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The Associated Press 'N.J. school districts save thousands in energy conservation programs'
Star Ledger 'N.J. school districts stow away stimulus money, fearing worst is yet to come' "...Saving became an even more attractive option because many districts saw unprecedented and unexpected levels of teacher retirement following last spring's significant state education spending cuts, said Garden State Coalition of Schools Executive Director Lynne Strickland..."
Star Ledger 'Most N.J. school superintendents face salary cuts under new enrollment-based cap'
Star Ledger 'Newark to launch $100M school makeover with 'relentless outreach' campaign, to ask residents for ideas'
The Associated Press 'N.J. school districts save thousands in energy conservation programs'
Published: Monday, November 01, 2010, 4:04 PM Updated: Monday, November 01, 2010, 4:04 PM
Sometimes you have to spend money to save money. That is what seven school districts in Monmouth and Ocean counties have discovered in their efforts to "go green."
The seven - Holmdel and Millstone in Monmouth County and Barnegat, Central Regional, Manchester, Southern Regional and Stafford in Ocean County - are among 20 school districts in New Jersey that are paying Texas-based Energy Education Inc. anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000-plus per month to achieve energy savings double, triple and quadruple what they are paying the company.
The Southern Regional School District, for example, has saved more than $2.2 million in energy costs over the three years, said district Business Administrator Steve Terhune.
Southern Regional pays the company $12,400 each month in addition to the $20,500 annual stipend it pays to Dean Adams, the district's energy manager.
"For every dollar spent, we're saving $4," said Terhune.
The Millstone Township school district, which pays Energy Education $6,250 per month, has achieved a 24 percent cost savings totaling $240,000 since it contracted with the company 16 months ago, said Bernard Biesiada, district business administrator. Keith Buckalew, the district's energy education specialist, receives a $10,000 annual stipend.
"We've helped New Jersey school districts save more than $29 million so far," said Jan Noel-Smith, a representative of the company that has worked with more than 1,000 school districts, universities and municipalities to go green over the past 24 years.
The four-year contract between school districts and Energy Education requires that districts pay a fixed monthly fee and appoint an energy education manager or specialist and pay them a stipend, she said. In return, Energy Education trains the individual and provides technical support, and if the district does not realize a savings at least equal to the annual contract, Energy Education receives no fee and also pays the stipend of the energy education specialist, she added.
Energy Education is in on the interview process to make sure the person selected is capable of doing the job. In some districts, buildings and grounds supervisors take on the added responsibilities; in others, teachers do the job before and after school and on weekends and vacations.
At the Central Regional School District, technology teacher Curtis Kleier receives a $20,000 stipend to oversee the energy conservation program in the two-building school district. Central is in the second year of a four-year $125,000-per-year contract with Energy Education.
The energy savings to date total $217,000, Kleier said. He added that in addition to tweaking the computer program that regulates lights, heating and air-conditioning systems and working with staff and students to change behaviors about energy usage, the district has installed motion sensors in the bathrooms and locker rooms.
"We've also installed a $75 device on 12 vending machines at the high school and eight vending machines at the middle school called a vending miser. The device turns the lights and compressors in vending machines on and off while protecting the machine's hardware and saving energy," Kleier said.
"When the district's solar energy project is on line next March, we'll see an additional savings of between 15 and 25 percent on our electric bill," said Triantafillos Parlapanides, Central Regional superintendent of schools.
In Manchester, the district pays Energy Education a total of $199,680 a year, but managed to save $500,000 in energy costs, said David Trethaway, Manchester's superintendent of schools.
Elementary teacher Jessica Brosnan receives a stipend of $21,000 as district energy education specialist.
"She performs her duties after school hours and has done an excellent job in learning strategies and communicating these strategies to our staff," said Superintendent David Trethaway.
Some of the cost-saving recommendations that have been implemented are HVAC equipment upgrades, installation and upgrades to energy management software, installation and upgrades to HVAC setback thermostats, upgrades to chiller controls, set points adjusted for and monitored for heating and cooling, weekly audits performed to troubleshoot problems and improve efficiency, and educating staff on energy savings and consumption, he said.
In November, solar panels at the high school will go online, and plans are in the works to install energy-efficient gym lighting in all of the schools, Trethaway said. He added that 40 percent of the lighting cost will be funded by the state.
In Stafford, Joseph Meister, who is supervisor of buildings and grounds, is also the energy-education manager. His stipend is $20,068, and the district pays Energy Education $8,850 monthly until March 31, 2012, said Karina Monanian, community liaison for the district.
