Schools

Proposed Lakehurst School Budget Shows No Local Tax Levy Increase

Increased state aid helps district keep tax levy stable

The school tax levy for Lakehurst residents will stay the same as last year should the recently proposed 2011-12 tentative school budget be adopted. 

At a Lakehurst Board of Education special meeting Tuesday morning, administrators said that state aid has helped maintain finances and additional funds should not be required from borough taxpayers.

"Probably the most important thing - our tax levy is remaining stable. We're not touching the tax levy," said Barry Parliman, business administrator and board secretary for Lakehurst schools. He said that the levy has remained stable since 2009.

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Parliman said that the total school budget is expected to be $8,822,165, and of that $1,146,791 will come from taxes.

He also noted that $1,048,776 is the local tax levy amount that will appear on the ballot, since the $98,015 in the Debt Service Fund has already been approved by the borough.

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The Lakehurst school district will receive $5,829,983 in state aid for the 2011-12 school year, an increase of $84, 379 over the previous school year, according to data released last week.

"The state made it rather easy to prepare our budget this year," Parliman said.

The district will also receive more preschool aid, Parliman said.

"[The state] increased our preschool education aid substantially," he said. "They had never really funded it. So it went from $100,100 to $264,550 this year. So finally our preschool is fully funded."

Two preschool teachers and three preschool aids, all with benefits, work at the elementary school, Parliman said. 

Parliman said that the additional state funds allowed a savings of $150,000 which can be used in the future to ensure the district is "not relying on someone else should we not be in as good shape next year."

The board said that no staff or program cuts are expected this year and the school plans to offer additional hours for after-school band, allowing more students to participate.

"We're going to increase the time so that now fifth-graders who are interested in an instrument have that opportunity," said interim Superintendent Theresa Hamilton. The program is currently for children in grades six, seven and eight.

Parliman said that he expects to have the final budget ready for presentation to the public either at the board's next scheduled regular meeting on March 15 or the following week.

Pat Ford, a Lakehurst resident and borough council member, asked why the meeting was held on a Tuesday morning, a time she said was inopportune for most borough residents because of work, rather than during the evening.

The board said that they had recently received state figures and that this meeting was only mean to introduce basic numbers.

"There will be a regular budget hearing after this budget is looked at by the county superintendent," Parliman said. "At that time you'll get every paper, everything."

The board also briefly addressed teacher contract negotiations.

"We're in the middle of negotiations so I can't talk to that," said board President Kevin Oliver. "But I can tell you everything is being looked at."


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