On Wednesday, March 28, the Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education adopted a $147 million budget for the 2012–2013 school year. The total tax levy of $107 million is an increase of less than 1 percent ($954,306), well below the state mandated 2 percent annual tax levy cap.
Regional school taxes will decrease in four of the LRHSD’s eight sending districts: Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle and Woodland. Taxes will increase in Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes and Mount Laurel.
According to the district, Evesham Township will see a school tax levy increase of 1.22 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $33.04 on a home assessed at the township average of $271,800.
State aid totaling $28.478 million will be combined with $1.295 million in additional state aid the Lenape Regional District received in July 2011 and held for tax relief in 2012–2013. This year’s state aid is $1.37 million more than 2011–2012, but still $2.5 million less than state aid received for the 2008–2009 school year, which was the largest increase in recent budget history.
The 2012–2013 budget enables the district to maintain current programs and activities that help make it one of the highest achieving districts in the state with a 98.5 percent graduation rate among its four high schools.
The budget also provides for six new special education staff, mandated by federal and state education laws.
Since the 2007–2008 school year, the district has also received additional funding totaling nearly $1.9 million from individuals and community organizations to help support athletic and academic programs.
Budget information, including tax impacts for each sending district, is posted on the Lenape Regional High School District website, www.lrhsd.org. For more information, contact Business Administrator James Hager at (609) 268–2000, ext. 5536 or jhager@lrhsd.org.
