Excellence in Academics, Athletics and the Arts…our schools are a source of pride for this community. Each year the list of accomplishments that we celebrate goes on and on. We continue to be committed to providing the educational opportunities that our students deserve and our community expects.

Fuel, utilities, housing, food, clothing…the cost of living consistently increases–so too does the cost for public education. In addition to these rising costs, increases in enrollment, salaries and benefits, and maintenance of facilities also contribute to the increase in the annual school budget. 

In the past five years our enrollment has increased by 518 students. This enrollment increase is equal to the number of students enrolled in our largest elementary schools, yet we have educated these students without an increase in the number of classrooms and without additional state aid.

We endorse a quality special education program for our students with special needs but it is a constant struggle to budget for the high costs for these services. Fourteen percent of our students are classified and special education costs represent 20 percent of our budget. It is impossible to meet the state mandates for special education without impacting the budget.

We continue to maintain a productive and efficient administration. As in the current year’s budget, administrative costs for the 2006-2007 budget are $2,800,000 below the regional threshold established by the State.

Each year, staff salaries are criticized. Our teachers are not the highest paid in the state or even in the county. This is a “people” organization. Our product is well-educated students and the means to that end are outstanding teachers. I am very proud of our staff and the quality of instruction that they deliver, and I know our community is too.

Like most employers throughout the country, the Board of Education has had to deal with increases in health care benefits. To control costs in this area, three years ago, the Board negotiated a change in the employee health plan. Though health care costs continue to rise, this change has enabled the district to control the escalation of these costs and this has resulted in a $5,100,000 savings over the three-year period.

We have also seen significant savings in the area of energy conservation. This year the district received an award for reducing the escalation of energy costs by $3,000,000 since 2001. We have been recognized as the top performing school district in energy cost avoidance in the Northeastern Region of the United States.

Through a cooperative consortium with 328 school districts we have saved  $1,600,000 since July 2004 in supplies, materials, technology, transportation, telephone charges, etc. Additionally our cooperative efforts with the township with regards to paving contracts, gasoline purchases, recycling and waste removal and financing have been extremely beneficial in reducing costs as well.

Having said this, there is no doubt that the district has responsibly managed your tax dollars. However, the State of New Jersey has not kept its part of the bargain when it comes to funding education. For over a decade, the State has under-funded education, while at the same time making additional demands on districts with unfunded mandates affecting regular education programs, special education programs, and the “No Child Left Behind Act” requirements. In addition, the restrictive mandates of legislation known as S-1701 have significantly impacted every school district’s ability to manage day-to-day operations.

Given this backdrop, the Board of Education, in collaboration with building administrators, curriculum supervisors and other district staff, has worked diligently to review personnel, curriculum and facility needs as they prepared the budget that will go before the voters on April 18th.

The 2006-2007 School Budget is primarily a maintenance budget and some difficult decisions had to be made. We are eliminating five nighttime custodian positions at the high school. Instead, the district will privately contract for those services. The high school is the only school in the district that does not currently utilize a contracted custodial service at night. In addition, two unfilled technology positions are being abolished. These actions are necessary to help offset costs to maintain programs and address facility needs.

In prior budgets we have presented new educational programs to meet our student’s needs. This is not the case this year. Only replacement textbooks, classroom leveled reading books, and minimal personnel additions are included to address instructional needs.

Included in the budget are funds to replace the much-needed heating and piping system at Frost and the boiler at Chittick.  Also included are badly needed renovations to athletic facilities that are also used by the community. In order to address these needs while balancing the effect on taxes, the facility renovations will be accomplished through financing over five years. By doing so, the budget includes one-fifth of the payment, which will help to control the tax impact.

The recommended operating budget, which is at CAP, totals $122,196,702. Many school districts in the state are presenting school budgets above CAP and this requires a second question on the ballot - we are not. Many school districts in the state are eliminating programs and extra-curricular activities - we are not. 

The budget’s tax impact on a house assessed at $100,000 is 21.1 cents. (Remember, assessed value is not market value.) While you may have seen the press report a 31 cent increase, the remaining 9.7 cents that will appear on your tax bill is reflective of the amount of debt service for school construction which the community already voted on and approved in the December 2004 referendum.

For a home assessed at $100,000, the cost to the homeowner will be $211 per year. It is important to note that the tax impact from the recommended 2006-2007 budget is 3 cents less than last year’s impact even after the Town Council cut $2,000,000.

I appreciate the affect that rising taxes have on everyone. But, I want to remind the community that a defeated budget places a large burden on a school district while providing minimal tax relief to its citizens. When the 2005-2006 budget was defeated last year, the Town Council reduced it by $2,000,000. These cuts forced the district to eliminate needed instructional aides at the elementary level and delay replacing badly needed heating and piping systems. Taxes still went up and the amount a homeowner saved as a result was just $20 on a home assessed at $100,000.

This is a large school district that has, in some ways, become a victim of its success by continuing to attract people who want to live and raise a family here. Our efforts to accommodate more students are real, our rising costs are significant, and our choices are limited.

The 2006-2007 school budget is educationally sound and fiscally responsible. I commend the staff and Board members who worked so conscientiously to construct this budget, and I thank those community members who have shared their input and comments with us throughout the year.

It is the support of this community that, through the years, has provided the resources necessary for the District to attain Excellence in Academics, Athletics and the Arts. Our students need your continued support. I encourage you to vote on April 18th. The polls will be open from 2 pm to 9 pm.