At its meeting on March 24, the WW-P Board of Education once again discussed the proposed 2015-’16 budget, adding new information regarding the basis of the two townships’ proposed tax levies, numbers that had just become available.
According to Assistant Superintendent Larry Shanok, the total combined local tax levy will be $151,936,966, an increase of 2.3 percent over the current year’s budget. State law mandates a public vote on a budget with a tax increase greater than 2 percent, but because of exemptions to that law WW-P’s budget will require only Board and state approval.
Explained Shanok, “this number used to be based on the equalized value of property, which caused huge swings in numbers from year to year. Now it is based on each township’s enrollment, which is a far more stable number. This year, we will see a .09 percent shift from Plainsboro to West Windsor, based on the projected enrollment numbers. Plainsboro’s enrollment is expected to decrease slightly, from 42.06 percent to 41.97 percent of the total students, and likewise West Windsor’s will increase from 57.94 percent to 58.03 percent of students.”
The proposed budget would increase Plainsboro’s tax rate to $1.671 per $100 of assessed property value, which equates to an increase of 1.8 cents. Considered another way, this would amount to an $83 increase for an average home, valued at $387,000, for a total of $6,467 in school taxes.
Likewise, the proposed school budget would increase West Windsor’s tax rate to $1.458 per $100 of assessed property value, which equates to an increase of 2.2 cents. Considered another way, this would amount to a $120 increase for an average home, valued at $522,456, for a total of $7,617 in school taxes for 2015-’16.
The Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at its meeting on Tuesday, April 28.
In addition, the Board approved two construction projects: replacement of the metal roof at High School South, at a cost of $1,074,059; and replacement of the entire clock system at Community Middle School, for a total cost of $73,780. The Board will also be awarding a new two-year building and grounds contract to Aramark, with three one-year extensions.
The Board is also seeking a waiver of the new state requirement that tenured teachers be evaluated three times per year; the district is requesting that it be allowed to evaluate tenured teachers twice per year instead, due to the increased time demands for administrators due to the implementation of the PARCC testing.
Board President Tony Fleres then recognized long-time staff who are retiring: elementary school teachers Helen Chang and Deborah Robl after 26.5 and 20 years with the district, respectively; health teacher Della Harbourt, after 25 years in the district; middle school IRLA teacher Virginia Patterson, after 23.5 years in district; industrial technology teacher Robert Krzyzkowski, after 21 years; and middle school science teacher Peter Vroom, who worked in the district for 28 years.
In other school news, all four WW-P elementary schools are holding “Author Day,” at which special guest non-fiction author Linda Bozzo will be visiting all four elementary schools for special assemblies and book signing programs. Bozzo has written more than 50 non-fiction children’s books and was named the Outstanding Author of 2013 by the New Jersey Association of School Librarians.
She has already visited with students at Maurice Hawk, Dutch Neck, and Town Center; she will visit Wicoff Elementary School on Monday, April 13.
Spring break will begin Friday, April 3, instead of Thursday, April 2, a schedule change necessitated by the number of snow days used. Staff and students will return to school on Monday, April 13.
The first round of PARCC testing ended as of March 27, and the second round of PARCC testing will begin on Monday, April 27, and will be completed on Friday, May 22.
The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. at Community Middle School.
