The Lenape Regional High School District is expected to see an increase in state aid, the first in eight consecutive years of loss.
The board of education released its preliminary 2026-’07 budget in preparation for submission to the state Department of Education. The total general fund operating budget is $185,725,334, an increase from the previous year equal to 4.11%. The total tax levy is slated to increase by 4.43%, the combination of the general fund and debt service tax levy.
The increase in state aid of $1,101,830 was needed to prevent further loss of programs and activities, school officials said.
“We are pleased to put forth a balanced budget that preserves our current staff and protects the diverse range of programs and activities that define the (Lenape) experience,” Superintendent Matt Webb said in a district press release. “We extend our deepest gratitude to our board of education, staff and community for their unwavering advocacy.
“It’s clear that our collective voice moved the needle and helped secure these vital results.”
And although the increase is a “welcome step forward,” according to David Stow, who chairs the board’s finance committee, “it does not erase the impact of years of underfunding, nor does it fully cover astronomical increases in health-care costs.
“We look forward to the governor fulfilling her commitment to modernize the funding formula and rein in health-care costs, ensuring that every student is funded fairly and sustainably for years to come.”
Last year, former school superintendent Carol Birnbohm – who retired in May after 13 years leading the regional district – continued to express frustration with the instability of the state’s school funding formula. She had been leading the charge on fair funding and testified before the state education department regarding the School Funding Reform Act.
The district’s state aid last year was down by 3%.
“When (the Lenape district) creates its budget, every line item is scrutinized,” she noted at the time. “Fixed costs exist, but salaries and benefits, which comprise the majority of the budget, inherently require consistent increases. Flat or reduced funding is incompatible with maintaining quality education, especially in a state like New Jersey, which prides itself on being one of the highest-performing education systems in the nation.
“A state budget and school funding formula that allows any district to receive less funding than the prior year defies logic,” Birnbohm added. “New Jersey’s education budget must fully support all 600-plus school districts, with moderate annual funding increases, to reduce the tax burden on citizens while safeguarding educational quality.
Once approved by the executive county superintendent, the district will hold a public hearing on the budget and tax impact at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, at the K. Kiki Konstantinos Administration and Staff Development Building, 93 Willow Grove Road in Shamong.
The proposed tax levy increase results in the tax impact outlined below:
- – Evesham Township – Tax levy increase of 3.04 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $93.96 on a home assessed at the township average of $273,776.
- – Medford Township – Tax levy increase of 2.24 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $80.33 on a home assessed at the township average of $331,100.
- – Medford Lakes Borough – Tax levy increase of 8.38 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $248.02 on a home assessed at the borough average of $291,200.
- – Mount Laurel Township – Tax levy increase of 2.93 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $81.57 on a home assessed at the township average of $241,292.
- – Shamong Township – Tax levy increase of 5.62 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $182.35 on a home assessed at the township average of $311,891.
- – Southampton Township – Tax levy increase of 9.49 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $183.99 on a home assessed at the township average of $189,706.
- – Tabernacle Township – Tax levy increase of 2.24 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $62.42 on a home assessed at the township average of $274,198.
- – Woodland Township – Tax levy decrease of .62 cents, resulting in a decrease in regional school taxes of $8.30 on a home assessed at the township average of $256,948.
