School Taxes Pose $32 Average Hike in Hillsborough

The district’s tentative budget comes in at $113,679,123, includes no staff reductions or program reductions, according to Superintendent Jorden Schiff's presentation at Monday night’s B meeting.

The total budget is a $2,999,423 increase—about 2 percent—over 2011-12’s $110,679,700 budget. It includes $81,528,217 to be raised through the local tax levy. That’s about .4 percent more than the $81,205,961 raised in 2011-12, and represents an increase of $322,256.

Under the tentative budget, the tax rate would increase by less than 1 cent, from $1.444 per $100 of assessed value to $1.453 per $100 of assessed value. A homeowner assessed at $368,700 would see their tax bill increase by $32.

Meanwhile Millstone Borough taxpayers would contribute $807,563 toward school taxes, a decrease of $3,656 from the $811,219 raised in 2011-2012. However, a 5.6 percent decrease in the town’s rateable base means the tax rate will increase to $1.487 from $1.424.

A Millstone Borough homeowner assessed at $324,474 would see the school tax portion of their bill increase by $204.

The Millstone portion of the tax levy is determined by an equalized value of the property tax and by student enrollment, according to the funding formula set by former Somerset County Superintendent Trudy Doyle. The formula was determined after the 2009 consolidation of the state’s non-operating school districts into the districts those students attended.

Under the tentative budget, the district expects to add six world language teachers for its re-instated elementary world language program, and four special education teachers who would be placed based on school needs.

Several posts, including two teachers at the and four half-time related arts teachers at the, are included with the aim of reducing class sizes. The budget also retains two technology trainers—posts originally funded through the one-year education jobs grant— as additional personnel. Two additional technology trainer posts will be added as well, as will a half-time nurse post and a half-time guidance counselor at .

The budget also includes a $428,000 allocated to the district’s capital projects fund, though Schiff could not state how the district would use the money.

“There’s a laundry list of them,” he said.

About 70 percent of the budget is for salaries and benefits for school and district personnel, according to Business Administrator Aiman Mahmoud. That includes a 2 percent increase in teacher salaries established in the Hillsborough Education Association contract.

Program improvements include revising all curriculum areas except for science and math, which were revised in 2011-12, implementing the district's elementary world language program, lowering class sizes in the middle and high schools, updating the teachers' desktop computers with touch-screen laptops, and instituting a teacher-training-teacher professional development model. It also includes a comprehensive energy audit at all schools that the district hopes will help identify areas for money savings.

The chart below illustrates the 2012 estimated school tax for Hillsborough Township.

Home’s Assessed Value

2012 Estimated School Tax Rate

2012 Estimated Annual School Tax

2011 Actual School Tax Rate

2011 Actual School Tax

Increase in Annual School Tax

$100,000

1.453

$1,453

1.444

$1,444

$9

$150,000

1.453

$2,179

1.444

$2,166

$13

$200,000

1.453

$2,905

1.444

$2,888

$17

$250,000

1.453

$3,631

1.444

$3,610

$21

$300,000

1.453

$4,358

1.444

$4,332

$26

$350,000

1.453

$5,084

1.444

$5,054

$30

$368,700

1.453

$5,356

1.444

$5,324

$32

$400,000

1.453

$5,810

1.444

$5,776

$34

$450,000

1.453

$6,536

1.444

$6,498

$38

$500,000

1.453

$7,263

1.444

$7,220

$43

$550,000

1.453

$7,989

1.444

$7,942

$47

$600,000

1.453

$8,715

1.444

$8,664

$51

$650,000

1.453

$9,442

1.444

$9,386

$56

$700,000

1.453

$10,168

1.444

$10,108

$60

The chart below illustrates the 2012 estimated school tax for Millstone Borough.

Home’s Assessed Value

2012 Estimated School Tax Rate

2012 Estimated Annual School Tax

2011 Actual School Tax Rate

2011 Actual School Tax

Increase in Annual School Tax

$100,000

1.487

$1,487

1.424

$1,424

$63

$150,000

1.487

$2,230

1.424

$2,136

$94

$200,000

1.487

$2,974

1.424

$2,848

$126

$250,000

1.487

$3,717

1.424

$3,560

$157

$300,000

1.487

$4,461

1.424

$4,272

$189

$324,474

1.487

$4,825

1.424

$4,621

$204

$350,000

1.487

$5,204

1.424

$4,984

$220

$400,000

1.487

$5,948

1.424

$5,696

$252

$450,000

1.487

$6,691

1.424

$6,408

$283

$500,000

1.487

$7,434

1.424

$7,120

$314

$550,000

1.487

$8,178

1.424

$7,832

$346

$600,000

1.487

$8,921

1.424

$8,544

$377

$650,000

1.487

$9,665

1.424

$9,256

$409

$700,000

1.487

$10,408

1.424

$9,968

$440