Lawrence Township property owners will see a five-cent increase in the school district property tax rate, based on the Lawrence Township Public Schools’ $88.6 million operating budget for 2025-26.
The school board approved the tentative budget at its March 19 meeting. A public hearing and final action on the proposed budget will be held at the school board’s May 7 meeting.
The school district property tax rate will increase from $1.64 per $100 to $1.69. The owner of a house assessed at the township average of $285,767 will pay $4,856 in school district property taxes, which is an increase of about $140, according to school district officials.
A Lawrence Township property owner’s tax bill includes the school district property tax, the municipal and open space taxes, and Mercer County property, library and open space taxes.
The property tax levy to support the 2025-26 operating budget is $79.6 million. The tax levy for the current budget is $76.8 million.
Other sources of income include miscellaneous income, such as tuition and interest on savings, and money from the fund balance or surplus account.
State aid increased by $424,353 to $7.3 million. This reflects a trend of increased state aid to the school district, which received $6.9 million in the current budget.
The cost drivers for the 2025-26 budget are the same as they have been in prior budgets – salaries and benefits, transportation, tuition and contractual services.
Salaries and benefits increased from $67.8 million to $70.5 million in the 2025-26 budget.
Transportation costs also have increased from $5.7 million to $5.9 million. The cost of gasoline and repairs have increased because of inflation, said Superintendent of Schools Robyn Klim.
The school district has a fleet of 11 buses, which is not enough to handle student transportation needs. School bus contractors are hired to fill the void.
“Sometimes when we go out to bid (on transportation), we are at the mercy of how those bids come in and how we award the contracts,” Klim said. “That’s an important consideration as prices increase for us when we are building the budget.”
Tuition for special education students who are sent to special schools outside of the school district continues to increase, she said. Tuition has gone up from $4.6 million in the current budget to $4.9 million in the proposed 2025-26 budget.
“Contractual services – whether it is for nursing care or some sort of outside providers that we need to bring in for their expertise – their prices continue to increase,” Klim said.
Overall, salaries and benefits, out of district tuition, transportation and energy costs make up 92% of the budget, school district officials said.
