Proposed school tab calls for $99 tax hike Budget addresses facilities needs at various boro schools BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - Residents would see an average school tax increase of $99 according to a budget proposed by the Board of Education. The school board was expected to approve the 2008-09 budget this week, sending it to voters on April 15. The $73 million spending plan represents a $5 million increase over the current school year's budget, according to tentative figures provided by the board. That budget was defeated at the polls and then reduced by the Borough Council by $750,000. School board member Phyllis Batko, who chairs the board's Finance Committee, said at the board's March 4 meeting that the proposed budget calls for a $99 tax increase, not including debt service, for the owner of property assessed at the borough's average of $143,500. The budget includes a fourth- and fifth-grade reading series, and a number of improvements at district schools, Batko said. Board Business Administrator Emidio D'Andrea said the administration prepared a list of items of importance so that residents could see the "big ticket items" included in the budget. He said the budget can be viewed on the district'sWeb site, as is required by the state. Batko said the Finance Committee focused mostly on technology-related items and buildings and grounds, since the district received a $3.5 million increase in state aid due to the new funding formula. The committee also focused on nonrecurring costs such as lease-purchasing computers, and $200,000 for refurbishing the high school track, since there is no guarantee that the district will receive the same amount of state aid next year. The budget also includes $625,000 for upgrading heating systems at the middle school and the Emma L. Arleth School; $55,000 for floor replacement at the Wilson School auditorium; and $500,000 for roof replacement at the high school, middle school and Arleth School. Superintendent of Schools Frank Alfano commended the Finance Committee, which he said was able to include non-recurring costs without using up the district's surplus money. "It is well done, well thought out," Alfano said. "I think it is a very good budget." Board of Education President Michael Macagnone also commended the members of the committee, who he said toured district schools for weeks in order to come up with a priority list of capital improvements. "I feel really good about this budget," he said. Macagnone compared the $99 tax rate to prior years: The average increase was $199 in 2006-07, and $122 in 2007-08. He noted that the lower increase this year is partly due to the increase in state aid. Macagnone said the board is taking a risk by introducing a tax increase in a year when it had the opportunity to introduce a budget with no tax increase, but said that key improvements are needed at several district schools. Neglecting those properties, he said, would ultimately cost taxpayers more in future years.