New Hopatcong School Budget Raises Taxes $88

The voted unanimously Thursday night to accept a 2012-2013 budget that will raise school taxes $88 for the average Hopatcong homeowner.

The new school tax rate of $1.15 per $100 assessed valuation is up from $1.10 in 2011. For the owner of a home valued at the 2012 borough average of $309,000, that means a school tax payment of $3,553. In 2011, that same average home was valued at $315,000, which meant a $3,465 school tax bill.

Assessed property value

2012 school property tax

$200,000

$2,300

$400,000

$4,600

$600,000

$6,900

$9,200

The $34,898,601 spending plan is actually $48,213 less than the 2011-2012 version and represents the first time in almost a decade the district's preliminary budget passed. After suffering eight straight defeats, the budget won't be subject to public vote—the result of staying under the state's 2-percent tax-levy increase.

Business Administrator Theresa Sierchio said she was relieved the budget wouldn't be subject to public scrutiny.

"I'm elated," Sierchio said. "We're guaranteed 2 percent now. As you know, when our budget was defeated, we were under the 2-percent cap. ... So, it means that we can actually plan a budget and keep to it and that we don't have to go through additional audits. What we love about it is that we can actually plan now."

Earlier in the month, Hopatcong announced a 60-cent municipal tax rate, which means a $71 rise in municipal taxes. The county tax bill has yet to be determined.

The $22,964,246 tax levy, or total amount of tax dollars raised borough-wide, represented a 1.99 percent jump.

It was enough to ensure the marching band and golf team would receive enough district funding to operate another season, Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano said. The programs have survived off a mix of fundraising and Board of Education dollars since they—along with freshman sports, field hockey, 24.5 staff positions and other programs—were lost due to a $1.7 million decrease in state funding in 2010.

Planning the budget wasn't easy, Sierchio said.

Hopatcong learned it would get about $760,000 less in state aid in 2012-2013 than in did in 2011-2012 in late February, sending the district into "crisis mode," Maranzano said. Hopatcong was able to absorb half the blow, however, since it decided in July 2011 to hold $340,000 of additional state aid for over for the 2012-2013 budget.

Board of Education member Michele Perrotti said the state-aid reduction could come with uncomfortable results.

"I would like to request the that the parents send their kids to school with toilet paper because I think we're going to run out," Perrotti said, laughing.

And while Perrotti was mostly joking, Hopatcong did cut its supply budget 5.43 percent, from $1,279,156 in 2011-2012 to 1,209,702. Sierchio said she "nickeled and dimed" to make sure staff members weren't cut.

"Our overriding focus was not to eliminate any more staff," she said. "We've cut to the bone so many times we just couldn't afford to do that any longer."

The district also combined a number of bus routes to save money, Sierchio said. She added that a slight drop in Sussex Tech's tuition helped the district. The vocational school initially stated a $700 per-student tuition increase—from $1,850 a student in 2011-2012 to $2,500—but backed off, dropping its tuition to $1,850. About 80 borough students attend Sussex Tech. Sierchio said the reduction helped the district save approximately $50,000.

Hopatcong will also save $105,651 by not filling an open curriculum supervisor position. When acting Tulsa Trail elementary school Prinicipal Joe Memoli retired in May, former Curriculum Supervisor Joanne Mullane took his spot. Her role will not be filled, Maranzano said.