School Board Eyes a 2-percent Tax Increase

The Haddonfield Board of Education reached a consensus on a proposed 2-percent tax-rate increase Thursday in its regular bimonthly meeting. The board will meet Tuesday in a special meeting to approve the proposed budget in an effort to meet a March 4 deadline to submit it to the state.

The board is considering an overall increase of 2 percent to make up for a shortfall in collected taxes. A 2 percent increase will mean a typical family with a home valued at the borough average of $491,000 will pay an additional $140 in school taxes annually. The typical family pays about $7,000 annually in school taxes with the current tax rate of $1.42 per $100 of assessed property value.

The 2-percent increase is the maximum allowed by state government.

Board President Steve Weinstein led a discussion about the  increase following presentation by borough Administrator Andy Hall.

Weinstein and board member Glen Moramarco presented two different scenarios to manage a budget deficit of $160,667 if the board goes with the 1.8 percent increase.

Hall identified proposed reductions of two elementary education assistants for a $29,000 saving, administrative reductions totalling $17,500 and a $114,167 reduction in capital repair expenditures to balance the budget. No programs or teaching positions were affected by the proposed plan.

“It is more appropriate to use the money for one time expenditures and try to catch up on some of our capital expenses and technology goals,” Weinstein said.

Capital expenses were identified as painting of the wrestling room, bathrooms and auditorium. Technology initiatives involve creating a wireless environment in the high school where students can utilize their own laptops and iPads, and the board can replace fewer aging computers.

Moramarco said “I am very happy with the 1.8 percent, but I’d like to structure it a little bit differently.”

He focused on current class sizes and projected numbers for the 2011-12 school year. He argued for an additional teacher to control class sizes. Weinstein said that the emphasis on class size was “by intuition and often anecdotal.”

“There is nothing that suggests our kids are suffering at the current class sizes,” Weinstein said. “It’s a want, not a need. I think we cannot ignore the capital expenses.”

A comment from Elizabeth Haddon first grade teacher, Diane Miller, percolated more discussion about education assistant positions slotted for cuts in both the Weinstein and Moramarco budget proposals.

"Cutting an EA also means one less adult out on the playground during lunch recess,” Miller said.

After over an hour of debate and discussion, the board zeroed in on an agreement that passed an informal raising of hands by board members, 4 to 3, to focus funds from a 1.8-percent tax increase on capital projects. Two teaching assistants would be reduced and longer term technology initiatives that include a $85,000 wireless technology project at the high school would remain.

Due to a $7 million reduction in ratables collected by the borough of Haddonfield this year, a 0.2 percent tax increase is already part of the budget.

Hall said decreased ratables can be a result of devaluations on properties that are approved by the borough. For this reason, a 1.8 percent increase from the school will actually result in a 2 percent tax overall.

The school district was awarded $318,799 in state aid but existing debt will the funds available to $267,871 for the proposed budget.