At its most recent public session, Haddonfield’s board of education unanimously passed an operating budget for the 2020-21 academic year that will include a tax increase, albeit a smaller one than last year.
During the April 30 virtual meeting, the board signed off on a package that includes a total budget of $47,889,874 in three parts: $43,494,072 in the general fund, $697,364 from a special revenue fund and almost $3.7 million in debt service.
The local tax levy amount of $37,472,072 — which comprises 86 percent of the General Fund total — represents the maximum allowable 2 percent increase over last year.
Residents can expect a total increase of 1.7492 percent on taxes from the current year, while last year’s number was 4.225 percent. That means, for an average assessed home value in the borough of $500,000, taxes will increase by $37 per annum.
“The budget process is a vigorous one that began in October,” said Board Secretary and Assistant Business Administrator Michael Catalano. “Although the business office compiles everything to present to the Board of Education and the Executive County Superintendent, the entire administrative team contributed tremendously to ensure equity.
“We are proud of the time and effort contributed to this budget,” he added. “It supports continued enhancements to our school security program, something the board has worked hard on over the past two years; facilities improvements; technology improvements; and, most importantly, educational improvements.
Also included in the new budget are Capital Reserve Funds in the amount of $2.8 million earmarked for the completion of maintenance projects such as the C-wing air-handling unit (AHU) addition at Haddonfield Memorial High School as well as security cameras. The board also allowed for a maximum of $100,000 in the general fund for travel expenses and related expenditures, an increase of $30,000 from the previous year.
In addition, state aid funds are on pace to increase by 14.4 percent, from just over $1.8 million to $2.12 million. In response to a question from board member Jaime Auletto Grookett, Catalano said the final amount of state aid could conceivably change in light of adjustments made by the state due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
“In terms of the fear of the state making changes, we have made some good strides in the last couple years in our funding, in terms of moving closer to what our formula dictated that we should be getting,” said board President Adam Sangillo.
“We’ve always been underfunded in comparison. We have to be very mindful of what’s happening. The state delayed their fiscal year end so we’re putting our numbers to the state and we won’t know their final number until well after our budget has been finalized.”
A complete breakdown of facts and figures behind the budget, as well as Catalano’s presentation to the board, can be found on the district’s website at: https://haddonfieldschools.org/announcements-and-news-releases/
In other news:
- The board voted to select AlphaBest Education as its new child-care provider for before and after school, effective July 1. Just prior to the meeting, a release was issued stating that the nine-member body had elected not to renew the contract of Haddonfield Child Care, after its almost four decades of providing that child care to the community.
- The board also gave its unopposed approval to the promotion of Assistant Superintendent Chuck Klaus to superintendent, effective July 1, with a three-year contract pending approval by the Camden County Superintendent.
