Regional school budgets approved

Regional school budgets approved

TINTON FALLS — Both Monmouth Regional and Shore Regional high schools saw their proposed budgets approved by a majority of voters during last week's school board elections.

The Monmouth Regional School District, which educates students from Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Shrewsbury Township, proposed a budget of $25,388,429, a decrease from last year's budget. The budget calls for an $18.7 million tax levy.

The Shore Regional School district, whose student body is made up of students from West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport and Sea Bright, proposed a $14.9 million spending plan, an increase of 3.4 percent over the 2008-09 budget.

Of the 1,351 residents who voted on the Monmouth Regional budget, 926 voted in favor of it.

For the second straight year Tinton Falls voters approved the school budget. However the budget failed in Shrewsbury Township and Eatontown.

According to Monmouth Regional Superintendent James Cleary, the budget passed by 501 votes in Tinton Falls, but failed by four votes in Shrewsbury Township and by 70 votes in Eatontown.

"We are happy that the people of Tinton Falls sent a message and were proactive in getting the budget passed," he said.

Approval of the district budget comes after voters failed to approve last year's $25.4 million spending plan by just 40 votes.

Cleary said he was pleased with the results of the vote.

"We are very satisfied with the response from our residents," Cleary said. "We are pleased [the budget] passed by so much."

Under the budget approved, Eatontown residents will see an increase of 2.2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in the tax rate, to 35.98 cents per $100. Shrewsbury residents will see a tax rate increase of 0.16 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, to 31.41 cents per $100.

Tinton Falls residents will see taxes go down 3.1 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The district received the same amount of state aid — $4,557,437 — as last year.

The district cut funding in some areas, including $198,191 in programs, $136,588 in special-education costs, and undistributed expenditures by $4,731.

Shore Regional, which saw its overall budget increase from last year's $14.4 million, was approved by a slimmer margin that the Monmouth Regional budget.

Of the 2,074 voters who took part in the Shore Regional vote, 1,116 voted in favor of the spending plan, while 958 voted against it.

Under the approved spending plan, residents from West Long Branch are expected to shoulder the highest percentage of the budget's $13.6 million tax levy, with taxpayers providing 35.9 percent of the total funding.

Taxpayers in Oceanport will carry the second largest portion of the budget, at 25.9 percent, while Monmouth Beach taxpayers will provide 24.8 percent of the levy. Sea Bright taxpayers will provide 13.3 percent of the total tax levy.

According to Shore Regional Business Administrator Dennis Kotch, the percentage amount each municipality must provide for the budget is mandated by the state Department of Education and is determined by the total equalized assessed value of each town.

In addition to Sea Bright providing the smallest percentage of the budget, it will also see a 7.1-cent decrease in its 2009- 10 tax rate under the proposed spending plan.

As a result of the decrease, Sea Bright taxpayers will see their taxes lowered from 41.7 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation to 34.6 cents per $100 of assessed value.

For the owner of a home valued at $406,700, the decrease results in a $287.76 annual tax cut.

With the reduction in school taxes in Sea Bright, taxpayers in West Long Branch, Monmouth Beach and Oceanport will shoulder a greater part of the overall budget.

For West Long Branch residents, the district's budget will result in a tax rate increase of 1.6 cents. Such an increase would see taxes rise over last year's rate of 33.6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 35.2 cents per $100 of assessed value.

For the average West Long Branch homeowner whose property is assessed at $476,500, the budget increase will result in taxes being raised $75.36 annually.

Like West Long Branch residents, residents of Monmouth Beach will also see a 1.6-cent tax-rate increase.

Under the budget, the tax-rate increase will see district school taxes rise from 25.3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 26.9 cents per $100 of assessed value.

With the average home in the borough valued at $608,000, the budget as proposed will cause an annual tax increase of $99.T

he budget calls for the highest tax increase in Oceanport, where taxpayers can expect to see their tax rate rise by 2.7 cents.

With such a plan in place, borough taxpayers will see their taxes increase from 23.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 26.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The resulting annual tax increase will see taxes for the average homeowner whose property is valued at $508,000 rise by $137.16 annually.

In addition to voting for the Monmouth and Shore Regional spending plans, voters were also asked to vote for candidates seeking seats on the respective district's school boards.

For the Monmouth Regional Board of Education (BOE), John Carretta and Linda Thatcher, both from Eatontown, won two open seats.

Thatcher is an incumbent and Carretta will take the seat of the Yvonne Hicks Bova who did not win re-election.

Carretta received 393 votes, while Thatcher received 387. Hicks Bova garnered 331 votes.

Also regaining a seat on the Monmouth Regional board is Jonathon Cohen of Tinton Falls, who drew 665 votes.

The Shore Regional (BOE) voters reelected three incumbent candidates to three, three-year seats on the board and one newcomer to one, three-year seat.

The incumbent candidates include Anthony Moro, Jr. of Monmouth Beach; Paul Rolleri, of Oceanport and Elizabeth Garrigal, of West Long Branch.

Newcomer Nancy DeScenza, of Sea Bright, was also elected to the school board.


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