Schools

High School's Budget Includes Warren Tax Decrease

Thanks to Watchung's faster rise in property assessments, Warren's share drops for 2012-13 school year.

The owner of a property assessed at Warren Township's average of $625,600 will see a $7 drop in property taxes collected for the Watchung Hills Regional school district in the $36 million preliminary budget.

That's despite an increase in the total tax levy—which will rise by 2 percent from $26,568,135 to $27,099,498. Under the funding formula for the regional district, the tax is divided between the three sending communities based on total assessments and number of pupils, which resulted in this year's decrease for Warren.

Property owners in Watchung and Long Hill don't fare as well—the owner of a Watchung property at the borough's average ($633,203) faces a $123 increase in taxes, while Long Hill's average property owner (with an assessment of $387,822) will see a $75 increase.

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The budget includes finding for 4.9 new staff positions (4.5 instructional positions and a part-time nurse), needed to accomodate the anticipated 125 additional students, as well as continued building maintenance projects and a replacement phone system.

"The fact of the matter is we do need a new phone system," Business Administrator Timothy Stys said. "The equipment is antiquated and the software is obsolete."

Find out what's happening in Warrenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Stys commented on the recent announcement of an increase in the district's state aid—which was widely reported as a $211,179 increase to $902,393, but is actually reduced by $89,000 by the state for a "debt reduction fee."

"So our actual aid is $812,000," Stys said. He also noted he had anticipated about $780,000 for state aid in the budget. 

The preliminary budget also includes using an additional $620,000 from capital reserve accounts for some of the projects.

The budget will be submitted to the county school superintendent's office today, and will be voted on by the board after a March 27 public hearing.

"And even though there won't be ballot voting on the budget, we really want members of the public to come out to the hearing," board Vice-president Harold Grossnickle said. 


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