Gloucester County Public Schools Superintendent Ben Kiser proposed a $67.6 million school division budget for fiscal year 2015 to county school board members during their meeting Tuesday. The proposal would require an almost $3 million increase in county funding.

The budget as proposed represents a $2.6 million increase overall over the current school division fiscal plan. It includes a $55.2 million operating budget, up $3.1 million, as well as $2.5 million for food service, $6.1 million for capital projects, and $3.6 million in debt service.

While capital projects are down more than $1.7 million from the current year the debt service represents an increase of nearly $1.2 million due to the ongoing construction of a new middle school.

The operating budget of $55,269,874 represents a 5.9 percent increase over the current operating fund and would require $24,382,268 in local funds, up $1,778,540 or a 7.9 percent increase. The debt service hike and the ...