At the Oct. 21 Stafford Board of Education meeting, Meister detailed the savings to date $495,062, a 20 percent reduction in energy costs over the past two years. The solar panels on schools have saved the district an additional $36,273.
Meister said that the program is far more complex than just teaching people to turn off computers and lights.
"We go to the school when no one is there to check that the computer system, which regulates heating and cooling, is operating property. We have to also have to make sure it matches the usage of the building, especially when a school may be open until 9 p.m. at night for an event," he said.
"Why the other 600-plus school districts in the state aren't doing this is beyond me," Meister said. "This is just money left on the table. Our energy savings is the equivalent of 16 teaching positions, and it has had a positive impact on budget cuts."
The Holmdel school district, too, has achieved savings of about $500,000 in energy costs over the past two years, said Michael Petrizzo, school business administrator, adding that Holmdel pays $15,730 a month for Energy Education's services and a stipend of $26,000 to Bill Balicki, the head of buildings and grounds, who is the energy education manager.
"The bottom line is it's a very successful program. We've seen a 25 percent reduction in our energy costs," Petrizzo said.
Barnegat is new to the program, signing on at the end of August. Rich Morrill, supervisor of building and grounds, will be the district's energy education specialist and will be receiving a stipend of $20,000, said Dean Allison, school business administrator.
"We spend $1.5 million a year for electricity and $500,000 for natural gas, so if we can cut our usage by 20 percent in the first year that's going to be a great savings," Allison said, and added that the district will be paying the company $225,000 for their expertise. "We expect our minimum savings over the term of the contract to be in excess of $1 million."
Star Ledger ‘N.J. school districts stow away stimulus money, fearing worst is yet to come’
“…Saving became an even more attractive option because many districts saw unprecedented and unexpected levels of teacher retirement following last spring’s significant state education spending cuts, said Garden State Coalition of Schools Executive Director Lynne Strickland…â€
Published: Sunday, October 31, 2010, 6:50 AM Updated: Sunday, October 31, 2010, 8:48 AM
Jessica Calefati/The Star-Ledger
Federal stimulus money New Jersey received was supposed to put educators back to work — but they may already have other jobs by the time it gets spent.
One month after school districts around the state received their share of $268 million to bring laid off teachers back to the classroom, most districts have not hired anyone and are socking the money away for next year, superintendents and state education officials have said.
The Education Jobs Fund was signed into law following devastating cuts in the billions to state education budgets, which led to more than 300,000 teachers nationwide losing their jobs.
But the money came too late for some of New Jersey’s districts and was not enough for others. Superintendents around the state have said they are also fearful next year’s state aid cuts will be as bad or worse than this year, giving them more reason to hold the one-time federal money in reserve.
Gov. Chris Christie applied for Education Jobs Fund money on the eve of the deadline and districts did not learn their share of the state’s $268 million until school was already in session. At that point, many superintendents had already made adjustments for a slimmer work force and larger class sizes.
Meanwhile, one third of the state’s roughly 600 districts faced another hurdle to using the one-time federal money immediately — they received less than the average $55,000 needed to hire back even a single classroom teacher, according to data analysis conducted by The Star-Ledger.
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2010 Federal Aid and State Cut
North Caldwell school business administrator Victor Hayek said the district is used to being at the bottom of the state aid scale because of its property tax wealth compared with other districts in Essex County. The federal money was distributed using the state’s school funding formula, which allots less money to wealthier districts.
Hayek had anticipated his district, which currently receives no state aid, would have gotten more than the $8,174 it received.
"There aren’t many jobs we can preserve with eight-thousand dollars," Hayek said "We plan to use our money to cover the salary of a classroom aide, or rather, a portion of it."
New Jersey Education Association spokesman Steve Baker said Christie’s delay in applying for the federal funds, and thus the delay in those funds reaching districts, was a calculated move in his ongoing battle with the state’s largest teachers union. In early September, the NJEA even ran radio ads accusing Christie of "creating chaos in our classrooms" by not applying for the federal funds immediately.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
• Five points on the $268M federal education funds
• U.S. education department approves $268M to benefit N.J. schools
• N.J. applies for $268M in federal education money
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"It was an intentional act on the governor’s part to delay the state’s application for the federal funds until after the start of the school year," Baker said. "States who applied early were able to use their funds to get teachers back to work, and we are deeply disappointed that the governor put politics ahead of up to 3,900 jobs in our schools."
The Christie administration has said it wanted to find out whether it could, in part, roll back across-the-board cuts made in this year’s budget; the cuts were not made according to the state’s school funding formula.
