School Budget calls for Tax Increase

The school board introduced a tentative 2012-13 school budget Thursday that meets the required 2 percent spending cap, which means residents won’t get to vote on the spending plan in November.

The $131,176,099 proposal calls for $110,437,402 to be raised by taxes and carries a tax rate increase of 10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Under that rate, the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $100,000 can expect to pay an additional $100 in school taxes next year.

At the time, board members said the move would mean taking advantage of the larger turn out at General Elections, all day polling hours, money saved by combining the school and General Election, and giving voters a clearer picture of why the board is asking to spend over the 2 percent cap.

The change means that school budgets that don’t exceed the cap would not go to voters. However, anything that does exceed the cap would be placed on the November ballot as a special question. Funds attached those questions would not be used until (or if) they are approved in November. However, the district’s base-line budget would still be available in June, as it is now.

Revenue for this year’s spending plan includes $17,678,170 in state aid, $1.977 million in fund  balance, $500,000 in extraordinary aid, $207,525 in fees assessed, $80,000 in tuition collected from out-of-districts students attending East Brunswick and $144,000 in other fees.

Driving forces in the budget include two behavioral disabilities classes that require two teachers and two  instructional assistants; two additional classes for the autism program, requiring two teachers and three assistant;, an additional teacher for basic skills; and a half-time position for English as a Second Language instruction.

will be funded through budget offsets, including reductions in enrollment teaching staff and support staff. Those offsets equal approximately $900,000, which will go toward the $1 million needed for full-day kindergarten.