LBS: INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE, MANAGING THE PRESENT
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To counteract these pressures, our district has been incredibly proactive. Our most significant win is our 10-year send / receive agreement for our middle school students. This strategic partnership is projected to save the district over $ 1.8 million over the next decade, with nearly $ 131,000 in savings realized in this upcoming 2026 / 2027 budget year alone.
Why the 3.9 % Increase is Necessary
While we have worked hard to find savings, a gap remains if we want to maintain the quality of our academic and extracurricular programs. By law, due to various waivers, the district could have legally raised the tax levy by up to 11.74 % without voter approval. Instead, we are proposing a much more restrained 3.9 % increase to $ 3,170,752.
For the average Lebanon Borough home valued at $ 500,000, this 3.9 % increase amounts to an additional $ 168 per year— or approximately $ 0.46 per day. To put this in perspective, it is less than the cost of a single cup of coffee a week.
Planning for the Long Term
History has shown us that small, incremental increases are necessary to prevent much larger, more painful budget deficits down the road. This planned investment ensures we don’ t have to make drastic cuts to the teachers, materials, and programs that make Lebanon Borough School so special.
When parents, teachers, and residents work together, we create the best possible environment for our children. I encourage you to visit our website to learn more about our budget and explore the wonderful things happening in our classrooms every day. We hope to see you on May 28!
Better Together, Bruce Arcurio, Ed. D.
Superintendent, Lebanon Borough School District
BEFORE LEBANON WAS... LEBANON
s we approach the celebration of our borough’ s founding
A 100 years ago, one should understand that our area was populated long before that. Where did they come from and why did they eventually rise up?
In 18 th Century England, Queen Anne took pity on the plight of poor German farmers whose lands and property had been ravaged by continuous war and a brutal winter that left birds frozen on tree branches. In 1708 and 1709, she funded the Palatine Project to move thousands of starving Germans to America. They would work in New York forests to produce pine tar and pitch for the Royal Navy. A third wave arrived from Scotland in 1715 when a rising against the British crown was crushed. Scots with skill or education were advised that they no longer had a future in England. These groups were many of the early settlers that came to New York and New Jersey.
In 1711, a real estate consortium called the West Jersey Proprietors was created and purchased the rights to 100,000 acres in Hunterdon and Morris counties. The large tract was divided into“ plantations” that were sold outright or rented to tenant farmers. Shortly thereafter, the Palatine Project collapsed and Parliament withdrew funding. The Germans who expected to work for seven years and then be given land were instead turned loose to fend for themselves. A number of them in New York City crossed into New Jersey on the Raritan along Five Mile Run. The better land in this area was controlled by Dutch settlers and around 1725 they moved west into the wilderness of Hunterdon.
In 1733, the land agent for the Society found 98 families squatting on their land. They were invited to sign a lease or leave. Eleven years later, James Alexander, a 1715 immigrant from Scotland, purchased 10,000 acres and two of the 15 shares in the West Jersey Proprietors. This included seven plantations totaling 3,150 acres that started at what is now Cherry St. and extended to Potterstown. His will left the“ Potterstown Lots” to his only son William( aka Lord Stirling) and a large parcel in Basking Ridge to his daughter Catherine. There were important people and activities here during the Revolution. Governor William Livingston, in spite of a price on his head, visited John Stevens the vice president of the Committee of Safety at his residence in Lebanon Valley( now known as
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