SOMERS POINT — The Somers Point School District is planning a 2 percent tax increase, staffing cuts and withdrawals from its capital and maintenance reserves in its 2023-24 budget.
Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder and Business Administrator Julie Gallagher laid out the preliminary spending plan Feb. 16, explaining that state aid figures are yet to be determined.
The $15,816,705 operating budget anticipates a loss of $800,000 in state aid under the Student Funding Reform Act of 2018.
The 2022-23 budget included $15,802,849 in revenues from a tax levy of $10,392,770, state aid of $4,405,461 and $530,426 in fund balance. The tax rate remained at 98.4 cents per $100 of assessed value.
One of the biggest factors affecting the budget is the loss of school aid due to declining enrollment.
CarneyRay-Yoder said enrollment has steadily dropped from 1,102 students in October 2006 to 651 students as of October 2022, a loss of 451 students, or 41 percent. That loss included 61 students from 2021 to 2022.
Gallagher said state aid is based on the number of students in kindergarten to eighth grade and that preschool is funded separately, so those numbers are not included.
“We have a lot of preschool funding but that is not considered when we talk about our overall budget,” CarneyRay-Yoder said.
The superintendent said there would be 13 staff members cut from multiple departments throughout the district on a last-in, first-out basis with certifications also being a factor.
“Most of our budget is built around staffing, salaries, running our buildings, etc., which is not necessarily movable,” CarneyRay-Yoder said.
Facilities projects funded by the budget include bathrooms at Dawes Avenue School to be funded by $645,000 in capital reserve funds and asbestos removal at Jordan Road School funded by $300,000 in maintenance reserve funds. Gallagher said seven bathrooms would be added for preschool classrooms.
CarneyRay-Yoder said the asbestos is part of tiles in closets and not harmful.
State aid figures are expected to be released in late February. Adoption and filing of the tentative budget are scheduled for March 16. A public hearing and final adoption are scheduled for April 27, the final day allowed by state law.
It was Gallagher’s final meeting as the district’s business administrator. She is being moving on to a position in Absecon. Her replacement is Mary Conrad.
CarneyRay-Yoder also presented the students and teachers of the month. Dawes Avenue School Principal Laura Venello announced the students of the month are Jimena Pilar Cortes, kindergarten; Zoe Ruiz, first grade; Analia DeJesse, second; and Pedro Cortes-Morales, third. The Dawes Avenue School teacher of the month is Taylor Fussner.
Jordan Road School Principal Ted Pugliese and Vice Principal Melanie Wagner announced the students of the month are Grace Kalwhite, fourth; Dorothy Smith, fifth; Rafael Chavez, sixth; Gabriel Walker, seventh; and Cecilia Foreman, eighth.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
Don’t see any mention of salary cuts for administration..wonder if they have raised or declined in the past few years.
Administration was paid to take educational vacations last year…guess there was room in the budget for that.
Also NO mention of..
Preschoolers are currently enrolled with NO bathrooms in classrooms. Preschoolers are currently enrolled with NO playground equipment that is legally age appropriate.
Preschoolers could have stayed at NY Ave school where they had the appropriate needs but ADMINISTRATION a NEEDED the space…for what exactly?
Bring school choice, let us the tax payers decide where our money goes !