Jackson board reduces tax levy by $1.3 million

JACKSON - No teachers will be cut as a result of the $1.3 million reduction in the 2008-09 local tax levy to support the coming year's budget in the Jackson School District.

Board of Education members announced the cuts they will be making in the budget during a meeting on May 27.

As a result of the reduction in the tax levy, property owners in Jackson will pay a total of $62.7 million in 2008-09 to support the school district's operating budget. The board had sought a tax levy of $64 million in theApril 15 school election. Voters rejected the $64 million tax levy.

The total budget for the 2008-09 school year amounts to about $135 million.

The Township Council certified the $62.7 million tax levy after reviewing the board's proposed budget.

As one result of the voters' defeat of the tax levy, school hours will remain the same in 2008-09 as they are in 2007-08. When district administrators changed the school hours following the 2006-07 school year, some parents complained about the changes. District officials had promised a return to the 2006-07 hours if the 2008-09 budget was approved by voters.

Because that did not happen, school hours will not change in 2008-09. They will remain as follows: Jackson Memorial and Jackson Liberty high schools, 7:15 a.m. to 1:38 p.m.; McAuliffe and Goetz middle schools, 8:05 a.m. to 2:27 p.m.; Crawford-Rodriguez and Holman elementary schools, 8:45 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.; Elms and Switlik elementary schools, 9:05 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.; Johnson and Rosenauer elementary schools, 9:25 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Superintendent of Schools Thomas Gialanella said he was disappointed that representatives of the school board and the council did not meet to review the budget. He said he believes the original budget proposed by the board was a good one.

"This year it was going up about 2 percent and I thought it was a solid budget," Gialanella said. "It was below the (state) cap and we thought we had a good shot at getting this passed. It's tough times and we didn't, but whenever you have to go back and cut the budget, it's a difficult assignment."

The reductions adopted by the board are:

• Tuition for private school placement of handicapped students, $350,000. District officials said all students will continue to receive the services they require, but based on a current analysis, that line item is estimated to be $350,000 less for 2008-09 than originally estimated.

• Salaries for substitute custodians, $75,000.

• Salaries for bus drivers-pupil transportation, $212,438; salaries, sports buses contracted, $39,123; other employee benefits transportation, $168,000; and energy/ transportation, $30,439. District officials said those four items relate to leaving school times as they are in 2007- 08 and not restoring the 5:05 p.m. late bus from the two high schools.

• Capital lease for buses, $264,792.

• General supplies/data processing, $81,274.

• Equipment administrative information tech, $84,000.

The reduction of $1.3 million in the tax levy (from $64 million to $62.7 million) will trim the size of the school tax increase Jackson property owners will face in the coming year. Instead of increasing by 5.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, the school tax rate will increase by 3.15 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The new school tax rate will be about $2.31 per $100 of assessed valuation.

The owner of a home assessed at $150,000 will pay about $3,465 in school taxes in 2008-09, an increase of about $47 from 2007-08.

The owner of a home assessed at $300,000 will pay about $6,930 in school taxes in 2008-09, an increase of about $94 from 2007-08.

The owner of a home assessed at $500,000 will pay about $11,550 in school taxes in 2008-09, an increase of about $157 from 2007-08.

School taxes are one part of a property owner's total tax bill, which also includes Jackson municipal taxes, Ocean County taxes and other assessments.

During the public portion of the May 27 board meeting, Dolores Harvey, the president of the Jackson Education Association, asked the board if any staff employees were eliminated in the process of making the reduction in the tax levy.

Board President Marvin Krakower said no employees were eliminated.

"[Will] the current level of staffing remain the same and [will] the class sizes generally remain the same?" Harvey asked.

Krakower said that the board is committed to keeping class sizes at their present levels.