Freehold Twp. voters approve school budget
BY MARK ROSMAN
Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Voters on April 17 approved a local tax levy of $52.2 million to support the Board of Education's $64.2 million budget for the 2007-08 school year.

According to results provided by a Freehold Township K-8 School District official on April 18, the budget count was 1,406 yes votes to 1,105 no votes.

Voters returned Stephen Buffett and Mindy Wille to their seats on the school board with vote totals of 1,389 and 1,334, respectively. Newcomer Daniel DiBlasio won his first term with 1,126 votes. Buffett, Wille and DiBlasio will serve three-year terms.

Incumbent board member Robert Hoppes, 1,035 votes, fell short in his bid for re-election. Hoppes has served on the board for 18 years.

Superintendent of Schools William Setaro said the budget result "was exceptionally good news, and it passed by a fairly good margin. It speaks volumes about the importance our community places on education and we are happy to have that type of support. The support is reflected in our students' excellent test scores, their high achievement and our low per pupil costs."

According to information provided by Business Administrator Sean Boyce, the $64.2 million budget is made up of three components: the general fund ($59.9 million), the special revenue fund (federal No Child Left Behind funding, $983,000) and the debt service fund ($3.3 million).

Residents did not vote on a debt service tax levy of $3.2 million. Debt service is the payment on bonds from past construction referendums.

All together, Freehold Township property owners will pay $55.5 million in local property taxes to support the 2007-08 school budget.

The K-8 school tax rate to support the budget is projected to rise 6.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, from $1.723 to $1.791 per $100.

The projected increase in the tax rate means that the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $200,000 will pay $3,582 in K-8 school taxes in the 2007-08 school year, up from $3,446 in 2006-07. The owner of a home assessed at $400,000 will pay $7,164 in K-8 school taxes in the 2007-08 school year, up from $6,892 in 2006-07. The owner of a home assessed at $600,000 will pay $10,746 in K-8 school taxes in the 2007-08 school year, up from $10,338 in 2006-07.

According to Setaro, the budget adds three staff members in World Language (for the addition of that subject in grades K-3); new World Language texts in the middle schools; an increase in the amount of instruction time for World Language in grades four and five; LCD projectors to be installed in some classrooms at every school in the district (excluding the West Freehold School, which was built with the LCD projectors in each classroom); a self-contained special education program which will allow some Freehold Township special education pupils who are sent out-of-district for instruction to be educated in the district (an estimated five pupils returning for in-district education); a special education supervisor; and it maintains the current busing system and all existing instructional times.

In addition, four curriculum coordinators will be upgraded to curriculum supervisor positions and two curriculum supervisors will be added, for a total of six curriculum supervisors, according to Setaro.

The Freehold Township K-8 School District has a current enrollment of 4,648 pupils.