"As to the NJEA, it matters little what its leaders say on the topic," the governor’s press secretary, Michael Drewniak, said yesterday. "This is the same crew that bullied its local affiliates to refuse a one-year freeze on their 4 and 5 percent annual raises, which would have saved hundreds of teachers’ jobs. The NJEA leadership bears responsibility for that.
"The NJEA could have been part of the shared sacrifice, but this outfit does not share and does not sacrifice," Drewniak added.
Perth Amboy, which received one of the highest shares of the federal aid, is reserving all of it for the next school year. "We’d already set our budget and made reductions for this year before the money became available," said Perth Amboy Superintendent John Rodecker, whose district received about $4 million. "We also anticipate our state aid will be the same level as this year, or less, so we may need this money to make up for an additional loss."
Woodbridge Superintendent John Crowe echoed his neighboring district’s concerns. Had he received the funds over the summer, or even a few days into the start of the school year, Crowe said he could have put Woodbridge’s $876,000 to use this year rehiring literacy coaches or student assistance counselors.
"A month into the school year, it becomes difficult … so we are taking a cue from the acting commissioner to wait," Crowe said.
Acting Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks stated in a letter to districts that the next budgeting cycle would be challenging and said districts should consider reserving the one-time federal funds for the 2011-12 school year. The law requires districts to apply their funds before September 2012.
"These one-time funds should not only preserve critical jobs, they should provide your district with the breathing room needed to plan for educationally sound, balanced budgets in the austere days to come," Hendricks wrote.
Even Newark, which received the largest share of the federal money, is reserving all of its roughly $23.7 million for next school year, district spokeswoman Valerie Merritt said.
Though it’s too early to make predictions about next year’s budget, the governor’s spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said Christie has said the state needs to be concerned about next year’s budget. Districts’ anticipation of this year’s problems persisting into next is a prudent approach, he said.
Saving became an even more attractive option because many districts saw unprecedented and unexpected levels of teacher retirement following last spring’s significant state education spending cuts, said Garden State Coalition of Schools Executive Director Lynne Strickland.
"Some districts have hired back, but it doesn’t appear to be making a huge difference in terms of jobs that are in place right now," Strickland said.
The Union school district in Union County is bucking the statewide trend by using half of its $1 million to fund a new Saturday morning tutoring program for elementary and middle school students and to restore overtime pay for district security guards and maintenance workers.
"Everyone knows the economy is bad and that if things are bad this year, they only get worse next year," Union Superintendent Patrick Martin said. "If that’s true, and I believe it is, it doesn’t make sense to spend all the money now, which is why we’re going to make it last for two years."
Star Ledger �Most N.J. school superintendents face salary cuts under new enrollment-based cap�
Susan K. Livio/Statehouse Bureau Top of Form
Bottom of Form
TRENTON � Gov. Chris Christie today made good on his plans to introduce rules limiting how much school superintendents are paid � an action that would shave $9.8 million off the salaries from about 360 school executives when their contracts expire.
Superintendents would see their salaries tied to the number of students in each district under the proposed rules, but could earn bonuses based on student performance under terms set by the school board, according to Christie�s office. The bonuses would last for a year and would not count toward pensions.
"Raises will no longer be automatic but will be earned, based on how students are performing in a school district," acting Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks said.
Christie, who first announced the plan in July, is now taking the step of implementing the proposed rules, which were published in today�s New Jersey Register. The action does not require approval by the Legislature.
Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, said he was "dismayed�� by the plan because it takes negotiating power away from districts.
"Educational needs, as well as future contracts, should remain a local issue,�� Bozza said in a statement.
Under the plan, superintendents would earn no more than $125,000 in districts with no more than 250 students. Salaries would increase incrementally, based on district size, to a pay limit of $175,000 in a district with 6,501 to 10,000 students. The state education commissioner could allow a higher salary in districts with more than 10,000 students.
A recent Star-Ledger review found 235 school administrators earned more than $175,000 in the 2008-09 school year.
Bozza said the salary cap is redundant because the state has enacted a 2 percent cap per year on local spending increases.
He also said the rules could drive experienced and aspiring superintendents out of the state. "If salary caps are to be implemented, the salary of a superintendent of schools should not be reduced while his or her employment continues in the same school system,�� he added.
The rules, which would take effect after a superintendent�s contract expires, would affect northern and central New Jersey the most, according to data provided this summer by the state. For example, 17 of the 20 Essex County school districts covered by the new rules pay their superintendents more than Christie will permit; 62 of the 66 Bergen County school chiefs are considered "overpaid."
The rules would not apply to charter school superintendents or executives who run private schools for disabled students funded by public dollars.
Public hearings on the plan will be held at Kean University, Union, Nov. 18; Warren Regional High, Blairstown, Nov. 29; Cumberland Community College, Vineland, Dec. 2; and Burlington County Institute of Technology, Westhampton, Dec. 7.
