The Evesham Township School District Board of Education passed the 2014–2015 budget at its May 6 public hearing.
This year’s budget reached $75.92 million in total appropriations.
Ratables in the township decreased for 2014, with the average Evesham home now assessed at $270,200.
The general fund tax levy will increase 1.25 percent or 2.72 cents. The average annual school district tax bill will increase annual by $73.38 for a total K-8 school tax bill of $2,939.54.
ETSD uses a split-year method to calculate tax rate. As the district’s fiscal years spans July 1 — June 30, and taxes are billed on a regular calendar year, a 2014 tax bill will contain half the school tax levy from the 2013–14 budget and half the school tax levy from 2014–15 budget.
The state has a 2 percent cap on school district tax increases from one year to the next, with an extra .11 percent increase allowed for health care cost adjustments.
At the previous presentation of the budget in February, the district was projected to use the full 2.11 percent potential tax increase.
Since then, the budget was adjusted down by $447,697 due to cost reductions from reduced staff and salary from retirements and resignations, reduced staffing for half-day kindergarten and reduced contributions to the public employees’ retirement system.
In 2013–2014, the district had 4,594 students enrolled, and for 2014–2015 the district is projecting 4,533.
Superintendent John Scavelli gave a presentation during the hearing in which he outlined the process and goals in creating the budget for the coming year.
“One of the things that we do here is we do go around and we meet with all of the building staff,” Scavelli said. “It’s not mandatory, but whoever is interested, we go out to the buildings and we meet and ask questions and try to outlay some of the things we’re looking to do in the future, ask questions of the staff…and we do get a lot of good feedback.”
Scavelli also noted the board is consistently keeping the community updated on the budget process by outlining their progress with meetings in January or early February.
“We typically do things that most school districts don’t do,” Scavelli said. “Most school districts don’t lay out to you a potential tax levy at that point in time, but we feel confident in what we’re doing and we don’t really mind laying out those numbers at that point in time so you know where we stand and you know where we stand all along in the process.”
The board adopted the budget by a 7–2 vote, with board members Nichole Stone, Joanne Harmon, Lisa Mansfield, Joseph Fisicaro, Trish Everhart, Joseph M. De Julius and Dave Silver voting yes, and board members Sandy Student and Kevin Stone voting no.
Mansfield thanked the board for working together and having ample time throughout the previous months to fully understand the budget.
“I also want to think our president and vice president,” Mansfield said. “This year, you see us sitting up here and no one’s really saying anything, but that was because we had some time which was very helpful to us as a board. There was a lot of opportunity to ask questions and vet things out behind the scenes.”
Student said he voted against the budget because of his belief the district had too many staff positions despite years of declining enrollment.
“We are down over 800 children from our peak year, and if you look at our staffing, our staffing has increased,” Student said. “To me, if I look at the township budget, which is essentially flat, and the county budget that’s flat, I look at neighboring districts which are pretty flat, it seems counter intuitive that with less children that we have the same amount of staff. We have to make some tough decisions.”
