Proposed School Budget Holds 2-Percent Tax Increase

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story contained an error. The proposed 2013-14 budget includes a 2-percent tax increase. Patch apologizes for the error. 

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UPDATE: The budget administrators presented to the board of education also includes a 2-percent tax increase, which translates to a $1,073,339 increase in the tax levy from last year, according to business administrator Lynn Shugars.

Shugars stressed that the numbers are not final until the board approves the budget at Tuesday's public forum.

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Moorestown School District's state aid barely increased, but it was still good news.

Two days after Gov. Chris Christie's budget address, Moorestown learned how much help it would be getting from the state for the 2013-14 school year: $3,036,509, from 2012-13.

Still, it was welcome news, according to Board of Education President Don Mishler, because the board was basing its budget discussions on the assumption that the district would be receiving the same amount of state aid for the upcoming school year. 

Superintendent Brian Betze said when he and other administrators began crunching numbers for the 2013-14 budget, they were looking at a $1.2 million shortfall. 

By inserting a 2-percent tax increase and factoring in the loss of a number of teaching salaries due to attrition, as well as projected revenue from the district's new extended day kindergarten pilot program, the administration was able to eliminate the deficit, Betze said.

Admittedly, the projected revenue from the kindergarten program is a slight risk, he said. "We think we'll make a good chunk of change on that. We're assuming the pilot is successful. So it's taking a bit of a gamble on that."

The budget proposal the school administration presented to the board does not include outsourcing the district's paraprofessionals, Betze said, which would save the district a projected $800,000. However, the board has the final decision on the budget. 

Mishler was noncommittal on the board's decision regarding outsourcing.

"I'm just one vote," he said, adding, "We're going to take a real close look at that. I'm not prepared to say one way or the other until we have all the facts."

The board will hold a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, to approve an initial budget for submission to the county office. A public forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, to formally present the budget, followed by a public hearing at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. All meetings will be held at William Allen Middle School.