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Save the Date...Dec. 8 eNews
Improved Buildings... Successful Students...
Strong Community
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We continue to provide you with information as we begin the countdown to the referendum vote. We need you to come out as an informed voter on December 8. This edition of the special newsletter will focus on the actual tax impact as well as listing the district polling places.  Please check out video segment 3, which focuses on the tax impact!

Save the date...December 8. Don't allow others to make the choice for your child.
Come out and VOTE! 

Come out Monday, November 30, 2015 at 6:30 P.M. in the Board of Education Conference Room.
 
You may also use the question portal to submit your questions.

Liz
District Polling Place List
Where do I vote?

If you are not voting by mail, please see the list below to find your polling place.

District Polling Place List
Beverly Road Fire House, 1001 Beverly Road:
District, 1, 2, 3, 4
 
Middle School @ Springside, 1600 Burlington-Bypass:
 District 5, 6, 7, 8, 19

Hopkins Building, 700 Jacksonville Road:
 District 9, 14, 15, 18
 
Young School, 1203 Neck Rd:
District 10, 11,12, 13, 16, 17

Don't allow others to make a decision about your child's learning environment.  
Vote on December 8!
Falcon WebTV
Episode #3 - Tax Impact

Learn more details about the tax impact, and the average $5 a year potential increase in our newest video.



Referendum Website
We urge YOU to make a decision about your child's learning environment.  Please don't allow others to make the choice for you!  Your VOTE counts!

In recent  Falcon  Flyers you have seen information from the school district about the upcoming Referendum on  December 8. This is an important topic impacting our children.  We will host another evening to answer questions. Come out and meet with Interim Superintendent, Mary Ann Bell, for a discussion.
 
Monday, November 30, 2015      6:30 P.M.
Board of Education Conference Room
Hopkins Building
Enter door # 18
 
 
 
Click here to access the new   
What is this going to cost me a year?

$5 additional a year on the average assessed home for 3 years will address our needs.


Click the button below to submit questions you have regarding the referendum.  Your questions will be answered in an upcoming newsletter and on the website.
questions
Below are answers to questions that have been submitted.  
Question Answer
What do you plan to do to keep the general budget costs down to offset the increase in taxes from this referendum?
In order to answer this question, there is a need to understand the different types of funds and tax levies. While the tax rate is presented as a single number, the rate is actually made from two different rates. One is from the general fund which pays for the teachers, supplies, energy, buses, etc. The other is from the debt approved in the past by the voters. It would be this rate that would increase VERY slightly for only a few years. The debt we currently have will begin expiring in the next few years. This will allow the district to avoid increases in taxes while using the bond proceeds to ensure we maintain strong buildings.
Are the MS field repairs being done to support MS sports that are trying to be instated and if so, will any money be used to fund the MS Sport program?
Decisions about the potential for Middle School Sports have not yet been made. There is a committee exploring various options. The fields are used by the Township Recreation Department and our Physical Education classes. Watered fields allow for better conditioning. Better conditioned fields allow for fewer injuries.
Will our school taxes go up because of this?
There is a spreadsheet on our website that demonstrates the current and proposed debt. It may be difficult to believe, but a great deal of thought was put into the timing of this referendum question. For a taxpayer with home assessed at the Burlington Township average of approximately, $228,000, the largest increase in any one year of the ten years proposed for the debt would be $5.00 a year. This is because we planned this referendum at a time when old debt is expiring to reduce the potential tax impact. This estimate is based on 10 year financing at a rate of 3%.
Will any of the money from the sale of the bonds be used to fund middle school sports?
No, the sale of bonds can only be used to refurbish and renovate the buildings and infrastructure. The funds cannot be used to support the operations of the district, including salaries and fees associated with a Middle School sports program. Those discussions would occur during the budget process.
 Please explain how 4.3 million dollars is 50% of the proposed 10.+ million dollars you are asking for.
There is a detailed document on the website showing each building and the amount of the total project cost per building and the amounts of eligible and ineligible costs. Eligibility in this case refers not to whether the projects are accepted but rather to whether the projects are eligible for debt service aid. ALL the projects have been approved by the NJDOE. Of the $10.1M, $8.9M are eligible for debt service aid, all projects are allowable by NJDOE.
Why are you scheduling a referendum vote at a time when there are no other elections going on? It appears that this is a sneak attack to get only supporters to the polls since it will not be on the top of the mind of the other voters.
 
