2013 School Taxes Down $20 Per Household on Average

Thanks to a net increase of about $94,000 in state aid, a number of shared service agreements and increased ratables in the borough, Collingswood Superintendent Scott Oswald should be able to make good on his promise of "not one penny more" in taxes for the public school district.

In a public presentation made at the March 25 meeting of the borough board of education (attached to this story as a .PDF), Oswald said that he calculates the average taxpayer will see almost a $20 decrease in school taxes while retaining the same $13,854,194 amount budgeted since 2012.

The average home in the borough is assessed at $231,300.

Under the guidelines of the 2 percent budget cap, the Board could levy the maximum 2-percent tax increase in 2013 ($277,084) plus a “banked” increase of $739,756 from past years—to which the district was entitled, but did not access—without going to a referendum. 

"The Board could raise taxes $1.017 million without a second question," Oswald's presentation states. "The Board is looking, instead, to collect NOT ONE PENNY MORE in taxes."

The presentation notes that 63 percent of the budget will go to instructional costs, and that responsibility for only 43 percent falls on local taxpayers.

What's in the budget?

Even with a projected increase of $0, the district budget will fund every current position as well as adding two elementary school positions, one at Tatem School and another whose location will be determined by enrollment needs, Oswald told Patch in an e-mail. 

Every elementary school classroom in the district will get $500 to expand its library, in a district-wide elementary-school literacy initiative.

"Our students are reading more than ever and we need to continue to invest in resources to support their reading," Oswald wrote. "It's a great problem to have." 

The budget also adds a secondary literacy coach to help bring the district in line with the Common Core State Standards, he said.

"The problem that all districts face is that most of our secondary non-language arts or English teachers are not trained to teach reading and writing," Oswald wrote.

Hiring a literacy coach will allow students to tackle advanced texts and write "narrative, argumentative, and informational text passages," he wrote.

The budget will also fund the academic support and accountability program at Collingswood High School, which Oswald has said is instrumental in helping provide safety nets to ensure students graduate.

"Students who are not successful on their benchmark exams are referred to the program for additional support to help get them caught up and back on track," he wrote. "It has been both popular and successful this year."

It also sets aside dollars for the Achieve NJ teacher evaluation system and PARCC assessment infrastructure upgrades, in which the district must invest to comply with new state performance initiatives.

Finally, the district will also take on a number of capital improvements and technology purchases, including:

• New partial roof at Tatem Elementary
• New partial playground at Tatem, replacing some old equipment
• Asphalt work at Garfield or Zane North
• Some new classroom furniture
• Increased Safety and Security Measures at our schools, including a new communications and phone system

The total capital outlay in the budget for 2013-14 is $1,013,946, according to the district presentation.

"We are always looking to improve our facilities and work from a list that Mr. Hird has developed and continues to modify as needs arise," district business administrator Beth-Ann Coleman told Patch in an e-mail.