By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Tonight members of the Haddonfield Board of Education could pass a preliminary budget that will increase school taxes by about $133 for the average homeowner in Haddonfield. A special meeting will be held at the Haddonfield Memorial High School library at 7:30 p.m. for members of the BOE to pass a preliminary 2011–2012 budget.
Discussed last Thursday, the BOE agreed on a 1.64 percent increase to the school tax levy for next year, effectively raising the local school property tax rate by 1.94 percent. For a homeowner with an average assessed home valued at $491,359, it would mean $133 in the school tax bill.
Because ratables in the borough are down more than $7 million, the BOE has to raise the tax levy by .2 percent to keep the levy at the same rate as 2010–2011. The district will collect about $30.2 million in taxes this year.
Last week the board voted to raise the tax levy by 1.64 percent, reduced education assistants by $29,000, and spend its additional state aid on capital improvement projects and a new wireless network for the high school. BOE Member Glenn Moramarco supported the tax levy increase, but suggested the state funding be used to hire a new teacher for the elementary school level.
Class sizes are going to be higher for next year, he said, so it would be prudent to take some of the burden off of the schools.
His idea was voted down, along with another option to keep the educational assistants in the budget.
The BOE will likely take public comment on the budget tonight as well. The public hearing will be held on Thursday, March 24.
