Moorestown Schools $2.4M Over Budget As Work Continues

MOORESTOWN, NJ — With just less than a month to go before introduction, the Moorestown Public School District is about $2.4 million over budget.

The budget currently stands at $2,392,353 over budget, according to a presentation made during Tuesday night’s board of education meeting at the William Allen Middle School.

Revenues for the proposed 2020-21 budget are $74,665,490, which is outweighed by $77,057,843 in expenditures.

The district started the process $5.4 million over budget, but cut that number down, according to Moorestown Superintendent of Schools Scott McCartney.

“We’re looking at every aspect of our operations,” McCartney said. “We haven’t made any final decisions yet, but we have to balance the budget.”

The district will continue to work on balancing the budget through a March 10 budget workshop, which will take place at 6 p.m. at the Star Center. The budget introduction is currently scheduled for the March 17 board of education meeting.

The district is also waiting to see what state aid it will receive, which it expects to learn on Feb. 27. State funding increased by $197,000 last year.

It is also waiting to see what amount will be set aside for federal funding, what renewal rates will be for employee benefits, employee liability for the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS), actual salary costs and abstract ratables.

“Our state funding has gone up the last couple of years,” Business Administrator James Heiser said. “The plan seems to be to adjust for enrollment. Our enrollment is growing.”

The district’s overall enrollment is up by one, from 3,978 students at this time last year to 3,979 students currently in the district, according to numbers provided at the board meeting.

It is expected to continue to grow as the township continues to build in order to meet its affordable housing obligations. Read more here: Superintendent Talks Population Growth At Bond Referendum Forum

It’s one of the reasons the district went out for a $26 million bond referendum in December. The proposal was defeated by voters, so costs must continue to be covered by the budget. No capital reserve projects are included in this year’s budget as of Tuesday night.

The school district will further discuss where it gets its funding during a forum on Feb. 25 in the media center at William Allen Middle School, 6:30 p.m.

The excess spending is set aside for programs and staff, as well as new things proposed for this year’s budget. As new items are proposed, old ones are removed, McCartney said.

Last year’s tax levy was $64,194,749. The state allows a 2 percent increase over the previous year’s number each year, which translates to an increase of $1,283,895. Salaries alone are projected to increase by $1,559,924.

However, McCartney pointed out that being over budget at the beginning of the process isn’t unusual.

“We have to have some difficult conversations,” McCartney said. “We hope to maintain all our support and services, but it might look different than it has in the past.”