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Schools

Typical School Tax Up $231 in Morris Plains

Budget will not go to public for approval this year

The average Morris Plains homeowner will pay $231 more in school taxes under a 2012-2013 budget passed by the borough's board of education.

Under a new state law, the budget won't have to go to voters for approval, as the district kept the tax levy — the total amount of tax dollars raised — from growing more than 2 percent year over year. The levy would increase 1.46 percent, giving the district the option of skipping the public vote.

"The board made a conscious decision on behalf of the community of Morris Plains to keep the increase as low as possible," said Morris Plains School District Superintendent Dr. Ernest Palestis. "So 1.46 percent in this economy really speaks highly of the board and its ability to manage money."

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The budget's general fund would grow 1.75 percent, but officials said the levy was kept at bay by refinancing debt.

The tax rate under the new budget is 98 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, up from 93 cents. For the owner of a home assessed at the borough average of $439,483, that means an increase of $231, to $4307. Those figures do not include municipal and county taxes, which are set separately.

Find out what's happening in Morris Township-Morris Plainswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Officials said key factions in the new budget are are additions to the education program, new staffing positions, and renovations.

The budget integrates a new Pre-K program with about a $36,000 expected increase in revenue, technology purchases such as iPads for Pre-K students and 10 desktop computers for Mountain Way School. Costs associated with a new state evaluation system amount to $30,800.

Additional staffing positions include a full-time special education teacher, an increase in hours for a part-time secretary, and a full-time custodian.

Palestis said that this summer the district will renovate at Mountain Way School by turning the storage area into a classroom, and also doing a partial roof replacement.

The district will receive $563,128 in state aid this year, which is more than $95,000 more than last year. At the same time, the district lost over $60,000 in Federal Aid.

"When we look at the fact that the district is improving the educational program and the physical plan, and doing so at a way for less than the cap, I think that it's quite an accomplishment," Palestis said.

Morris Plains has taken a number of steps at both of its schools to cut costs for better efficiency, and also participated in many services such as the Federal E-rate program and the Educational Services Commission that saved the district money, he said.

A full copy of the PowerPoint presented at the hearing can be found on the district homepage.

Palestis said that it was found in an analysis comparing districts that Morris Plains achieved outstanding test scores while spending much less than comparable districts.

The next board meeting will be held on April 10, where a New Jersey School Board Association representative, Joanne Borin, will report the results from the board self-evaluation.

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