By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – The Marlboro K-8 School District Board of Education has adopted a tentative budget for the 2016-17 school year that does not include the use of the district’s banked tax levy for capital improvement projects.
Discussion among board members in recent weeks focused on a plan to use $1.8 million in banked tax levy money to complete capital improvements in some schools in order to switch from a half-day kindergarten program to a full-day kindergarten program.
On March 15 the board proposed a $90.91 million budget for 2016-17 that would have been supported by a $75.12 million tax levy. That budget included the use of $1.8 million in the banked tax levy to renovate computer labs into classrooms so the district could implement full-day kindergarten.
A vote on that budget resulted in a 4-4 tie that did not move the spending package forward. Board President Debbie Mattos and board members Michael Lilonsky, Joanne Liu-Rudel and Robyn Wolfe voted yes. Board members Victoria Dean, Dara Enny, Craig Marshall and Ellen Xu voted no. Board Vice President Stephen Shifrinson was absent from the meeting.
“We need to have a better handle on what this community wants because we are raising taxes to do it,” Marshall said. “We are potentially raising taxes by 11 percent. We are telling the public this is something we need to have, but also to understand we are raising taxes again.”
Lilonsky then made a motion to adopt a budget without the banked tax levy funds. That budget was approved in an 8-0 vote. The 2016-17 budget as introduced totals $88.97 million and will be supported by a tax levy of $73.22 million to be paid by Marlboro’s residential and commercial property owners.
The 2015-16 school year budget totaled $87.65 million and was supported by a tax levy of $71.95 million.
Business Administrator Cindy Barr-Rague said the district will not see any changes in the number of staff members or district-run programs during the upcoming school year. She said officials have budgeted funds to continue the Genesis Learning Plan, purchase ESGI assessment software, associated costs with COGAT testing and the purchase of five 50-passenger school buses.
The school district will receive $11.65 million in state aid in 2016-17 after receiving $11.6 million in state aid in 2015-16. The district will use $1 million in surplus funds (savings) as revenue in the 2016-17 budget.
The K-8 school tax rate is projected to increase from $1.014 per $100 of assessed valuation in 2015-16 to $1.021 per $100 of assessed valuation in 2016-17, according to Barr-Rague. The average home assessment in Marlboro has increased from $492,549 in 2015-16 to $494,873 in 2016-17.
The owner of a home that was assessed at the township average in 2015-16 paid about $4,994 in school taxes. The owner of a home that is assessed at the township average in 2016-17 will pay about $5,052 in school taxes if the budget the board introduced on March 15 is adopted following a public hearing in April.
Using the numbers provided, the owner of a home that was assessed at $300,000 in 2015-16 paid $3,042 in K-8 taxes. If that individual’s home is still assessed at $300,000 in 2016-17, the K-8 taxes will be $3,063.
The owner of a home that was assessed at $400,000 in 2015-16 paid $4,056 in K-8 taxes. If that individual’s home is still assessed at $400,000 in 2016-17, the K-8 taxes will be $4,084.
The owner of a home that was assessed at $500,000 in 2015-16 paid $5,070 in K-8 taxes. If that individual’s home is still assessed at $500,000 in 2016-17, the K-8 taxes will be $5,105.
The owner of a home that was assessed at $600,000 in 2015-16 paid $6,084 in K-8 taxes. If that individual’s home is still assessed at $600,000 in 2016-17, the K-8 taxes will be $6,126.
School taxes are one item on a property owner’s tax bill, which also includes Monmouth County taxes, Marlboro municipal taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, a fire district tax and other assessments.
Barr-Rague said administrators are anticipating an enrollment of 4,959 pupils in 2016-17. The current enrollment in the district is 5,097 pupils.
A public hearing on the budget has been scheduled for April 26. At that time residents may comment on or ask questions about the budget. Board members may adopt the budget that was introduced on March 15 or they may elect to revise the budget and include the $1.8 million in the banked tax levy to provide for the classroom renovations that were previously discussed, according to district administrators.
