Tuesday, March 14, 2006

West Wildwood Taxes Up

West Wildwood school-tax rate up in budget plan
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Published: Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Updated: Tuesday, March 14, 2006

WEST WILDWOOD — The school tax rate is expected to increase about 3.5 cents under the district's 2006-07 budget.

The district does not operate a school, so the increase is primarily due to rising tuition costs for the borough's students, School Business Administrator/Board Secretary Rosemarie Millar said Monday.

The borough sends its children to North Wildwood's Margaret Mace School and Wildwood High School, as well as the county's technical high school.

The town expects to send 11 students to the high school in the next school year.

Millar, who works part-time for the district, said tuition for West Wildwood's estimated 65 students, grades pre-kindergarten to 12, will jump from $1,099,515 for the 2005-06 school year to $1,128,247 for the 2006-07 school budget.

“(The cost of tuition) definitely does concern us, but it is something we have to contend with as a sending district,” said school board President Stephen Cava.

Cava noted that the borough has some input in North Wildwood's decision-making because the town's students make up at least 10 percent of that school's population.

Meanwhile, the total budget comes to $1,177,141, including transportation and administrative costs. Cava said the district must also pay tuition it owes for previous years when West Wildwood underpaid.

According to the Cape May County Board of Taxation, the borough's school-tax rate was 50.2 cents last school year and the new rate should be about 53.5 cents. County Tax Administrator George R. Brown III said the borough's current value, which will be finalized next week, is $206 million.

Millar said the amount to be raised by taxes comes to $1,106,083 for the upcoming school year, compared to $1,010,280 in the previous school year.

Voters will be asked to support the budget April 18 during the annual school board elections.

One seat on the school board is also open, but no candidate met the filing deadline to appear on the ballot.

Cava urged residents to attend board meetings, which are held the fourth Tuesday of every month at Borough Hall.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:TGilfillian@pressofac.com

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