Parents Get Crash Course in Budget

Montville Township superintendent, Dr. Paul Fried, and board of education president, Karen Cortellino, attended Cedar Hill School’s Home and School Association meeting Thursday night.

The superintendent presented the proposed 2011-2012 Montville Township school budget. Items discussed included:

• Montville Township will receive a $647,000 increase in General Fund State Aid for 2011- 2012.
• The budget includes an improved approach to world language educational initiatives, introducing Chinese, French, Italian and Spanish to all students in Lazar Middle School.
• A Freshman Studies Program will be introduced at the high school. All incoming freshmen will be required to take this class to assist with the transition between middle school and high school.
• Freshmen girl’s soccer and volleyball teams will be added, as well as the state required, but not funded, Financial Literacy Course.
• Woodmont School will receive a computer lab. To date, Woodmont is the only school in the district without one.
• District elementary schools will receive funding for clubs.
• The district will save $274,000, and enhance diverse educational opportunities, by returning to in-district special education programs.
• Montville Township and the Board of Education have identified ten areas for shared services.
• The proposed budget for 2011-2012 is $67,763,621.
• Despite capital improvement needs and a 30% increase in health insurance costs, the board of education kept the budget below the 2% state mandated cap, coming in at 1.5%.
• The average tax payer will pay $176 per year per $332,800 of assessed value. The board of education accomplished this by returning to the tax payers half of the $647,000 awarded to Montville Township schools from the state of NJ.

The Board of Education election will be held April 27 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The 2011-12 Montville Township Board of Education budget will be on the ballot.

Dr. Fried will review the budget again this evening at 7 p.m. at the Montville Senior House. All township residents are invited to attend. Among the topics to be covered is the NJ Property Tax Reimbursement Program for people over 65 or receiving federal Social Security disability benefits.

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