Previous coverage:
� N.J. school administrators making more than $200K grow in number, report says
� Salaries of N.J. school superintendents may be next on chopping block
� N.J. teacher salaries debate continues amid Gov. Christie's school aid cuts
Star Ledger �Newark to launch $100M school makeover with 'relentless outreach' campaign, to ask residents for ideas�
Jeanette Rundquist/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK � Newark will soon launch its $100 million school makeover with a citywide campaign of "relentless outreach," to tap into the ideas of residents on turning around the city�s troubled schools.
The program announced Monday stems from the $100 million pledged for school reform by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and will have a citywide reach, using phone banks, door-to-door canvassers and neighborhood meetings.
It is the first concrete step as Newark plans to begin spending the donated money. PENewark, or Partnership for Education in Newark, was formally kicked off Monday by city leaders, including Mayor Cory Booker and School Superintendent Clifford Janey.
"We want every Newarker�s input in every step of this process," Booker said Monday at a press conference held to announce foundation of PENewark, which was described as the "primary organizing force" for the school improvement effort.
Numerous community partners, from cultural groups to school administrators to a group of great-grandmothers who call themselves the "Neighborhood Nannies," were represented at the kickoff, which was held in a former furniture store downtown. Dozens have signed on as partners.
Canvassers will begin knocking on an estimated 91,000 doors in the city this week, and 10 large town hall meetings, plus at least 30 smaller "coffee klatsches," will be held. The first town hall meeting is called "Youth Speaks" and will be at Central High School from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9.
The effort will be one of "relentless outreach," stated the organization�s press release.
Advertisements will be placed on TV, radio and billboards in an effort to involve the city, and Newark residents will be able to submit thoughts through a website, www.PENewark.org, or by texting "PEN" to 56333. Among the sites for canvassers to visit will be homeless shelters.
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� Newark Mayor Cory Booker kicks off first phase of $100M school reform
� N.J. law may bar Gov. Christie, Mayor Booker from taking active role in $100M Newark schools grant
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� Tom Moran: Public support is integral to Newark schools reform
� Complete coverage of Facebook CEO donating $100M to Newark schools
The effort, which Booker called "unprecedented because of its scale," is expected to cost about $1 million and come up with "a comprehensive set of reform recommendations" by the end of January.
Some question whether that deadline is workable. Rutgers Newark History Professor Clement Price, who was in the audience, said he recommended a longer deadline. "It takes time to engage a community as large, as complicated, as divided as Newark is," he said.
Zuckerberg launched a new high-profile effort to fix Newark schools in September, when he, Booker and Gov. Chris Christie appeared on the Oprah show to announce the Facebook billionaire�s $100 million gift to reform city schools. The city is working to match the money with other donations; so far, Booker said, $43 million has been pledged.
Zuckerberg�s and the other donations will go a fund now called the Newark Education and Youth Development Fund, said PENewark Executive Director Jeremiah Grace.
PENewark is now being funded by the matching donations, he said.
School Advisory Board President Shavar Jeffries said Newark schools have accomplishments to point to � among them, preschool is a success, and high school graduation standards have been increased � but much more is needed in a district where only about half of students receive high school degrees.
"Sustainable reform is possible only to the degree it is rooted in community values," he said.
Also speaking at the event was Janey, whose contract in Newark expires in June, but who said he will be active in the effort.
"I�m with you, and will always be so, wherever I am next year," he said.
Beverly Canady, a Newark parent who works as a school counselor in Irvington, said her two children attended Catholic schools instead of Newark public schools because of her concerns about safety. She has a 2-year-old grandchild now; the family is looking at preschools, and she said she has great interest in seeing Newark schools improve.
Canady, who lives in the South Ward, attended the press conference.
"It was nice to see the dignitaries, but now I want to see people on the ground," she said. "But I don�t want to be a naysayer. I want to be part of the solution. I�ll help with the survey."
Thelma Castlewood, 82, and Billie Ray Hentz, 74, both great-grandmothers from the Central Ward, call themselves the "Neighborhood Nannies." They said they will volunteer to help in the schools with after school activities, and would also make calls for the PENewark phone bank.
"You�ve got to have the support of the community," Castlewood said.
Newark has been subject to years worth of improvement efforts, including a strategic plan released by Janey that, a district spokeswoman said, is still in effect, and several projects spearheaded by Rutgers.
Grace, a community activist who was Jeffries� former campaign manager and also worked for the ACLU, acknowledged that.
"We are standing on top of many plans of community engagement, and are taking it to another level," he said.
