Montville Township Public Schools PRELIMINARY BUDGET PRESENTATION 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR Presented to the: Montville Township Board of Education February 21, 2017 Dr. Rene Rovtar, Superintendent of School Mr. James Tevis, School Business Administrator
PROPOSED NEW INITIATIVES It is noted that until the district receives its state aid figures for 2017-2018 (expected by March 2), we are unable to accurately compute the amount of money that will be available for new initiatives which have been proposed for the 2017-2018 annual school district budget. Information of new initiatives should be finalized for the March 7th Board of Education meeting.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROPOSALS Hiring of two full time Spanish teachers to provide instruction at the five elementary schools in grades
LAZAR MIDDLE SCHOOL PROPOSALS Upgrade Video Production Equipment
MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL PROPOSALS Potential implementation of new courses: New Upper Level World Language Courses in Advanced Culture (French, Italian, Spanish) AP Computer Science Principles Principles of Anatomy
SPECIAL SERVICES PROPOSALS Implementation of an additional Integrated Preschool Class Speech Testing Kits Other CST materials
TECHNOLOGY PROPOSALS Chromebook 1:1 Initiative at the High School SMART Board Replacement Generator for ITS Data Center ITS Junior Systems Administrator
ATHLETIC PROPOSALS Pole Vault Mats Tennis Court Nets Remove Wall between Spin and Weight Rooms Installation of Rubberized Floor in Weight Room
DISTRICT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT Implementation of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in grades K-5 in 2017-2018 Purchase of textbooks and materials aligned to the NGSS for grades K 5
PROPOSED BUDGET CONSTRAINTS Salary and Health Benefit Costs alone constitute about 76% of the operating budget On average, salaries increased 2.5% in 2016-2017 and 2.4% in 2017-2018. Health Benefit premiums are estimated to increase by 6% It stands to reason that the potential to introduce new programs or even expand current ones is severely restricted, given that such a substantial portion of the budget increases at more than the 2% Tax Levy Cap.
PROPOSED BUDGET FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Assumes the same Amount of State Aid Funding as in 2016-2017 Limit Local Tax Levy increase to the 2.0% Cap Expense Budget Increase of < 1.0% New Educational and Facility Initiatives
NEW CAPITAL FACILITY AND MAINTENANCE INITIATIVES Hilldale School Reconfiguration of the Media Center to provide two Small Group Instruction Areas (outcome of the Demographic Study Task Force) William Mason School Reconfiguration of the Drop Off Area at the school to increase safety
NEW CAPITAL FACILITY AND MAINTENANCE INITIATIVES Capital Facility and Maintenance Initiatives in the 2017-2018 Budget have been minimized in light of the proposed September 26, 2017 Referendum which will encompass: The proposed projects to be included in the referendum would be broken down into three separate questions. (Please note: Voters will have to pass Question #1 in order for #2 and/or #3 to also pass): Referendum Question #1: - Roof Replacements (MTHS, Lazar, William Mason) - HVAC Controls (districtwide) - Restroom renovations - Media Center Renovations (Lazar and all elementary schools) Referendum Question #2: - Gymnasium Renovations Referendum Question #3: - Air conditioning (in those instructional spaces in all buildings currently without air conditioning)
APPROPRIATIONS VS. REVENUE The district is compiling a draft budget based on the assumption that state aid we receive from the New Jersey Department of Education will remain flat for the 2017-2018 school year. Communication received from the NJDOE indicates that there may be changes to state aid for local districts in 2017-2018
APPROPRIATIONS VS. REVENUE Districts will not receive their state aid figures until March 2th Any substantial changes to the district s state aid will require a deeper analysis of our appropriations and a possible prioritization of all new initiatives to address any decrease in projected revenue
ADDITIONAL BUDGETARY IMPACTS As we have reported previously, the Montville Township Public Schools are experiencing a declining enrollment. This decrease is expected to continue for the next five years as reflected in the Demographic Study which was completed in the spring of 2016. The forecast projects that the decline will also continue for several years beyond those included in the study.
IMPACT OF DECLINING ENROLLMENT While the Demographic Study Task Force examined the impact of the declining enrollment and determined that there would be no immediate impact on our ability to continue to offer comprehensive programs at the middle school and high school levels, one of the impacts of declining enrollment is a potential reduction in staff. While the Board is committed to maintaining class size in accordance with the ranges set forth in Board policy, fewer students ultimately results in the need for fewer teachers. The Central Office staff is closely analyzing our staffing needs for the 2017-2018 school year.
FUTURE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS March 7, 2017 Municipal Building - Adoption of tentative budget for submission to the Executive County Superintendent March 21, 2017 Budget Presentation/Discussion/Review April 18, 2017 Budget Presentation/Discussion/Review May 2, 2017 - Public Hearing on and adoption of 2017-2018 Annual School District Budget
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