The preliminary budget includes a $92 school tax for the average assessed home valued at $450,470.
Moorestown residents could see a tax increase under the 2018–2019 budget proposed at last Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting.The preliminary budget includes a $92 school tax increase for the average assessed home valued at $450,470.
The Board of Education unanimously passed the 2018–2019 preliminary budget for submission to the executive county superintendent of schools for approval. The total budget is $72,016,232, with approximately $62,936,029 to be raised through taxation.
Business Administrator and Board Secretary Joanne D’Angelo said a 2 percent tax levy will result in an additional $1,234,040 in revenue for the district. D’Angelo said the district was happy to learn it was receiving a 9.4 percent increase in state aid this year, resulting in approximately $300,000 in additional funding.
“We were very fortunate to receive that increase in state aid,” D’Angelo said.
Prior to the release of state aid, the district was looking at a deficit of almost $900,000. To contend with that deficit, some of the district’s anticipated revenue streams included a pay-to-participate student activity fee and student parking fees, while cuts included all capital budget requests, all staffing requests and a reduction to buildings and grounds work.
D’Angelo said the administrative recommendation for the use of the state aid includes reversing the student pay-to-participate activity fee, reversing the student parking fee and making an approximately $100,000 capital reserve deposit. The district will also be adding a part-time school nurse and part-time psychologist and allocate additional funding toward the district’s ongoing data analysis.
Salaries and benefits account for 80 percent of the district’s budget.
In terms of facilities and transportation, the district will replace a truck with plow. At George C. Baker Elementary School, an LED light replacement program that was piloted last year will be completed. The budget also includes funding for a storage container for Moorestown High School athletic equipment, and safety alert lights are also included in this year’s budget to provide flashing lights in noisy spaces throughout the district. Two 54-passenger buses will also be replaced in the coming year.
Regarding technology, the district will see a 25 percent reduction in internet costs with a new internet service provider, according to Director of Instructional Technology Jeffrey Arey. Additional technological plans for the 2018–2019 school year include an expansion of in-class laptops for fifth graders and replacement of outdated staff laptops for instructors in grades seven through 12.
During her presentation, D’Angelo said the district’s priorities when creating this year’s budget were to support district goals, sustain rigorous academic programs, maintain co-curricular and athletic programs, continue revenue-generation initiatives and maintain facilities.
Board member Dimitri Schneiberg suggested the board and administration hold another budget workshop during April to facilitate further discussions regarding the allocation of funds.
Superintendent Scott McCartney said he was happy to meet with the board again but asked board members come prepared with suggestions about where they should cut. He said to have funds available for any new program, they inevitably have to cut funding from somewhere else.
“Even better than what you want is what you don’t want, because that’s where the real struggle comes in,” McCartney said.
The next meeting of the Moorestown Board of Education will take place on Tuesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. at William Allen Middle School.
