Berkeley Township School District Budget Calls For Slight Increase This Year

Residents with a home assessed at the township average of $198,700 can expect to pay an additional $6.57 a year, according to the 2013-2014 budget adopted by the Berkeley Township Board of Education.

No one in the audience spoke during the recent public hearing on the $33,717,707 budget, which board members unanimously approved.

"Seventy-five percent of the $33 million is base salaries and benefits," Superintendent James D. Roselli said. "We had to do a very detailed budget and break it down item by item, school by school."

The amount to be raised by taxation is $26,708,133, up from last year's 26,456,346, according to figures provided by school Business Administrator Laura Venter.

The 2013-2014 local school tax rate for the Berkeley school district is 56.11 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation, compared to 55.36 cents in the 2012-2013 district budget.

School officials will use $1,443,540 in surplus for this year's budget. That compares to $1,128,548 in the 2012-2013 school budget.

• Employees will continue to pay a minimum of 1.5 percent of their salaries towards their health insurance premiums.

• The district will continue a four-day work week during the summer.

• The district's revenue-producing paid regular education preschool will continue in the new school year.

• The new budget also calls for the addition of one regular education teacher and a Berkeley Township police officer on duty in each of the four elementary schools.