The average Moorestown homeowner, with a home assessed at $446,500, would pay an additional $244.29 per year in school taxes if the school district’s preliminary budget is passed as it was presented at the Feb. 17 Board of Education meeting.
The second preliminary budget was projected at $65.6 million in expenditures and $64.5 million in revenue. The board said the projected $1.1 million deficit would be made up for by using a Spending Growth Limitations Adjustment of $683,601 for health-care costs as well as the use of $452,830 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 budget also assumes flat state aid of $3.7 million. Final state aid numbers were scheduled to be announced on Feb. 24.
“I just want to reiterate, this is still a work in progress. The numbers literally change on an hourly basis as we are going through this process. So numbers changed from the last time we met so I anticipate they will change again,” said business administrator/board secretary Lynn Shugars, who made the budget presentation.
The board said it has been in talks with the South Jersey Health Insurance Fund to try to save some money. The district’s current plan with Aetna is estimated to increase by 22 percent to 27 percent. The fund has a maximum increase of 15 percent, so switching the district’s health insurance provider could help it save $1 million, the board said.
Salaries and benefits account for $52.6 million, or roughly 80 percent, of the total budget.
The school district is considering implementing an activity fee for students to participate in athletics or extracurricular activities for a flat fee of $100 per student for the high school and $75 per student for the middle school, with a max for families of $250. Those who are eligible for free or reduced lunches and hardship cases would be exempt from the fee.
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.
The board 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 that they are remaining efficient in all areas of the budget.
To see a full report on the budget presentation, visit the district website at www.mtps.com.
The initial submission of the preliminary budget to the county office must be done by March 20. The board is thinking of planning an early March board budget update before the approval, which will be made on the next Board of Education meeting on March 17.
