Voters will have say on $19.2M tax levy

COLTS NECK — A $23.5 million budget for the Colts Neck K-8 School District could deliver a 3.9-cent tax increase per $100 of assessed valuation if voters approve the proposed tax levy in the April 21 school election.

Members of the Board of Education voted 7-0 to adopt the $23.5 million budget following an April 1 public hearing.

The total budget is up $541,236 from the 2008-09 spending plan.

The general fund tax levy (the amount to be voted on by residents) is at $19.2 million, up $741,731 from the current school year's budget.

The debt service expense totals $1.6 million, with a debt service tax levy of $1.5 million. Residents will not vote on the debt service tax levy.

State aid to the school district remained flat at $1,478,736 for the 2009-10 school year.U

nder the proposed budget the Colts Neck school tax rate will rise from $1.392 to $1.431 per $100 of assessed valuation.

According to information provided by district administrators, an individual with a home assessed at $500,000 could expect to see the amount he pays to support the operation of the district increase from $6,960 to $7,155 in the coming school year.

The owner of a home that is assessed at $750,000 could expect to see the amount he pays to support the operation of the district increase from $10,440 to $10,732 in the coming school year.

K-8 school taxes are one part of a property owner's overall property tax bill. In addition to K-8 school taxes, the property tax bill includes municipal taxes, Freehold Regional High School District taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.

During the April 1 public hearing on the budget, Superintendent of Schools Ross Kasun said the district's administrators based their budget needs on the four goals that had been set to move Colts Neck schools forward.

Officials announced that a new roof is required on the Conover Road Primary School and said $250,000 is being allotted for the roof in the 2009-10 budget.

Kasun said the timing is right to install the new roof, not only for safety issues, but because the district is eligible for a grant that will cover 40 percent of the cost of the roof installation.

He said the matter of the roof is the subject of litigation. The superintendent said the only thing he could say about the litigation is that no results from the litigation are expected for at least two years.

Business Administrator John Paredes told the News Transcript that the Conover Road Primary School was built in 2002. He said special counsel has been hired to represent the board in the litigation.

Paredes declined to provide the name of the school board's regular attorney and the special counsel who has been retained to represent the board in this matter. He offered to provide the News Transcript's contact information to the special counsel.

As of press time the special counsel had not contacted the News Transcript.

The 2009-10 budget contains enhanced instructional practice and programs; increases electives at the Cedar Drive Middle School; maintains current class sizes; maintains clubs; maintains the late buses at Cedar Drive Middle School; eliminates contracted bus routes; and contains the funding of the district's technology plan.

Kasun said the budget will allow for the purchase of additional buses that are required because some buses must be retired. The spending plan also maintains support of field trips, intramural athletics and clubs.

The budget eliminates seven teaching positions due to decreasing enrollment and reallocations of existing staff.

Kasun said the cut positions will be at all three of the district's schools, but he could not elaborate on which positions will be eliminated.

Three paraprofessional positions are also being eliminated due to decreasing needs. More staff development will be conducted in-house, rather than sending staff members out of the district. Some technology initiatives have been moved to future budgets, the superintendent said.

Kasun said although administrators froze or reduced 68 percent of all budget line items, the increases in salaries and benefits for employees and the rising cost of energy contributed to the rise in the budget.

Paredes said benefits are up about 10 percent from 2008-09.

Kasun told those assembled that administrators looked at all alternatives in order to save money, including placing sensors on lights and even closing

the district's buildings on Fridays

during the summer school program. He said bringing about a four-day week would impact the extended school year program, requiring students to come to school four days instead of five. He said the four-day summer school is a concept administrators have been considering for the summer program.

Nancy Gualario, president of PROUD (Parents Reaching Out and United with the District), voiced concern about the possibility of reducing the summer program for students with specialized needs.

Gualario explained that the extended program for special needs children is to help students retain information and improve their skills.

Kasun said the discussion of shortening the summer school week is still being reviewed and said no final decision has been made. He also noted that in shortening the week, the summer program would most likely be extended closer to September to cover the loss of hours. Pam Wood, the founder of PROUD, warned that to make across-the-board decisions for special education children who have individualized needs would be a violation of state code.

Resident Vincent Domidion questioned what he called Colts Neck's high per pupil cost in comparison to similar districts. He said Colts Neck's per pupil cost is $13,925, while districts such as Marlboro, Freehold Township and the Freehold Regional High School District have per pupil costs in the $11,000 range.

Domidion suggested that since the schools are running at 65 percent capacity, the board should consider closing a school in the future.

Board President Andrea Giannopoulos said it is difficult for the board to plan for the future with many aspects still unclear, including the economic climate and the possibility that school-age children who may take up residence at Naval Weapons Station Earle could attend Colts Neck schools.

At the present time, the children of military personnel who are based at Earle attend school in the Tinton Falls School District even though the military base is in Colts Neck.

A plan now under discussion would open housing on the Navy base to civilians. Tinton Falls officials have said if that occurs, they believe the children of civilians should attend school in the community where they reside — Colts Neck.

Another resident, former board member John D'Urso, asked why the issue of the primary school's roof had not been addressed earlier. D'Urso said the board's use of $75,000 to install cameras on school buses in November could have gone toward the roof.

Giannopoulos reminded D'Urso he was a member of the board at that time and knew the board was unaware of the extreme severity of the roof's condition.

D'Urso said preliminary reports at the time showed that the roof would need to be replaced.

At the end of the public hearing, board members voted 7-0 to adopt the 2009-10 budget. Board member Gregory Beriont was absent from the meeting's vote. The public will decide the fate of the tax levy in the April 21 school election.