Hearing set for Cranbury school budget

[news]

Residents will get a chance to talk about the district's 2007 school budget Tuesday.

A public hearing for the $16.7 million spending plan will take place at 7 p.m. in the Large Group Instruction room at Cranbury School. Voters will get their say on the plan at school elections April 17.

The budget, which is 12.8 percent larger than last year's $14.8 million plan, was introduced March 6. It includes $6 million to pay for salaries and wages, up from $5.8 million in 2006.

The plan also calls for $4.1 million to cover tuition for 253 regular students and 12 special education students to attend Princeton High School next year, $1.8 million for employee benefits and $910,236 to cover debt service.

The new plan requires $15.5 million to be raised in taxes.

If approved by voters, the school tax rate would be 81.33 cents per $100 of assessed value. Under that rate, the owner of a house assessed at the new township average of $673,000 would pay $5,474 in school taxes in 2007.

However, it's difficult to compare the new rate with last year's because property value in the township has increased as a result of a revaluation, which drove down the tax rate. The revaluation increased the average residential assessment from $219,439 to $673,176.
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