T.F. BOE revises budget to reflect $1.3M aid cut

T.F. BOE revises budget to reflect $1.3M aid cut
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — The Tinton Falls Board of Education presented a tentative 2010-11 budget earlier this month based on a state aid reduction of 15 percent.

When the state announced aid figures two weeks ago, the district learned it would lose 31 percent of state aid, or $1.3 million, and was forced to scramble to make additional cuts.

“We did our preliminary budget and that was a somber meeting,” Board of Education President Peter Karavites said at a special board meeting held on March 24. “We had to cut programs, we had to cut staff.

“We thought everything was OK. Now, they cut another $678,000 from us since that last meeting.”

The district will receive close to $2.9 million in aid toward the tentative $26.5 million 2010-11 budget.

If the budget is introduced and approved, Tinton Falls residents would see an increase of around 3 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation in the school tax, bringing the total to a little over 65 cents. Residents of Shrewsbury Township, a sending district, will see a minimal decrease from last year’s 67.04 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

At the board meeting Tinton Falls Superintendent John Russo explained some of the cuts the district will make to compensate for reduced state aid.

“We looked at everything — construction supplies, administrative supplies and so on,” he said. “We looked at travel expenses, workshops outside of the district, printing expenses.

“We looked at assemblies and class trips,” he added. “We have gone through every possible line [item].”

Gov. Chris Christie directed school districts to use a portion of their surplus funds to offset withheld state aid, resulting in $1.47 million in state aid withheld to Tinton Falls this year.

The governor announced a plan to cut $475 million in state aid to school districts for 2009-10, part of a plan to deal with the state’s multibillion-dollar budget gap.

School districts are allowed to have a surplus account, with any amount above 2 percent considered excess surplus and earmarked for taxpayer relief. By Christie’s direction, the district must use the excess surplus toward the 2009-10 budget.

At the board’s March 8 meeting the district laid out a plan to cut various positions, including one middle school science teacher, one and a half middle school language arts teaching positions, two guidance counselors, one part-time basic skills teacher, one part-time secretary, one part-time child study team member, one special education teacher, two paraprofessionals and one elementary school teacher.

With the state aid reduction greater than expected, the district will also cut the media center specialist, the curriculum consultant, an administration office secretary, one information technology support staff member, one library clerk and two elementary school world language teachers.

Russo said that cutting more staff is not something he wanted to do.

“We did our best to chip around the edges when we thought our reduction was 15 percent,” he said. “We now face a much larger cut in state aid, but we haven’t changed our philosophical approach.

“We continue to look at these cuts and continue to do everything possible to protect class sizes and to protect programs,” he added. “We unfortunately had to go back to the drawing board.

Russo explained that another decision is to charge a fee for after-school sports and activities.

“Our plan, and it is not completely fleshed out, is to develop a subscription for these activities,” he said. “Many middle schools are cutting those activities out completely or choosing to do the subscription.”

The district’s original plan called for exceeding the mandated 4 percent cap on the tax levy increase because of increased costs for health benefits.

“There are a few areas that if you qualify you have the option to go above the 4 percent cap,” Business Administrator Tamar Sydney- Gens said. “We are maintaining the 4 percent tax levy.”

However, she explained that the district could no longer go over the cap to fund the $417,000 increase in the cost of health benefits.

“Four percent is the max, and if you go higher the executive county superintendents have basically been told to look to cut or disapprove,” she said.

Sydney-Gens said that the district was told to use maintenance reserves to make up the difference, which will leave the district $150,000 short of the increase.

“We don’t know if the county superintendent is going to say OK, or cut another $150,000,” she said.

At the meeting, the board also announced that in an effort to mitigate the cost of salary increases, many of the highest paid district employees voluntarily gave up raises this year.

“Voluntarily the superintendent, the business administrator, all principals, supervisors, directors of special services and confidential secretaries have approached the board and offered a zero-percent increase for next year,” Karavites said. “They said to us, ‘Take care of the district; we will forgo a salary increase next year.’ ”

Karavites also said there have been negotiations ongoing between the district and the teachers association.

“We are in negotiations,” Karavites said. “We have not settled. When and if we do settle, that outcome will hopefully change the amount of money that we need to expend.”

During the public portion of the meeting a former board member suggested that instead of cutting staff and programs that the district should fight for the right to raise taxes.

“There is a process in place and it is illegal for them to ignore that process,” Michael Laffey said. “I think this board should go to the county [superintendent] and say we want to exceed that cap.

“If you tell us no, we will see you in court,” he added. “I know there is risk associated, I know they can impose cuts on us. don’t see how it could get any worse.”

Another resident said she is willing to help in any way she can.

“I want to commend you on the very difficult decisions you’ve had to make,” Christina Warren, who serves on the borough’s activity committee, said. “I wouldn’t want to be sitting up there.

“I know there are many parents like me who would be willing to donate their time, whether it be sports activities or something like the yearbook,” she added. “School can get quite tedious at times and they do need something to fall back on.”

Residents can vote on the budget on April 20 between 3 and 9 p.m.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.