A $175.6 million budget for the 2019-20 academic year was introduced by the Middletown Township Public School District Board of Education.
The tentative budget was introduced by the board during a pre-meeting workshop on March 20.
A public hearing on the budget has been scheduled for May 1 at the Middletown High School North library. The high school is located at 63 Tindall Road.
Residents may comment on and ask questions about the budget that evening. Board members may adopt the budget following the public hearing.
The proposed budget for 2019-20 will be supported through the collection of $149.25 million in taxes from residential and commercial property owners in Middletown.
The school tax rate will decrease from $1.343 per $100 of assessed valuation in 2018-19 to $1.312 per $100 of assessed valuation in 2019-20, but that decrease in the tax rate does not necessarily mean a property owner will pay less in school taxes during the upcoming year.
For the 2018-19 school year, the owner of a home that was assessed at the township average of $427,556 paid about $5,742 in school taxes,
For 2019-20, the average home is now assessed at $444,180. The owner of that home will pay about $5,826 in school taxes, according to the tentative budget.
An individual will pay more or less in school taxes depending on the assessed value of their home and property and the tax rate set by each taxing entity. Property owners also pay Middletown municipal taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.
According to the board’s budget presentation, “The 2019-20 budget plan includes adjustments that are necessary due to reductions in state aid funding and other revenue sources and the decrease in enrollment the district has experienced, which is projected to continue.
“ … Elimination of items in the proposed budget has the potential to not only limit our ability to maintain and expand our existing programs, but rather to cause a reduction in the opportunities provided to our students.”
According to information posted on the New Jersey Department of Education website, Middletown’s state aid will be reduced from $17.17 million in 2018-19 to $16.61 million in 2019-20.
On March 28, Superintendent of Schools William O. George III made a statement during the Senate and Assembly Legislative Public Hearings regarding the 2020 state budget.
In his remarks, George said, “Under the S-2 funding formula, the Middletown Township Public School District has lost $1.7 million over the last two budget cycles.
“A significant driver in the education funding loss is the decrease in enrollment of 6.2 percent since October 2011. During that same period of time, our special education enrollment has increased dramatically by 27.6 percent.
“A detailed review is needed to understand special education costs such as additional staff, smaller class sizes, as well as additional health services. The impact of the financial costs to support these under-funded mandates makes it critical to equitably fund local school districts,” George said.
“It is important to note Middletown, with a total enrollment of 9,556, educates 1,978 special education students or 20 percent of our total student population. Categorical aid for special education allocations are based on a percentage of special education students of 15.4 percent.
“In Middletown, this equates to 536 special education students not factoring into the equation. Our most at-risk student population receives special education services at a significant additional cost compared to their typical age group peers.
“Through extraordinary aid, the state of New Jersey currently funds approximately 55 percent of special education services costs more than $45,000 per student. Middletown’s extraordinary aid funding averages $1.5 million. In addition, the state provides $7 million in special education categorical funding and the district receives approximately $2 million in federal IDEA funding,” the superintendent said.
“Only a fraction (roughly 19 percent) of the special education transportation costs is funded by categorical aid. The Middletown Township Public School District is currently carrying 69 percent of the total special education cost. State funding for special education does not accurately reflect enrollment and therefore, the dollars do not follow the students to assist in providing an appropriate education.
“The inverse relationship between the decrease in state funding while we have experienced a 27.6 percent increase in our special education population has forced us to divert a significant level of financial support away from instructional programs and services that benefit all of our students,” George told state legislators.
