A $163.3 million budget for the 2018-19 academic year was unanimously adopted by the Middletown Public School District Board of Education.
Board members approved the spending plan on April 25.
Residential and commercial property owners in Middletown will pay $140.8 million in a local tax levy to support the spending plan, according to Business Administrator Amy Gallagher. The tax levy during the 2017-18 school year was $139.1 million.
According to district administrators, the owner of a home that was assessed at the township average of $414,964 in 2017 paid $5,611 in school taxes during the 2017-18 school year. That same homeowner will pay $5,742 in school taxes during the 2018-19 school year, an increase of $131.
An individual will pay more or less in school taxes depending on the assessed value of their home and property. Property owners also pay Middletown municipal taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.
Gallagher referred to areas in the budget that showed an increase in spending as “impact items.” She said these items, which include Safe School Officers, personnel, and curriculum, significantly altered the spending plan for the 2018-19 academic year.
The curriculum budget for 2018-19 is $1.1 million higher than the 2017-18 budget. Significant components of the increase are middle school math and pre-calculus textbook adoptions ($376,973) and middle school and high school language arts adoptions ($824,174), according to the board’s budget presentation.
Regarding school security, personnel costs will amount to $455,952 and security capital improvements will amount to $260,000, according to the budget presentation.
Under personnel, three elementary social behavioral support specialists will be added ($161,700), one guidance counselor at the Thompson Middle School will be added ($53,900), the special education supervisor position will be converted from 10 months to one year ($21,427), and one special education teacher will be added at Middletown South High School ($53,900). Two elementary positions are being reduced due to enrollment at a savings of $107,800, according to the budget presentation.
According to district administrators, staffing for 2018-19 is still being evaluated and may result in some reallocating of positions to offset the additions noted above.
In a subsequent interview, Gallagher said the middle school curriculum that will be adopted requires the purchase of extensive classroom libraries in order to accommodate the components of the revised instruction.
“Once the school year is underway, we will begin to revise our ninth and 10th grade curriculum to include ‘workshop-like’ components, while still fulfilling the expectations of the progression of the high school coursework,” she said.
Gallagher said administrators have continuously reviewed the need for an increase in security presence in the public schools. She said board members have decided to implement additional security personnel. At present, there are no security officers in the elementary schools, she said.
“Some of the more recent security enhancements we have made include upgrades to our surveillance systems, an increased security presence before and after school as well as at school related events, improvements to our physical plant, and additional training for students, staff and the school community,” Gallagher said.
