Here's 2024/25 Middletown School Budget, Brings 2.95 Percent Tax Hike (2024)

Schools

Directly from superintendent Jessica Alfone, here is the official 2024/25 budget presentation:

Posted Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 2:44 pm ET|Updated Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 3:00 pm ET

The budget does bring a 2.95 percent property tax increase for Middletown homeowners.

That means the average home in town, assessed at $600,000+, will see a tax increase of $17 more a month, which is an additional $209 a year.

The budget was introduced at the most recent school board meeting, which was held Monday night (March 18) (watch it here or below). All the Board members approved the budget on its first introduction. The next step is the public can comment on the budget at the April 30 BOE meeting.

Here is the official 2024/25 budget presentation from superintendent Alfone; it explains the whole budget: https://drive.google.com/file/...

Alfone and Board members, particularly Kate Farley who said she almost voted against the budget, stressed they were not happy about the property tax increase. But Alfone said it was unavoidable due to Middletown's continued loss of state aid from the NJ Department of Education.

"We've had a significant loss in state aid over the last five years, that's cumulatively almost $4.5 million," said Alfone Monday night. "It's a pretty large hit. That's something we've had to compensate for."

She said pandemic recovery funds will also expire this September.

"We also have a lack of state and federal entities fully funding special education, or fully funding our costs across the district," said the superintendent. "We do suffer from a lack of a fully-funded special-education budget, or even for our general-education students. These are things that have an impact on how much revenue we can bring in, to be coupled with our tax base to craft our overall budget."

Alfone said despite the loss of millions from Trenton, Middletown was able to create a budget with only a one-percent increase in operating costs. She said despite the funding cuts, Middletown schools will be able to:

• Provide Orton-Gillingham early reading instruction for K-2 classrooms and teachers, something the district has been trying to put in place for years. All K-2 teachers and special ed. teachers will be trained in Orton-Gillingham.
• Bringing full-time art and music back into Middletown schools.
• Hire occupational therapists and physical therapists. Currently, the district contracts out for those services at hourly rates. Alfone said it will be cheaper to hire them in-house.
• Move the special-education transitions program for 18-21-year-olds (currently at High School South) to the Lincroft Annex.

Alfone said there are no plans to cut paraprofessionals, despite rumors.

Many Board members praised Alfone for keeping operating costs down in light of the funding cuts.

Board member Deb Wright said: "Over the course of five years we've lost close to 4.5 million. It is outrageous. We as a board need to do even more in terms of lobbying down in Trenton. It is ridiculous we are continuing to lose this amount of money."

Board member Joan Minnuies said the budget was "impressive, considering how much (state aid) we've lost."

"Everyone who knows me knows that a 2.95 percent (property tax) increase would be a definite no for me," said Minnuies. "But the one percent increase in operating costs is very impressive for the amount of money we have lost ... This is what we have to do to keep things going for our students."

She said she was particularly glad to see the return of full-day music. Minnuies also said this is the first time she's seen a budget that does not make cuts to classrooms, or threaten teacher layoffs.

"This is not something anyone wants to see," said Farley of the 2.95 property tax increase. "As recently as last week, I was probably going to be a 'no' (vote against the budget) ... But to bring back art and music, implement Orton-Gillingham, I was really impressed."

Monday night's meeting; the budget starts being discussed at 1:25: