Decrease projected in Manalapan school tax
Englishtown residents will see small increase in K-8 school tax bill
BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

ENGLISHTOWN - The Manalapan- Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education has introduced a tentative budget of $75 million for the 2008-09 school year.

The budget projects a small decrease in the tax rate for Manalapan property owners and a small increase in the tax rate for Englishtown property owners.

The board adopted the tentative budget on Feb. 19. Changes may be made up until the time a public hearing is held on the spending plan. The public hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 18 at the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School, Millhurst Road, Manalapan.

According to school district Business Administrator Joseph Passiment, the budget for the upcoming academic year does not cut any programs or curriculum. He said the only new position proposed in the budget is a counselor's position at the John I. Dawes Early Learning Center.

There are no capital improvement projects proposed for 2008-09. Money has been set aside in the budget for use in the future for a new administration building.

Passiment said the largest increase in the budget is the additional $532,288 needed for the district's required contribution for pension payments. According to Passiment, all of the other accounts have remained the same or had a slight increase.

Passiment said the K-8 district will receive $21,664,293 in state aid during the 2008-09 school year.

The projected budget of $75 million is up about $3.2 million from the 2007- 08 spending plan which totaled $71.8 million.

The general fund for 2008-09 is projected at $69.5 million. A local tax levy of $46.5 million is needed to support the general fund. The $46.5 million amount is what residents will vote on during the April 15 school election.

The general fund tax levy in 2007-08 amounted to $45.2 million.

The district's debt service tax levy for 2008-09 is projected to be $2.9 million. Residents do not vote on the debt service tax levy. The debt service tax levy in 2007-08 amounted to $4.6 million. Debt service is the repayment of outstanding loans (i.e. for completed construction projects).

As to the impact of the budget on the K-8 school tax rate in Manalapan and Englishtown, Passiment said the tax rate in Manalapan is projected to decrease from 74.8 cents to 74.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a home assessed at $429,600 in Manalapan (the average assessment) would pay about $3,200 in K- 8 school taxes in 2008-09, down from $3,213 in 2007-08.

In Englishtown the tax rate is projected to increase from 75 cents to 75.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. All of the properties in Englishtown were recently reassessed, but as of Monday the new average home assessment could not be obtained and that figure is needed to determine the cost in dollars of the increase in the tax rate.

School taxes are one part of the overall property tax bill which also includes municipal taxes, Monmouth County taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes and other assessments.

When Manalapan residents go to the polls on April 15 to vote on the tax levy to support the 2008-09 budget they will also have the opportunity to vote for three members of the school board. Five people are running for three three-year terms on the nine-member board. Board members serve without compensation. The Englishtown seat on the board is not up for election this year.

Incumbents Donna Formoso, Ryan Green and Valerie Maglione are seeking re-election. Former board member Martin Spindel and newcomer Lawrence Furman are also seeking seats on the board.