School board adopts $6.3M budget

SEA GIRT— The Sea Girt Board of Education adopted its 2025 to 2026 budget totaling $6.3 million at its meeting Thursday night. 

The tax rate is .1253 per $100 of a homeowner’s assessed home value. 

For the average assessed home value in Sea Girt at $3,162,432, the school tax bill is $3,963, an increase of approximately $80 per household. This is a tax increase of $100,816, or 2% higher than the previous year. 

The board of education supports the “thorough and efficient education” of students from pre-K through 12th grade. 

The total appropriations for next school year total $6,329,367. 

Some priorities for the development of the budget include providing the best educational atmosphere for students, maintaining programs while implementing state mandates, maintaining faculty and providing staff with resources that ensure students receive the best education, improving and maintaining critical infrastructure, improving the safety and security of the building, improving and maintaining a facility that the community uses and is proud of and maintaining a stable tax impact on the community, according to the budget presentation given by Business Administrator/Board Secretary Gregory Hillman. 

Student programs that are supported by the budget include curriculum aligned with New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS), extracurricular activities, clubs and activities, sending district activities, student leadership, summer enrichment and reinforcement and technology upgrades. 

Aside from student programming, the budget also supports other areas of the school’s operation including tuition for Manasquan High School and vocational high school programs, salary and health benefits, facility maintenance and improvement, professional development and transportation. 

This year’s tax levy totals $5,141,592, which is up $100,816 or 2%, compared to last year’s $5,040,776. Total revenues total $6,329,367, a $286,065 decrease compared to last year’s $6,615,432. 

A majority of the district’s funding comes from the tax levy, equaling 81% of the total revenue. 

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