BRADLEY BEACH — The Bradley Beach Board of Education [BOE] approved a tentative budget on May 7 of $9,001,694, which would result in an annual increase of about $59 per average household.
The board unanimously approved the budget, which was presented by Board Administrator David Tonzola and Superintendent Michael Heidelberg.
The district is increasing the tax levy by 2% to $6,840,744, an increase of $134,132 over last year’s budget.
The average residential assessment in Bradley Beach is $1,046,893, compared to last year’s $972,356. The borough’s total assessed valuation went up $162,650,400 this year.
According to the presentation, the estimated tax rate for 2024 is 0.302 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, which equates to $3,165 of school taxes yearly. When compared to the average increase of residential assessment from last year, the annual increase per average residence is $59.
The Bradley Beach school district had a $52,000 reduction in state aid, dropping to a total of $409,390 for the 2024-2025 year. Loss in aid is a common theme for BBES dating back to 2018, when the state Senate passed the school funding bill, S2, which has resulted in the loss of more than $650,000 in state funding over the past six years.
“The impact of S2 is a real impact, it’s not just Bradley Beach that was affected; all districts that were in that category were deeply affected by S2,” said Tonzola.
Although the loss in state aid forced BBES into a tricky scenario, the school will not be cutting any sports, music, art, clubs or other established programs because the federal reduction was anticipated by Tonzola in preliminary budget stages, an accomplishment Heidelberg and the rest of the board applauded him for.
“It’s (sobering) to see how much money we’ve lost in state funding over the years, but it’s just wonderful to see we are still able to keep these programs like music, art, sports and other clubs, so kudos to you David,” Board President Elizabeth Franks said.
The district will be withdrawing $35,000 from the maintenance reserve account, leaving a balance of $150,000, according to Tonzola. The reserve account sets money aside for specific projects that require maintenance for school facilities, some of which are over 100 years old, in accordance with the district’s comprehensive maintenance plan.
This year’s general fund balance is an increase of $82,000 compared to last year, totaling $7,708,865. Tonzola attributed the raise to several factors: salary increases, position changes and the anticipation of out-of-district student placements, which would require an increase in the tuition line.
The general fund appropriations for the 2024-2025 year includes $2,235,751 for regular and special education programs, $1,849,744 for tuition for high school students grades 9 through 12, $1,254,429 for employee benefits, interest on maintenance and emergency funds and $143,028 for bilingual education, among other allocations.
The next BOE meeting is on May 21 at 7 p.m. at the Bradley Beach Elementary School.
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