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VOTE ON SCHOOL BUDGET IS TODAY
Polls Open From 2:30 to 9 p.m.; Approval Sought On $32.77M Budget
MANCHESTER- Today (Tuesday, April 17), Manchester voters will be afforded the opportunity to cast their vote on the 2007-2008 school budget.
At their March 28 special meeting, the Manchester Township Board of Education adopted a proposed budget of $41.65 million. The local general fund tax levy, or amount to be raised by local property taxes, would be $32.77 million and the debt service tax levy would be $ 2.1 million.
The anticipated 2007 tax rate would be $1.622 per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of 5.3 cents from 2006.
If approved by voters, the budget would increase taxes about $53 a year on a home assessed at $100,000, or about $4.42 per month.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. William E. DeFeo said that five years of no increases in state funding have taken a toll on the budget.
"This year, the district received an additional three percent. It helped, but it didn't come close to making up for five years of no increases," he said. Not included in the budget, said DeFeo, is an additional 2.2 percent in Targeted At Risk Aid from the state, which must be specifically targeted for programs for at-risk students and will not be received until after the school election.
DeFeo said that the budget increase is under the state cap of four percent and the district's surplus is under the state cap of two percent.
Business Administrator Peter Corigliano added that the district did not request any waivers from the state or add any public questions for increases above and beyond what the system automatically allows. DeFeo explained that other districts are keeping their base tax rate increases low but adding public questions for additional increases. "We are not doing that," he said.
Both DeFeo and Corigliano commented on the inequity of Manchester's state aid, which, at 14.3 percent, is well below the state average of 41 percent. Manchester, they explained, is characterized as a wealthy district by the state funding formula, due to the large number of senior communities in the township.
"This is in spite of the fact that the school district is designated as a 'B' district, or next to the lowest, in socioeconomic status of its students," said DeFeo. "We all know Manchester is not a wealthy community but we have to live with this formula."
Corigliano said that if Manchester got 40 percent of its budget in state funding, the tax rate would decrease by nearly 30 cents.
Corigliano characterized the budget as a maintenance budget, with no new positions and most programs intact.
"The one cut we did make was summer school at the high school, which saved us $45,000," he said. The summer school program was contracted out this year and students will have to pay to attend. Corigliano said that Manchester was the only district in the area still offering free summer school, with many not offering a summer school program at all.
Corigliano said that some of the major items that increased this year were the district's contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System (increased from $178,000 to over $300,000), insurance, health benefits, utilities, transportation, and special education costs for out-of-district tuition (up $550,000).
The public will be asked to approve the budget in the school election on April 17. Polls will be open from 2:30 to 9 p.m.
Two seats are also up for the Board of Education. Candidates are incumbents Jane Stiers and James Kenneth Pate, who are running unopposed.
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