Mount Laurel

1
Mount Laurel
Township Schools

• 2008-2009 Proposed
• Annual School Budget
• Dr. Antoinette Rath, Superintendent
• March 19, 2008

2
What Lies Ahead for Our Students
"In the back of that van, I scribbled down four
words in my notebook. 'The world is flat.' As
soon as I wrote them, I realized that this was
the underlying message of everything I had seen
and heard in Bangalore in two weeks of filming.
The global competitive field was being leveled.
The world was being flattened." - Thomas Friedman
"The future belongs to a very different kind of
person with a very different kind of mind
creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers and
meaning makers. These people artists,
inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers,
consolers, big picture thinkers will now reap
societys richest rewards and share its greatest
joys." - Daniel Pink
3
Curriculum Instruction

• Curriculum and Instruction
• Language Arts Curriculum Revision
• Align current curriculum with NJCCCS
• Support with appropriate professional
  development and classroom materials
• Provide independent classroom libraries at all
  grade levels
• Autism Program Curriculum
• Articulation of program K-8
• Codify state guideline indicators for autistic
  programs
• Overlay curriculum with best-practice strategies
  for teaching of students with autism
• Mathematics
• Final year for Open-Ended Problem Solving Team
• New edition of Investigations resources for
  teachers
• Math Investigations Resource Books for grades
  K-5
• Math activity books for grades 1-5

4
Professional Development

• Professional Development
• Continuation of Understanding By Design (UBD)
  Initiative
• Stage 3 (Learning Activities) for November '08
  Inservice
• Continuation of District Inservice Days
• November '08 UBD, Curriculum Advancement
• February Follow Up Sessions
• Continuation of District Training Opportunities
• Mount Laurel Institutes (Winter, Summer
  Sessions)
• Building Level Staff Development Opportunities
• _at_ My School Sessions
• Book Study Groups

5
Capital Improvements

• Capital Improvements
• Equipment Purchases
• Replacement 1-54 Passenger Bus, 2-16 passenger
  buses, 1 pickup truck with plow.
• New Piano for Harrington, Table saw for
  Harrington Woodshop, Wheel Balancer for Bus
  garage
• Improvement Projects
• Phase I Locker replacement at HMS
• Phase II Bleacher replacement HMS
• Upgrade of Springville HVAC controls
• Hot Water Heater Replacement at Hartford
• Floor tile replacement Fleetwood All Purpose room
• Ceiling Tile replacement at HMS and Larchmont
• Painting at Larchmont, Fleetwood and HMS
• Stage curtain replacement at Larchmont

6
Proposed Budget Overview

• General Fund Tax Levy 49,485,496
• (Amount on ballot)
• Debt Service Fund Tax Levy 3,727,609
• (Voter-approved)
• Total Tax Levy for 2008-2009 53,213,105
• Tax rate for 2008-2009 1.557
• Tax rate for 2007-2008 1.537
• Increase 2 cents (1.3)

7
Budget Maintains

• Courtesy Busing for Hazardous Routes
• After School Sports/Clubs, including
  transportation
• Full-time RN's in each building
• Full-time Guidance Counselors in each building
• Full-time librarians in each building
• Tech Specialists for staff and student support

8
2008-2009 Proposed Budget Summary

• Proposed Budget totals 64,431,243
• Total budget up 2.9-percent over last year, or
  1.8 million more.
• Total General Fund is 58,813,369, an increase of
  3.4-percent over last year, or 1.9 million more.
• Budget is within the 4-percent cap imposed by the
  State of New Jersey.

9
Proposed 2008 - 2009 Budget Highlights

• An additional 194,150 in state aid
• Health benefits/pension contribution property
  worker's comp insurance up 9.8-percent
• Note total budget up 2.9-percent
• (PERS Pension contribution alone increased by
  200,000. This is now 100 district-funded.)
• Utilities fuel cost increases

10
Increasing Revenue Sources

• Integrated preschool program tuition
  approximately 40,000
• Increase building rental fees and opportunities,
  approximately 20,000
• Participation in Special Education Medicaid
  Initiative (SEMI) Program anticipated revenue -
  26,000

11
Cost-Saving Measures

• Participation in Burlington County Joint
  Insurance Program Fund with 24 other districts
• Burlington County Co-Op for the purchase of fuel
  and heating oil.
• Participation in NJ ACT Program for phone
  service.
• Participation in Education Data Services
  Cooperative for school supplies resulting in a
  savings of 229,866.
• Participation in Federal Universal Service
  Program (E-Rate) for savings of 95,958.
• Participation in health benefits opt-out program
  resulting in a savings of 605,290.
• Participation in NJ ACES Program for electric
  natural gas.
• Lighting Retrofit Program savings of 55,754.
• Biodiesel Program savings of 35,000.
• Refinancing of existing debt anticipated to save
  63,547.

12
Where The Money Comes From
13
How The Money Is Spent
14
Budget Comparison Total Budget
15
Budget Comparison General Fund
16
Budget Comparison State Aid
17
Budget Comparison Special Revenue
18
Budget Comparison Debt Service
19
Administrative Costs

• The NJ Department of Educations Administrative
  Spending Threshold for our region is 1,658 per
  pupil.
• Mount Laurels administrative cost in the
  proposed 2008-2009 budget is 1,264 per pupil.
• Our proposed administrative cost is 395 per
  pupil less than the DOE threshold.

20
Tentative Tax Impact for 2008-2009

• Home Assessed at Township Average of 141,100
• 2007-08 2008-09
• 141,100 141,100
• x.01537 x.01557
• 2,168.71 2,196.73 28.22 1.3
• Typical Home Assessed at 200,000
• 2007-08 2008-09
• 200,000 200,000
• x.01537 x.01557
• 3,074.00 3,114.00 40.00 1.3

21
Election Information

• Vote on April 15 at eight local polling places
• from 3-9 p.m.
• You may vote by absentee ballot.
• Election information and forms
• available at district website
• www.mtlaurelschools.org

22
Mount Laurel Board of Education

• Margaret Haynes, President
• William Crowe, Vice President
• Diane Blair
• Nancy Jones
• Jane Elliott
• Ron Frey
• Michael Gallagher
• Helen Siegel
• Kathleen Wolfe