TOMS RIVER – The School Board agreed that they would raise taxes up to 9.9% but only if the state provides the rest of the money they need to balance the budget.
Superintendent Michael Citta said this decision doesn’t raise taxes by itself. It sends a message to Trenton that the district is willing to meet them halfway so that they receive more state funding to fill in the gap.
Replying to questions from a resident, officials clarified that the 9.9% is this year only, and that it doesn’t mean that the 9.9% increase won’t be compounded every year.
At the center of the problem is that several years ago, a bill called S-2 cut school aid year over year to a number of local districts. The other side is that districts are not allowed to raise taxes more than 2%. This has left a gap between what it takes to run a district and the two main forms of revenue – taxes and state aid – coming in to pay those bills.
District officials said that the gap for next school year is $26.5 million.
Two state bills were recently passed that gave schools some options in how to overcome the problem. One of them allows schools to apply for grants to get back 45% of what they lost this year. The other allows districts to raise taxes by 9.9% instead of 2%.
If the district gets 45% back, and if they raise taxes by 9.9%, the district will still be short $12.4 million. Citta said talks are ongoing with state decision makers for that $12.4 million.
The school districts also have until the end of June/beginning of July to craft their budget, so the deadline to get all this done is coming close.
Two residents who spoke out about it embodied the two different points of view.
Ortley Beach resident Debra Martin said that the taxes are already too high, and expected that they would be hit even harder in her shore community.
Toms River resident Rachel Remelgado said that although no one wants to increase taxes, they have to do what’s best for the kids. If the board doesn’t raise taxes, the state will hold it over their heads in years to come.
Board members James Capone, Jennifer Howe, Kevin Kidney, Joseph Nardini, Anna Polozzo and Kathleen Eagan voted yes.
Polozzo noted that she’s talked with lawmakers in Trenton who believe that Toms River is undertaxed. Although she doesn’t believe that, she said that the state won’t help the town unless the town increases taxes.
Board members Ashley Lamb, Melissa Morrison, and Paola Pascarella voted no because they said that it doesn’t solve the problem, which is with the state.
Lamb said that if the district raises taxes now, what happens next year, “at what point do we find our sticking point?”
School Business Administrator William Doering said that the increase each resident would see comes from the value of their home. Based on the average home in each town, the increase would be:
Toms River: $325 per year
Beachwood: $270 per year
Pine Beach: $307 per year
South Toms River: $134 per year
Assistant Superintendents
Another vote took place that might have a longer impact with the district. The contracts on the four assistant superintendents were in a list of personnel items up for vote. Two of them did not get approved.
Capone, Howe, Kidney, Nardini, and Eagan voted yes on the balance of the personnel items. However, Capone and Nardini had to abstain on Cara DiMeo and Eagan had to abstain on Patrick Thomas.
Lamb, Morrison, Pascarella and Polozzo voted no to the entire personnel agenda.
That means there weren’t enough yes votes for two of the assistant superintendents.
“It’s not fair to reappoint or give raises without a balanced budget but I would be happy to revisit this issue once the budget is complete,” Polozzo said.
Howe said you can’t put a price on what the staff do, and the hours that they put in that is above and beyond because of their love of the children.
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