Proposed Bloomfield School Budget Has Tax Increase: See The Details

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A 2 percent tax increase may be in the cards for the upcoming school year, Bloomfield officials say.

The Bloomfield Board of Education heard a budget presentation from Superintendent Salvatore Goncalves at their March 20 meeting. The district has also posted information about the proposed spending plan online; it can be seen here.

Property taxes in New Jersey are made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. In Bloomfield, the local school budget made up 47 percent of a homeowner’s taxes in 2022. Read More: Average Property Tax Bill In Bloomfield Is Growing, Latest Data Shows

The 2023-2024 school budget would mean a 2 percent tax levy increase for Bloomfield property owners. That would come out to a $30 tax increase per $100,000 of assessed value, according to district administrators.

Article continues below

Last month, Goncalves said the tentative budget has “no cuts” and that all staff would be kept in place, although he added that the district is going to be “very particular about who we hire” in the future. Read More: Bloomfield School Official Says 'No Cuts' In Proposed Budget

The superintendent outlined some of the major appropriations increases for the upcoming year (see chart below).

Goncalves outlined the expected state aid figures, which were released as part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget earlier this month. Bloomfield would get a $3.03 million boost in K-12 aid from New Jersey under the proposed state budget, bringing its total aid to $ 48.64 million. Read More: NJ Budget Will Impact Bloomfield School Aid (See How Much)

The aid would be earmarked as follows:

• Equalization Aid - $38,795,415
• Transportation Aid – $945,536
• Special Education Aid - $7,109,031
• Security Aid - $1,797,404

A public hearing for the budget and final adoption is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25. Watch a video of the March 20 meeting below, via WBMA TV.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Bloomfield Facebook page.