MANASQUAN — The Manasquan Public School District Board of Education approved its budget for the upcoming school year at its April 23 meeting, raising the school tax rate 2.26% to $0.9369 per every $100 of assessed value.
The average assessed house value in Manasquan is $655,262. Thus, the average-assessed household will pay $6,139.80 for the school portion of its tax bill, an increase of $137.60 from last year.
The school district’s budget totals $37,090,130, in total expenditures, a nearly 3% increase from last year’s budget. It is funded by $34,284,178 from the general fund, $361,868 from special revenues and $2,444,084 for debt service.
The general fund is made up primarily of revenue from local school taxes ($17,601,159) and tuition ($14,442,551), with the rest coming from state, federal and other sources.
The budget counts enrollment at 1,403 students across both Manasquan High School (MHS) and Manasquan Elementary School (MES), which is 51 fewer than last year. The proposed cost per pupil is $22,715 an increase from last year’s $21,798.
The upcoming year’s tuition rate for MHS will be $20,215 per student, an increase of $675 per student from the previous year’s tuition rate.
Among the programs funded by the budget is the international baccalaureate program, which the high school will begin offering this fall. The program allows students to take more higher level courses with the potential to earn college credits.
There will be expanded summer instruction, new interactive whiteboards as well as new computers leased for the purpose of the district’s one-to-one computer initiative.
Two full-time elementary school teachers are retiring and will not be replaced. Two full-time high school teachers are retiring and will be replaced. A full-time elementary school secretary, paraprofessional and high school assistant principal are retiring and will all be replaced. An additional full-time paraprofessional and technology coordinator will be hired.
Construction related to the January 2023 referendum is expected to begin in the late spring.
The board approved a capital reserve deposit of $5,000 for anticipated interest for the upcoming school year and $99,050 for turf and sod replacement. A deposit of $2,000 to the maintenance reserve for anticipated interest for the upcoming school year.
In the 2022-2023 school year, $200,000 was deposited into the tuition reserve account and is now required to be withdrawn. It will help pay the tuition obligation for the upcoming school year.
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