Sussex-Wantage budget lowers school taxes, includes upgrades

The Sussex-Wantage Regional school board unanimously agreed to send its $27.1 million budget to the county superintendent of schools.

The new budget, adopted on March 18, calls for a $16.7 million tax levy, a 1.03 decrease from 2020-21.The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, in the Sussex Middle School auditorium.

Sussex residents are expected to see most of the decrease because the borough has seen an increase in ratable properties. The average borough home – assessed at about $180,000 – is expected to see a 2.65 percent decrease in taxes, which would translate to a savings of about $5.22 per month and $62.61 per year.

The average home in Wantage, assessed at about $261,000, is expected to see a 0.51 percent decrease from the current year, which would amount to a savings of about $1.38 per month, or $16.56 per year.

Superintendent Michael Gall said the district, facing a $673,000 loss in state aid, decided to change employee health benefits, which allowed it to move forward with a tax levy reduction.

The district was also aided by a $2.4 million surplus from the 2019-20 budget, the result of last year’s school closures. The district is also allowing about $200,000 in banked cap to expire.

Gall called the budget a “Herculean effort.”

“I am appreciative the board of education has allowed us to take a multi-year strategic process to address these challenges in a systematic way that places us on a much firmer footing,” he said.

Air quality upgrade

The district has also budgeted nearly $1 million from the capital reserve fund that will be used for air quality upgrades, window replacements in the Sussex Middle School sixth-grade wing, and an elevator replacement at Wantage Elementary.

“There’s a lot of great stuff in this budget, as well as a tax reduction,” business administrator Christina Riker said. “So, we wanted to talk about it and show everybody what we had planned.”

The district is planning to hire three additional teachers at the C.E. Lawrence school, two additional teachers at the Wantage school ,and two additional teachers at Sussex Middle School, all with the aim of reducing class sizes.

The biggest class-size reduction, at 4.45 percent, is projected to be in third grad .

The district also plans to buy three sets of Chromebooks to make sure it is prepared for September, should remote learning be needed.

“A lot of times budgets can be the worst of both worlds,” school board president Nicholas D’Agostino said. “You have to raise taxes and still don’t get a lot. This is the best of both. We get to cut taxes and get a lot for the district.”