Mount Olive board reviews $81.3 million proposed budget with 3.88% tax-levy increase

The Mount Olive Township School District presented its proposed 2025–26 general fund budget to the Board of Education Wednesday, with a proposed tax levy of $81,300,000 and a 3.88% increase in the local tax levy after allowable adjustments.

The budget presenter said state aid fell by $340,000 for 2025–26. To balance revenues and expenditures the district plans to use a $1.4 million health-care adjustment in the levy calculation, preserve the remainder of a $1.8 million qualification as banked cap for future use, and draw on reserves where necessary.

The district highlighted personnel and program priorities as the main drivers of the budget. The presenters listed 13 proposed new positions districtwide, including a gifted-and-talented teacher at the elementary level, additional multilingual staff, a sixth‑grade transition team, an English teacher and in-class resource help at the high school, additional social workers and interventionists, and a new ASD classroom requiring teachers and instructional aides. The presenters emphasized salaries and benefits represent roughly 80% of the district's budget.

Capital and facilities items discussed include about $4 million in capital spending, a boiler project at the high school with revised cost estimates, two “direct install” HVAC projects (identified for the high school and Sand Shore), a $21,000 increase for a modular office, and an increase in the middle-school public-address system estimate from $200,000 to $550,000 after vendor inspections determined rewiring and a full replacement were needed. The district said the PA work is tied to safety and communication needs and will include exterior speakers where required.

The presenter reviewed per-pupil spending comparisons from the state’s taxpayers’ guide to educational spending. Mount Olive was described as a K–12 district in the largest grouping (more than 3,500 students) and ranked in the mid-to-upper range on classroom instruction spending; the district noted high extracurricular spending relative to peer districts but framed that as investment "where it counts." The presentation also reviewed an 11‑year history of state aid, showing large increases in prior years and the smaller reduction for 2025–26.

On revenues, the district reported a small overall increase in general fund revenues and said it planned to use capital-reserve withdrawals and other designated reserves to support next year’s spending. The presentation stressed the district did not cut programs or services in the proposed budget and that administrators had prioritized “needs vs. wants” during development.

Board members asked questions about the public-address system scope and external speakers, the nature of the direct-install projects (HVAC), and the calculation of tax impact on a $325,000 average home. The presenter said the district will post the user-friendly budget and related documents on the district website and invited further emailed questions.

The budget presentation closed with the director noting the district’s continued focus on maintaining class size and student supports, and that the proposed budget materials would remain available online for public review.