School aid and debt services assisting with tax decrease
Mantua Township School District is proposing a balanced budget for the 2018–19 school year.
“Test scores are up. Taxes are down,” Superintendent Robert Fisicaro said.
Despite an increase to the total dollar number of the budget, the superintendent said due in part to an increase in state aid and a decrease in debt service, the district is able to require less from taxpayers. The proposed budget for the 2018–19 school year totals $21,653,112, up from last year’s $21,206,434.
Based on the average assessed home value of $204,500, if the budget is approved, taxpayers can expect to see a $14 annual decrease in K-6 school taxes.
While not set in stone, Fisicaro is hopeful that in the next few years, taxpayers will see more decreases. A decrease in interest on a 2001 loan that helped fund an addition to J. Mason Tomlin Elementary School is a capital aspect of the lower tax rate. Fisicaro stated the 20-year loan is nearly paid off.
News from the state allotting Mantua a 1.6 percent increase in state aid from the previous year’s budget is another driving force behind lower taxes. In all, the district is set to receive $6,272,179 in state aid, a $100,478 bump from 2017–18.
“The goals have to drive the budget,” he said.
The increase in state aid will largely assist with the district’s transition of Sewell School into an early education center serving preschool and kindergarten students.
The remaining students traditionally attending Sewell, grades one through three, will join their fellow students at the Centre City campus.
If and when the proposed budget is approved, the district will begin the search for additional paraprofessionals for kindergarten. The district will also maintain pre-k extended day programs as part of full-day options for parents.
The district is adding 10 to 20 pre-k free seats for “economically disadvantaged” students this coming school year. Fisicaro said the same formula for those who are eligible for free lunch will be used to determine how these seats are distributed.
“We are seeing students with more and more mental health challenges,” Fisicaro said.
He mentioned in the budget, funds are allocated for an additional school counselor.
Furthering the emphasis on mental wellness, the district is looking to implement more classes geared toward social and emotional development.
Students will take part in a “Choose Love” class rather than the traditional computer class.
Mentioning that students are being exposed to technology at a younger age than ever before, he said, “Kids are going to know how to work a computer. They need social, emotional skills. … We are going to make our early childhood center really strong on mental health, social and emotional wellness and not so much high-tech.”
Much of this has to do with the the success the district has seen since the implementation of the Character Education program.
Studying data from 2014 to the present, the district has seen an increase in academic gains across multiple subjects since adding the character program.
However, rather than labeling the increases as causation, Fisicaro said it may be a correlation.
“It’s the idea that kids are centered and good people,” he said, stating a better education is possible if a child is on the way to developing good character.
The district is exploring amping up security measures in all three buildings, part of a national trend following several violent, school-related tragedies.
As of April 1, school resource officer Jim Fellon has been splitting 20 hours a week between the three schools. Fellon is a Mantua resident and retired officer from the Woodbury Police Department.
“He’s off to a terrific start. He has a solid reputation,” he said.
Fisicaro mentioned the decision to go local with the school resource officer position was made to provide a familiar face, a person in a Mantua uniform. He said a local law enforcement officer provides a trust factor that might not be available if the job were outsourced to a security firm.
“It opens up communication with the local police department,” he said.
Fisicaro said the district is looking into adding officers to provide all-day security at each school.
At a recent Mantua Township workshop meeting, Mayor Pete Scirrotto said he would prefer to see one officer in each school. If a plan were devised and approved, the township could potentially set funds aside to assist with the pay of additional officers.
Fisicaro said physical changes to the buildings are being explored to provide further safety.
Another key point assisting the budget this year is the continued use of shared services. Among others, the district continues to share custodial and maintenance services with the township and behavioral specialists with the Harrison Township School District.
“Of the budget and the rising test scores,” Fisicaro said, “we are really proud but not satisfied.”
