Freehold Borough Board of Education Adopts Budget with 3.76 Percent Tax Levy Increase

The Freehold Borough Board of Education (BOE) adopted their 2013-2014 school year budget on Monday night, but not before a last minute added expense.

Approximately $32,000 was added to the budget following a motion to give selected staff members new computers and iPads.

“It is an additional $8 to $11 per household, which works out to be three cents a day for the year [to get the new computers and iPads],” explained BOE member Susan Grietz. “I think it would be penny foolish not to because I also sit in front of a computer all day for work and I agree that when they crash it is a terrible waste of time and money. We can’t support our teachers with pay increases but we can support them with the proper technology.

While three board members disagreed with the motion, the majority of the board approved of the new expense and it was added to the budget.

During the Monday night meeting, Interim Business Administrator Jim Strimple gave another budget presentation, which broke down what the 2013-2014 school year budget will do to Freehold Borough property owners.

“Overall the tax levy increase is 3.76-percent. The town, not the school district, will receive something called a business personal property tax of $73,000 so that reduces the levy,” said Strimple. “Overall, the tax rate increase from budget to budget [2012-2103 budget to 2013-2014 school year budget] is going up three-and-a-half cents.”

Strimple further explained that the increase for a home valued at $200,000 means a $68 increase for the year. For a $250,000 home an $85 increase and for a $300,000 home, a $102 increase.

With this adopted budget, no school programs are eliminated and there is no reduction in staff. An additional fourth grade classroom will be added as well as a multiple disabilities program to keep special needs children in the district. Through capital reserve funds, new doors with security locks will also be installed in schools.

Additionally mentioned in Strimple’s presentation was how far below adequacy state funding for the Freehold Borough School District was this year.

“The state several years ago designed a model and said that if you have so many children then you should so many staff members, so many principals, guidance counselors and spend so much on supplies and that becomes your adequacy. The adequacy amount is based upon local property tax, how much you raise in taxes in Freehold and how much equalization aid the borough receives from the state,” explained Strimple. “The state says that our adequacy rate should be almost 25 million dollars. That’s a huge amount of money. We are below adequacy by $7,919,581. If the district is meeting its financial obligation as far as property tax levy the state is supposed to make up that difference.”

Following Strimple’s presentation and BOE member questions and discussion, the BOE adopted the proposed 2013-2014 budget with the additional $32,000 for computers and nine iPads. The three members who voted no to the added expense noted their reserves about the additional money on the record.

With the additional $32,000 Strimple’s calculations the adopted budget numbers look like the following.

General Fund

Special Revenues

Debt Service

Total

Total Appropriations

$19,819,255

$1,875,499

$799,469

$22,494,223

Less: Anticipated Revenues

$10,907,535

$1,875,499

$242,598

$13,025,632

Taxes to be Raised

$8,911,720

$0

$556,871

$9,468,591

Included in the budget adoption, was the adoption of the tax levy for 2013-2014. According to the meeting’s agenda, $8,911,720 should be raised for general funds for the upcoming year.