School Board Introduces Budget, Criticizes State

It's been a constant and legitimate gripe from the Red Bank School District. When it comes to funding, officials say the borough's schools just aren't getting enough of it.

At Wednesday's council meeting, the unveiled its budget for the upcoming year, which includes an increase and modest tax increase over last year's budget. Because of the expansion of its preschool to accommodate all of Red Bank's three and four-year-old students, and because of a growing school population, the school district was allowed, by state law, to increase its budget by 7.5 percent, but chose instead to cap its increase at just 3 percent.

The complete school budget is $20.834 million, a number that includes local taxes, state aid, debt service, and entitlements, among other costs. Of that total, $12.652 million is to be raised through the local tax levy. The local tax increase is $383,988, or about 1.1 cent per $100 of assessed property value.

Residents with a home assessed at $405,522 will pay $63.05 more this year in school taxes.

The board was able to keep its budget relatively flat by cutting programs and student activities once a regular part of the school experience but now deemed a luxury. Field trips, student assemblies, part of the middle school sports program, even instructional materials have all gotten the axe.

District Business Administrator Annie Darrow says the State continues to underfund Red Bank. She's not alone in her criticism of the State's funding. In the fall of 2011, based on New Jersey's own adequacy funding formula.

The call for additional funding did not resonate with the State, however.

"We were hoping for a boon," Darrow said. "Because out district is growing and our student demographic requires more funding. What we got was $191,000."

In all, Red Bank's public schools received $2.256 in state funding. The district's charter school and preschool also receive, separate, funding, though its use is not at the district's discretion.

Superintendent Laura Morana said Red Bank needs more aid, not just because more than 80 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, but because the district is growing in size. Currently, Red Bank's student population is 1,266. That number is expected to grow to 1,352 next year. A reason for the increase is the expansion of the preschool program, but Morana said the district's primary and middle schools are growing, too.

For the first time ever a Red Bank Middle School class - fourth grade - entered the . In the past five years, the district's school population, not including preschoolers, has grown by 300 students.