Pugh. Pugh felt the one-to-one technology plan for grades seven through nine wasn’t efficient in saving money, but in fact a two-year plan for grades eight and nine would be better and more of a cost savings. According to Pugh, the current plan calls for $950,000 while his option purposes $590,000.
“To me, I think we get the same outcome, see additional savings this year and avoid having a full-time salary on the books for future years makes sense for me. So it would spread the cost out more evenly, and we would get the same outcome. That is my position on the technology. I think it has a very valuable position in the classroom, but to get the same outcome, taking into account the financial, to me, benefits, that is where I would be more comfortable,” Pugh said.
