The school board last night approved its 2014-15 budget by a 5 to 1 vote, including a nearly 7-cent tax rate increase.
HAMILTON — The school district will have to rely on more tax dollars to prepare for new federal tests and critical repairs to aging schools.
The school board last night approved its 2014-15 budget by a 5 to 1 vote, including a nearly 3.4-cent tax rate increase.
The municipal government has also proposed a 7-cent tax rate increase for its 2015 budget.
The new $186 million school budget calls for a $102.5 million tax levy, with a tax rate of $1.98 for every $100 of assessed valuation, a 7-cent hike over the 2013-14 spending plan.
A taxpayer with property at the average assessed value of $133,739 can expect a $2,702 school tax bill, a $120 increase over last year.
Only board member Anthony Celentano voted against the budget, calling for using more surplus for tax relief.
The budget includes nearly $1.1 million in technology purchases that will ensure the district is ready to offer Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a new federally mandated standardized test, next year.
The largest chunk of the technology purchases comes as a $650,000 lease-purchase agreement for 2,000 laptop computers, which business administrator Katherine Attwood said would be used beyond testing purposes.
The school board also appropriated $50,000 for increased bandwidth and $200,000 for new math graphing calculators, required for the PARCC tests.
“This is going to be able to provide the district with so many more devices to continue its efforts to infuse technology into classrooms all over the district,” Attwood said.
But faced with more than $200 million in upgrades to the district’s 24 schools — which will require a bond referendum in the future, Attwood said — officials also made sure to include extra maintenance in the regular budget.
About $350,000 will be used to purchase new supplies and tools for carpenters, electricians, masons, painters, plumbers and heating or air-conditioning technicians, according to the budget presentation made last night.
Another $312,000 will go toward custodial and maintenance supplies while $235,000 will go to repairing heating and air-conditioning systems, grounds equipment, asphalt and structural repairs.
The budget also appropriates $75,000 to remove and replace asbestos-ridden flooring, in addition to $130,000 that will go toward replacing a boiler and boiler chambers.
Azalea Way resident George Fisher criticized the budget, calling for the board to rethink putting as much money toward facilities or technology in favor of hiring teachers.
“We’ve had a rose-colored presentation of this budget which would suggest to me that we’re in a golden era of this school district and, if that’s the case, why are we doing so badly in terms of educating the students,” Fisher said.
“I don’t think throwing money at a problem fixes it,” board member Stephanie Pratico said.
“We have recognized some issues and brought programs in that are trying to advance student achievement.”
Superintendent James Parla said the budget was adequate given the funding available without “taxing people out of their homes.”
This article has been updated to clarify the school district's tax rate for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
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