The Robbinsville Board of Education approved a $48.72 million budget for the 2020-21 school year on April 27.
The budget will result in no increase in school taxes. However, there is an increase of $455,816⬠over last year’s spending package.
“In spite of the challenges we currently face, the new budget continues to reflect our strong commitment to mindful and deliberate investing so our students can thrive socially, emotionally and academically,” said superintendent Kathie Foster in a letter to the community. “We strive to offer a wide variety of rigorous programs and diverse learning experiences, both in-class and extra-curricular, to convey the essential skills and knowledge necessary to be Robbinsville Ready for life in the real world.”
This is Foster’s last budget. Following her retirement, Brian Betze takes over as superintendent starting July 1 and will inherit the budget.
The budget is supported, in part, by $38.4 million in taxes. The district anticipates $7.8 million in state aid—an increase of $466,372 from the previous school year. Taxes account for 79 percent of the district’s total revenue.
Other sources of alternate revenue include shared services, facility rentals, student activity fees, the Robbinsville Extended Day program, the SPROUTS tuition-based preschool program, energy initiatives and transportation jointures.
“This contribution will support our commitment to a lean and healthy budget, one that addresses our values and priorities while keeping the tax levy flat,” Foster said. “A top priority of our administration and board of education involves investing money back into the classrooms and providing resources to support students’ social-emotional learning.”
Standard expenses for the 2020-21 school year are as follows: salaries, $27.99 million (58 percent); benefits, $8.27 million (17 percent); tuition, $2.1 million (5 percent); transportation, $2.32 million (5 percent); and $2.96 million (6 percent) for “other” expenditures.
Among the programming that will benefit next year are a new sixth grade math program, new eighth grade Next Generation Science Standards, expanded online learning platforms, expanded middle school Science Online subscription, the one-to-one Chromebook initiative for students in grades 3 to 8, clubs and extracurricular activities.
The district will also increase financing for school resource officers and add three new faculty and staff members: a board certified behavioral analyst, an academic support teacher and a social worker.
Also included in the budget are a number of maintenance and capital projects, including concrete and bollard at the high school, parking lot repairs at the high school, floor replacement in the A, B and F wings of the middle school and refinishing the middle school’s gym floor.
“Over the years, we in Robbinsville Public Schools have worked diligently to become fiscally strong,” Foster said. “A hallmark of our district has been the ability to offset rising expenditures with alternative revenue sources. We continue to actively research ways to save taxpayer dollars and to create sustainable revenue sources in order to approach budgeting from a multi-year perspective.”
Robbinsville currently spends the lowest amount per pupil in Mercer County at $16,445.
Robbinsville High School.,