There are only 5 times a year a district may seek approval from the voters. The district had to await approval from the NJDOE and follow a schedule based on submission to the NJDOE of projects, submission to the county elections board.
 Why can't we do some of the repairs? - $10,000,000 is a lot of money and my taxes are close to $10,000 already.
The district carefully planned the timing of this referendum to have the least impact on our local taxes as possible. We have current debt that will begin to expire which will allow for the $10.1M in projects to be completed without increasing taxes for the debt service. This portion of the local school tax on your tax bill will not increase (please see the tax impact schedule). There is another component of the local school tax on your bill which funds the operations of the district and this is what cannot be increased by more than the 2% cap.
Why are we only hearing about this referendum meeting on the day of the meeting? Never mentioned prior.
We believe in transparency. This event was advertised through electronic newsletters, the websites, and the electronic board on the corner of Fountain and Jacksonville Rd. The Burlington Foundation advertised this on their website and through their newsletters. Check out the Nov. 1 edition of BTF Connection. Click this link to view all  Foundation Newsletters. The Falcon Flyer also featured this information in the Nov. 4th edition of the NewsFlash.
Will the electricity be upgraded in the Hopkins gym to address the recent outage / overload that caused the power to go out during the Harlem Wizards game? Is that type of issue going to be addressed?
The electrical infrastructure in the Hopkins building is under review. The district employs two part time licensed electricians who have been reviewing all electrical operations of the district. The repairs needed have already been accomplished. The district continues to work to upgrade to LED lights and better controls for energy efficiency.
If the referendum does not get passed where would the funds come from to get the much needed projects completed? The general budget? If so, would there be reductions in teachers/other staffing or programs for the students or even larger class sizes?
What if you don't sell the $10mm in bonds?

(These questions were submitted by several community members.  They have been combined with the answer to the right.)

New
 
Yes, if the referendum is not passed there are some projects that will need to be complete, like the roofs and the track repair and eventually the High School kitchen. The project proposed are to maintain the safety and well being of students, staff and visitors. Some of the projects will not be able to be delayed. If the referendum does not pass the district will have to look at adding these items to the general budget. The budget rules changes a few years ago, districts were once allowed to add these type of repair and refurbishment items to the budget and they would be counted outside the cap. That is no longer the case, now these items must be included inside the cap and will compete against the dollar for the general educational programs.

The Board and Administration have been committed to maintaining class sizes with the goal to reduce class sizes whenever possible. If the referendum does not pass and the environment of the school cannot be maintained, some hard budget decisions made need to be made.





Vote by Mail Ballot

A voter may vote by mail by completing the Application for Vote by Mail Ballot  and returning the application to the  County Clerk . To receive your ballot by mail, the application must be received by the County Clerk 7 days prior to the election. A voter may also apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m., the day before the election.

If you are unable to make it to the polls on December 8th, you are still able to vote by mail.


vote 07
  
What Everyone Wants to Know!!!


What is the potential tax impact?

The District has carefully planned the timing of this referendum and the subsequent selling of bonds in consideration of the retirement of the current debt in order to have minimal impact on taxpayers.  Just as you may do at home, we are planning this as we pay off existing debt.

What does this mean?
Due to expiring debt, little to no impact may be felt on taxpayers.  In our estimate an average home assessed at $228,866 will experience approximately a $5.00 increase a year in the first three years.  Expiring debt will allow the payments in the future to remain at or below the current amount per household.

What happens if the referendum does not pass?
It is inevitable that this work will have to be completed.  If the referendum fails, we will lose the 50% matching funds from the state and the cost will have to go into the general budget which will compete for educational dollars.  


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