Marlboro voters OK budget for 2007-08
BY MARK ROSMAN
Staff Writer

MARLBORO - Voters on April 17 approved a $59.99 million general fund tax levy to support a $78.5 million budget for the 2007-08 school year.

According to non-certified voting totals provided by the Board of Education on April 18, the budget was approved with a vote of 2,011 yes votes to 1,493 no votes.

At the same time, residents re-elected Isaac Levy and Joseph Waldman to the school board, and tapped newcomer Michael Lilonsky for a seat on the panel. Levy, 1,611 votes, Waldman, 1,558 votes, and Lilonsky, 1,225 votes, will serve three-year terms.

Failing in their bids for election were James Pisaniello, 859 votes, Vincent Valinoti, 859 votes, Huimin Shen, 774 votes, Vivek Sinha, 543 votes, and Edwin Madari, 448 votes.

In commenting on the passage of the budget, Superintendent of Schools David Abbott said, "I'm very, very pleased that our citizens looked at what the school district is doing" and supported the budget.

"Everyone gets a chance to vote on a school budget, sometimes without having all of the facts. I try to reach as many people as I can with the facts. [In Marlboro], people believe the money is being spent appropriately ... I believe the budget vote is about more than money, it is about how people feel about the school system. Every budget vote is a referendum on the schools, that is how I look at it," Abbott said.

The 2007-08 budget will provide new text books, new technology, new teachers and capital improvements at several schools.

The budget includes new special education teachers; new honors language arts teachers at the district's two middle schools; $369,000 for technology initiatives; $389,000 for capital projects; $208,630 in new textbooks for various grades; $1.2 million for contracted custodial services; four replacement buses and two replacement 16-passenger vans; and $82,000 for the reinstatement of a 4:15 p.m. late bus from the district's two middle schools.

The tax rate to support the operation of the Marlboro school district will rise from $2.01 to $2.04 per $100 of assessed valuation, according to information provided by district administrators.

That means the owner of a home assessed at $200,000 will see his K-8 school tax bill rise from $4,028 in 2006-07 to $4,086 in 2007-08. The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 will see his K-8 school tax bill rise from $6,042 to $6,129 in the upcoming year. The owner of a home assessed at $400,000 will see his K-8 school tax bill rise from $8,056 to $8,172 in 2007-08. The owner of a home assessed at $500,000 will see his K-8 school tax rise from $10,050 to $10,200 in 2007-08.

K-8 school taxes are one portion of a homeowner's overall property tax bill. The tax bill also includes municipal taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes and several other assessments.

According to information provided by district administrators, the 2007-08 general fund will total $72.29 million and the general fund tax levy will be approximately $59.99 million.

Residents do not vote on the debt service tax levy, which will be $3.97 million next year to support an overall debt service of $4.77 million.

The total amount of money to be collected from Marlboro taxpayers to support the 2007-08 budget will be $63.97 million.

The Marlboro K-8 School District has six elementary schools and two middle schools. The present enrollment of 6,150 pupils is expected to increase to 6,170 pupils in 2007-08.