South Brunswick School Budget Approved With No Tax Increase

The South Brunswick Board of Education approved a $138.5 million spending plan for 2013-14 that will carry no tax increase for residents.

The budget reduces the tax levy by about $239,000 to $96.2 million, and holds the tax rate firm at about $2.85 per $100 of assessed valuation. Over the last seven years, the school tax levy has nearly remained flat, with the 2013-14 levy decrease keeping it near the same level for the fourth consecutive year in South Brunswick.

The budget was able to keep the tax rate flat even with a slight drop in tax ratables (-.23 percent), the fourth consecutive year tax revenue has decreased. The township has lost $600 million in ratables from successful tax appeals since 2007, while the ratio of assessed property value to market value dropped from about 80 percent to 47 percent in South Brunswick over the last decade.

The spending plan doesn't include any staffing reductions, as classroom teacher to student ratios were maintained at 1:23 for grades K-1; 1:25 for grades 2-5; 1:28 for grades 6-12.

The district highlighted a number of initiatives, including refinancing bond ordinances, switching health care providers, and an energy audit, which provided about $21.7 million in cost savings and reductions. South Brunswick will see a about of $23.2 million in state aid for 2013-14 after a $1 increase as part of Gov. Chris Christie's budget.

The budget allocation for students from South Brunswick the state projects to attend charter schools dropped from $1.6 million to about $297,000 for 2013-14.

The budget also continues Pay to Participate fees for athletics, music, clubs, parking at South Brunswick High School and Advanced Placement courses. District officials said the budget preserves educational programming, maintains school property and facilities, and adds security initiatives.

South Brunswick's average cost per pupil came in $2,138 below the state average cost per pupil of $13,946. Last year, South Brunswick's