Woodbridge School District approves budget Board of Education finalizes $183 million budget BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer The Woodbridge Township Board of Education unanimously adopted the $183 million budget on March 20, which will increase taxes by $112.50 per year for the average homeowner. The budget for the 2008-09 year is $183,597,229, up roughly $8.6 million from last year. The school tax will rise 15 cents as a result, from $4.34 to $4.49 for each $100 of assessed value. The average home is assessed at $75,000. "Residents will vote on the tax levy, which is proposed to be $143,651,118," said district Schools Superintendent Vincent Smith. According to school officials, the school district struggled to raise the tax levy by only 2.75 percent for the 2008-09 budget. At the moment, the state has capped tax levy increases at 4 percent in the interests of relieving local property taxes. Board Vice President Brian Molnar announced that $35,000 would be allotted in the budget for a middle school sports program, a suggestion brought up by township parents at a public budget hearing on March 10. Molnar said that the actual makeup of the program will be decided upon by the athletics committee. "The amount of money is modeled after the eighth-grade boys and girls basketball program that we proposed [three years ago]," said Molnar. "However, we can't say it will be a basketball program, it's up to the athletics committee. But the money is there for a middle school sports program [for the five middle schools in the school district]." Compared to the amount raised by property taxes, state aid is still relatively low this year. Under New Jersey's new school funding formula, the district has received $4.393 million in state aid, which makes up less than 2.4 percent of the total budget this year. The increases in the budget were said to be, in part, due to increases in fixed costs totaling $4,939,135, which the district was obligated to pay. The district will also be seeing several new curriculum initiatives, including a Chinese program for grades seven and eight at Colonia, Iselin, and Woodbridge middle schools, and for grades nine and 10 at Colonia, John F. Kennedy Memorial, and Woodbridge high schools, and the implementation of off-duty police officers in the five middle schools. Funding for these programs have all been incorporated into the budget for this year. Voters will decide on the school budget on elections to be held April 15. Residents have a March 25 deadline to register to vote. Voter registration and absentee ballot applications are available at all Woodbridge Township schools as well as the Woodbridge Township School District Administration building on School Street and at town hall, 1 Main St.