Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • April 13, 2011 ������������������������������ by Frank J. McMahon trators praised their schools for their friendly atmosphere, sense of community, and the dedication of their teachers and administrators. Superintendent Lauren Schoen pointed out that the district has 25 athletic programs, 46 extracurricular clubs, 22 Advanced Placement courses, after school educational opportunities, and a freshman training program. She also pointed out that the district has two National Merit Scholarship finalists, 19 National Merit Scholarship commendations, and 40 Garden State Bloustein Distinguished Scholars with 752 students in Advanced Placement courses. She added that 98 percent of the district’s students go on to two- or four-year colleges, and they have received $170, 000 in local scholarships. Schoen also praised the district’s choir, it Academic Decathlon teams, and the accomplishments of its athletic teams and cheerleaders. Frank Ceurvels, the school district’s business administrator, pointed out some of the savings the district achieved before arriving at the budget. They include energy/utility savings of $83,000 by upgrading the district’s boilers and HVAC equipment, 80,000 in reduced copier costs, $25,000 in the reduced use of outside consultants for professional development, $100,000 in salary differences as the result of retirements, $80,000 in dental insurance coverage, and $315,000 in employee health insurance costs as a result of the 1.5 percent mandated employee contribution. Ceurvels also pointed out some revenue enhancements in the budget, such as $20,000 from insurance rebates, ������������������������������������ ������������������� District praises schools, highlights budget savings The Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education gave a video and slide presentation at its public hearing on the district’s proposed $49.1 million 2011-12 budget. The presentation emphasized some of the accomplishments of the district’s two high schools and the efforts that have been made to control costs and taxes. In the video, several students, teachers, and adminis- � � � ������������������� ��������������������������� ����������������������������� ��������������������������������������� � � �������� ����� � � ��������� ����� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ������������ ���������������������������������� Gardening can be dangerous to your health. ������������������������� $18,000 from a rebate for boiler upgrades, $430,000 from a 40 percent state grant for capital upgrades, and $30,000 from adding a co-locator on the school district’s monopole. Ceurvels explained that the school district’s budget for 2011-12 is $49,087,707, which is $1,351,448 or 2.83 percent higher that the 2010-11 budget. He emphasized that the local tax levy required to fund the proposed budget is $45,746,847, which is $108,055 or a quarter percent lower than the 2010-11 local tax levy due to the receipt of some state aid and the savings the district was able to achieve. The district received $463,514 in state aid for this year’s budget as opposed to zero for last year’s budget, which will net out to $349,130 after it is offset by a state imposed charge of $114,384 for previous capital grants the district received. The district had received about $2,100,000 in state aid in previous years. In addition, Ceurvels said $300,000 has been designated in this budget as a deposit into capital reserve for use toward other eligible projects. The district’s tax levy affects the three towns served by the regional high school district, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff, in different ways because of the regional allocation of the tax levy, which is pro-rated to each town by the state on an annual basis, and because of the recent reassessments in Franklin Lakes and Oakland. Based on the state allocation and those reassessments, the average homeowner’s annual property tax for the regional school district in Franklin Lakes and Oakland will decrease, while the annual property tax for the regional school district in Wyckoff will increase. The property tax for the regional high school district on a home in Franklin Lakes with the average assessed value of $1,032,252 will decrease by $35 annually while the property tax for the regional high school district in Oakland with the average assessed value of $407,800 will decrease by $34 annually and the property tax for the regional high school district on a home in Wyckoff with the average assessed value of $810,610 will increase by $94 annually. The property tax obligation of a property is determined by multiplying the property’s assessed value in hundreds of dollars by the tax rate. These tax figures are for the regional school district, and do not include taxes associated with the local K-8 schools, the municipalities, or Bergen County. The regional high school’s tax levy to support this budget will be voted on by the voters of the three towns in the regional high school district on Wednesday, April 27. At that time, voters will also elect one member of the regional high school board from Wyckoff and two members from Oakland. If you’re going to be digging in the dirt, be careful. There’s nothing more satisfying than a beautifully maintained yard or a prospering vegetable garden. After a long, cold winter, you can’t wait to go out there and get things growing. But don’t overdo it! If you’ve been inactive all winter, you could cause serious stress to your spine by pushing yourself too hard, too fast to transform your yard and garden into that vision of paradise you dreamed about while everything was buried in snow and ice. Take it slowly, and don’t overexert yourself. You don’t want that picture perfect landscape to cost you your good health. Franklin Lakes Chamber of Commerce Membership Information January 2011- December 2011 $100.00 Business Name ___________________ Address __________________________ _________________________________ Contact Name ____________________ Bus. 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