Vineland BOE hosts special meeting for budget vote
VINELAND - What to do with an extra $417,121 is the next step in the 2018-19 school district budget.
The school board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, depending on the winter storm, to discuss and vote on the spending plan that now calls for a 4 percent tax hike.
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Landis Administrative Building, located at 61 W. Landis Ave.
It’s the first board discussion on the spending plan that raises the school tax by just about 3 cents, cuts 46 positions and calls for closing Max Leuchter as an elementary school.
Since the budget was introduced March 14, the district learned it is receiving $135.5 million in state aid, which is $417,121 more than it anticipated.
Central administration will unveil on Wednesday how it is recommending the money be used.
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The current plan requires taxpayers to contribute $922,463 more to raise the $23.9 million needed to balance the budget. That pushes the tax rate from 59.8 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 62.7 cents, a hike just shy of 3 cents.
If approved as is, the owner of a property assessed at $159,402, the average Vineland homeowner assessment, would pay an additional $46.85 a year in school taxes.
The school board would have to shave about $382,000 from the spending plan to reduce the tax increase by a penny.
District officials have a March 29 deadline to submit the budget to the Cumberland County Executive Superintendent for review.
The official public hearing on the budget is tentatively set for April 25.
Deborah M. Marko; 856-563-5256; dmarko@gannettnj.com; Twitter: @dmarko_dj