Learn What's In The Toms River School Budget At Citizens Hearing

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional Board of Education will hold its annual citizens budget meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the media center at Toms River High School North.

The meeting is an opportunity for parents and residents to see the breakdown of the 2022-23 school budget and to ask questions of school officials about it.

The tentative budget was approved March 16 for submission to the state Department of Education for approval, which is part of the budget process.

That tentative budget, which was laid out in the March 16 school board meeting agenda. It includes a tax levy of $168,142,351 for the general funds portion of the budget, which is up 2 percent from the 2021-22 general fund tax levy.

The general fund is the majority of the budget; the 2 percent increase in the general fund levy is the amount required by the state under S2, the law that also has cut the state funding to the Toms River Regional District. The state Department of Education cut the district's aidby more than $4.3 million for 2022-23.

The proposed overall 2022-23 budget, including the district's debt service, is $260,966,143, down from the 2021-22 budget of $283,351,068 in 2021-22.

The tax rates for South Toms River, Beachwood and Pine Beach are as follows:

• South Toms River, $1.0228 per $100 of assessed value, or $1,719.03, up from $1,717.57, for a home assessed at the median of $168,076. The increase amounts to $1.46 for the year or 12 cents a month.
• Beachwood, $1.1580 per $100 of assessed value, or $2,386.74, up from $2,303.79, for a home assessed at the median of $206,100. The increase amounts to $82.95 for the year or $6.91 a month.
• Pine Beach, $1.2053 per $100 of assessed value, or $3,263.85, up from $3,225.35, for a home assessed at the median of $270,800. The increase amounts to $38.50 for the year or $3.21 a month.

The tax breakdown for Toms River was not ready when the tentative budget was submitted because of the recently completed property revaluation in Toms River.

Read more of the tentative budget.

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters here, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.