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Lawrence Township board says rising health and prescription costs are main budget driver; preschool expansion offsets some expenses
Summary
At a May 13 budget hearing, district leaders told the board proposed increases are driven chiefly by employee benefits—especially prescription and medical costs—while preschool expansion will shift about $800,000 in costs into that program; administrators will submit the advertised budget to Mercer County with only minor line-item changes.
The Lawrence Township Public School District held a budget hearing May 13 in which administrators told the board that rising employee benefits—chiefly medical and prescription costs—are the principal driver of the proposed general-fund increase.
Superintendent (presenter) praised staff and outlined district initiatives before turning the detailed budget presentation over to Tom Eldridge. Eldridge said the district presents both program and object views of the budget so the public can see what services are supported and how dollars are spent. "The driver though, above all, bar none, is this number. It's employee benefits," Eldridge said, adding that "our composite number for the increase there is roughly 19%."
The administrators said prescription-cost…
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