K-8 Budget Calls for 1.4 Percent Tax Levy Increase

' proposed 2011-12 budget would result in a $611,362, or 1.4 percent, increase in the tax levy, school officials said. 

The proposed budget would enable the school to maintain all current student programs and services.

Under the proposed budget, the owner of the average Gloucester Township home, assessed at $199,000, would pay $1,898.18 to the school district toward the budget. This average tax bill would signify a $57.10 increase from the current school year budget.

Assistant Superintendent John Bilodeau and Superintendent Thomas Seddon presented the proposed $100,912,254 budget during the school board meeting at Charles W. Lewis Middle School Monday night.

“We worked very hard to deliver a proposed budget that includes no staff cuts, and maintains all programs and services currently offered,” Seddon said.

Gloucester Township residents will vote on the proposed combined tax levy (which includes general fund and debt service tax levies) of $43,336,028 in the school board election on April 27.

Bilodeau said the township’s proposed tax rate would be 95¢ per $100 of assessed property value, a slight increase from the current year’s rate of 92.14¢ per $100 of assessed value.

The proposed budget benefits from a $945,000 increase in state school aid, as well as from $3 million in one-time federal aid, Bilodeau said.

“The challenge will be next year, when we don’t have that $3 million,” he said.

Bilodeau said the district’s tax levy has remained fairly consistent over the past five years. The local district tax levy for 2006 was $40,505,035.50, according to a document distributed at the meeting. The five-year tax levy increase is $1,279,046–a 3.2 percent increase over the span.

“We do like to keep the levy at a consistent level,” Bilodeau said.

There was no public comment on the budget during the meeting.

The 's proposed budget would result in the owner of the average-priced township home paying $1,023.96 in taxes for the 2011-12 school year. That average bill represents an increase of $30.95 from the current academic year budget, officials said

Seddon said it was brought to the district’s attention that its advertised school budget, which was published in the Record Breeze, excluded portions of the budget, through no fault of the district.   

“Due to a page break, the last portion of the budget (per pupil cost calculation) didn’t make it into the paper,” he said. “The Record Breeze will be republishing the budget in its entirety, and it is also available on our school website.”

The advertised budget can be accessed at here.