School taxes decrease by 5.07 percent; students protest teacher resignation.
The Shamong Township School District adopted the 2018–19 budget at last week’s meeting, and overall, the district will see a decrease of 5.07 percent in school taxes.
The total tax levy for the 2017–18 budget was $10,018,910, and the 2018–19 total tax levy is $9,511,338, resulting in a decrease of $507,572.
However, much of that decrease is a result of a large drop off in the district’s debt service obligation.
Debt service in the 2018–19 budget saw a large decrease from the previous year’s budget, dropping from $829,658 to $138,301.
However, for this year’s general fund tax levy that the district can control, the amount of taxes to be raised by the district’s general fund rose by 2 percent from $9,189,252 to $9,373,037.
When the drop in debt service is balanced against the increase in the general fund tax levy, residents with an average assessed home valued at $308,169 would see an annual school tax decrease of $235.18, which equates to a monthly decrease of $19.60 compared to this school year.
Last school year the average homeowner paid $4,651.05 and the 2018–19 school year they will pay $4,415.87.
The district’s areas of focus are communication, security and maintenance. There was an update to its website and notification procedures. It has a partnership with the State Police and Office of Homeland Security, as well as the Shamong Township Office of Emergency Management.
The maintenance projects being looked at include the well pump and gym floors at Indian Mills School, along with the Indian Mills School and Indian Mills Memorial School’s concrete sidewalk and curb repairs. No programs were added or cut.
During public comment, there were numerous students, parents and a faculty member who spoke out in protest of employee Kylene Dudley’s resignation. Dudley is a fifth-grade science and social studies teacher and has been working for the Shamong district for four years. She is also the soccer, track and cheerleading coach at Indian Mills Memorial School.
The reason for Dudley’s resignation is unclear as personnel issues cannot be discussed outside of the board.
As students found out about Dudley’s resignation through social media, they decided to protest at the school on Monday and Tuesday. The students brought signs and made T-shirts for the meeting with “#saveourfave” and “save Mrs. Dudley” written across them.
There were tears as students and parents spoke to the board members stating how much they value and appreciate Dudley as a teacher at Indian Mills Memorial School.
Parent Jen Megaw said, “Imagine my extreme surprise which quickly turned to outrage, when the signs, posters, notes of love, support and encouragement for Mrs. Dudley, written and initiated 100 percent by the students, were removed from their lockers and hallways.”
She continued, “This is something and someone that means so much to them on a deep and personal level. This is something and someone they believe in that has had an immeasurable impact on their lives in a way that very few people have.”
Parent Aaron Dunn supported his daughter Hannah as she spoke to the board, then spoke himself.
“Clearly you can see that Mrs. Dudley has built community around her,” Dunn said. “How in the world do you get 20 kids to come and talk in a public setting if you don’t have a mentor and a leader at the core?”
Board members acknowledged and praised the students courage to speak out; however, they voted to approve Dudley’s resignation, effective June 30.
