In the spring, when the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education adopted a $92.34 million budget, district administrators were anticipating the receipt of $20.18 million in state aid for the 2017-18 school year.
However, the district received unexpected and unwelcome news when Gov. Chris Christie signed New Jersey’s 2018 budget in the first week of July.
The 2018 Appropriations Act details the modification of state aid to schools and although legislators increased the total amount of money being delivered to New Jersey’s school districts during the next year, Manalapan-Englishtown, based on criteria contained in the act, was hit with a $396,742 reduction in state aid that reduced the district’s state aid to $19.79 million.
On July 25, the school board met and made $191,300 in cuts to the 2017-18 budget and appropriated an additional $205,442 from the district’s surplus funds to account for the unanticipated reduction in state aid, according to Business Administrator Veronica Wolf.
Board members made cuts in line items encompassing cleaning, repair and maintenance services; equipment; and general supplies to reach the $191,300 reduction.
Board President Dotty Porcaro said, “By having the emergency board meeting, we were able to purchase certain supplies that were were budgeted for in the 2017-18 budget with available surplus from the 2016-17 budget, minimizing the impact of the cut on the 2017-18 year.
“While the state made it an option to raise the tax rate, the board never considered that as an option. The basis of the cut is a school funding formula which is 10 years old which was put in place before the digital conversion was even a concept and has never been updated or fully funded, so to use it to determine which districts received cuts was totally ludicrous.
“I would like to thank Assemblyman Ron Dancer and Assemblyman Rob Clifton who worked very hard with Manalapan Mayor Susan Cohen and some of the district staff to make this cut as low as possible and therefore minimize the effect it would have on the education of the district’s students. Their help and support was greatly appreciated,” Porcaro said.
In addition to state aid, the budget relies on the collection of taxes from property owners in Manalapan and Englishtown to support the operation of the schools.
For 2017-18, the owner of a home assessed at $400,000 in Manalapan will pay about $3,800 in K-8 school taxes. The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 in Englishtown will pay about $2,808 in K-8 school taxes.
The district’s enrollment has declined during the past decade. In September 2006, the enrollment was 5,500 pupils. By September 2015, the enrollment was 5,031 pupils. District administrators estimate that on Oct. 15, the enrollment will be 4,947 pupils.
