School Taxes Drop Half Penny Following Budget Defeat

NORTH WILDWOOD — This city’s governing body and the local school district reduced the burden to local taxpayers by half a cent following the defeat of the school budget on April 20.
The budget was defeated 203-179.
In a district where voters defeat the school budget, the board of education submits their spending plans to the local governing body for review to see if cuts can be made.
At a May 4 City Council meeting, the city and representatives from Margaret Mace Elementary School announced $162,000 in additional cuts to the 2010-11 budget.
The original $9.75 million budget held an increase of about $380,000 over last year’s spending plan. It called for $6.65 million tax levy — the amount raised by local taxpayers — and a tax rate of 18.94 cents.
One major reason for the tax hike is that the district has anticipated $454,433 less revenue from state sources this year than in the 2009-10 budget. Last year the district received $1.03 million from the state for its operating budget and only expects $571,536 this year.
The amended budget asks taxpayers for $6.49 million for a school tax rate of 18.48 cents.
Last year, homeowners here paid $181 in school taxes per $100,000 of their property’s assessed value. Under the defeated budget, they would have paid $189 and with the reductions they will pay $185.
Reductions to the budget included: teacher retirement, $44,000; custodial retirement, $10,000; student supplies, $5,000; athletics services, $3,000; architectural engineering, $10,000; and construction services, $90,000.
District Superintendent Michael Buccialia told the Herald the $100,000 cuts in engineering and construction were associated with a planned window redressing and weatherproofing and brick-pointing project. Margaret Mace is an older building and this project was aimed at reducing moisture and air penetration into the building to improve energy costs, Buccialia said.
“We still want to do the project, but now we’ll break it down into smaller parts over time,” he said.
Buccialia said he thought the two parties struck the appropriate balance in understanding their responsibility to taxpayers and meeting the expectations of parents for their children’s education.
“The way that this was designed as a mutual agreement between council and the board of education, was with the desire not to impact the instructional experiences for students in the classroom or the extra curricular activities after the school day,” he said.
Voters in all Five Mile Beach school districts rejected budgets this year.
According to unofficial results from the County Clerk’s Office, the budget in Wildwood Crest was defeated 341-231; in West Wildwood, 32-31; and in Wildwood, 220-100.
According to the state Department of Education 2009-10 Comparative Spending Guide, the per-pupil cost of education in North Wildwood was $19,343; Wildwood Crest, $17,666; and Wildwood, $19,227.
The original Wildwood Crest budget had a 4.4-cent tax increase, but the district cut another $600,000, leaving the expected increase at 1.03 cents. But that hike was still rejected by voters. The rejected Wildwood school budget called for a 2.6-cent tax hike.
Commissions in Wildwood Crest and Wildwood scheduled special hearings on their rejected school budgets on May 18 at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.