Difficult decisions

State aid down, cost savings up in Lenape district 

With continued cuts in state aid, the Lenape Regional High School District is facing additional operational and staffing reductions and other cost-saving measures.

The state aid reductions come as school districts attempt to mitigate the impact of COVID and at the same time, deal with astronomical costs for supplies and services and unprecedented increases in transportation costs and cost-of-living raises, officials said.

The proposed 2023-’24 General Fund Operating Budget for the Lenape district is $174 million. The withdrawal from Capital Reserve of $7.79 million for outlay projects brings the general fund budget to about $166 million. That represents a 1.96% increase over the previous year, a number that represents the net difference of a 2.18% tax levy increase and a decrease of state aid of $1.1 million.

The debt service tax levy will remain the same, reflecting the current payment schedule for the 2023-’24 year of bonds issued or refunded and previously approved by taxpayers in 2005 and 2022.

School officials said the loss in aid is further compounded by the state’s School Aid Formula calculation of Local Fair Share. It determined that local taxpayers should be responsible for $6 million more of the overall budget from last year. That would equate to a 4.7% increase in the current tax levy.

There is no mechanism for school districts to raise enough funds to offset deficits, as the aforementioned factors far outpace the 2% tax levy cap, officials said.

“It is incomprehensible that elected officials responsible for the state’s budget would approve any cuts to direct aid to schools at a time when students need more support than ever before,” said David Stow, chair of the Lenape board of education’s finance Committee.

“This, along with the year-after-year cuts to state aid, and the increases of everything else, continue to challenge us to maintain the high-quality education in safe and secure environments our families rely on for their children.”

In order for a balanced budget to be approved, schools and district administrators have collaborated on difficult decisions. A more in-depth discussion of budget and tax impact will occur during a public hearing at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 26, at the K. Kiki Konstantinos building on Willow Grove Road in Shamong.

The General Fund Tax Levy increase of 2.18% and no Debt Service Tax Levy increase result in the following tax impact on district municipalities:

• Evesham Township – Tax levy increase of 2.70 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $76.45 on a home assessed at the township average of $272,628.
• Medford Township – Tax levy increase of 1.75 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $100.97 on a home assessed at the township average of $329,349.
• Medford Lakes Borough – Tax levy decrease of 1.33 cents, resulting in a decrease in regional school taxes of $36.59 on a home assessed at the borough average of $288,880.
• Mount Laurel Township – Tax levy decrease of 0.77 cents, resulting in a decrease in regional school taxes of $16.07 on a home assessed at the township average of $238,200.
• Shamong Township – Tax levy increase of 2.58 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $82.24 on a home assessed at the township average of $309,768.
• Southampton Township – Tax levy increase of 5.37 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $106.09 on a home assessed at the township average of $192,805.
• Tabernacle Township – Tax levy increase of 2.51 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $92.49 on a home assessed at the township average of $274,246.
• Woodland Township – Tax levy increase of 2.81 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $78.68 on a home assessed at the township average of $256,300.

The Lenape district’s four high schools – Lenape, Shawnee, Cherokee and Seneca – as well as the Sequoia Alternative and Transition to Adulthood Programs, have approximately 6,800 students from eight communities in Burlington County.