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Star ledger - N.J. prepares to vote on school budgets
April 20, 2009 , Associated Press
New Jersey voters will have a chance Tuesday to say yes or no to an estimated $14 billion in school taxes.
School boards statewide are being relatively modest with their requests in hopes that voters extend a 32-year streak of accepting the majority of budgets.
New Jersey homeowners pay more than $7,000 in property taxes on average -- the highest in the nation. The bulk of that money goes to run schools, which are by some measures among both the best and the most expensive in the country.
Another distinction for the state's public education is that it's one of a handful in which the public gets a direct say in spending.
Voters in 548 of the state's 616 districts get to vote yes or no on the school tax rate. When budgets are defeated, the municipal governing bodies -- which don't run the schools -- can make cuts.
Every year since 1977, voters have approved most of the budgets requests. Voter turnout rarely goes much above 15 percent.
"I think this is really a difficult year," said Lynne Strickland, executive director of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. "The timing of the school budget vote in the midst of such an economic crisis certainly makes it vulnerable whether it be for intelligent reasons or whether it be the gut reaction to having to spend a dollar more in taxes."
Frank Belluscio, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said there seems to be a correlation between the state of the economy and the percentage of budgets approved.
"You could tell when we were in a recession," he said.
There have been signs of taxpayer outrage over government spending, such as the Tea Party anti-tax demonstrations across the country and in a handful of New Jersey towns last week.
As a result, school district requests are leaner than usual.
In Maple Shade, for instance, the district wants to tap into savings to avoid a tax increase. It's one of several districts planning no tax increase. Others are seeking to reduce taxes.
Many other districts, such as Scotch Plains, expect to lay off employees.
Districts need special approval to raise taxes by more than 4 percent, and only a handful of school districts are seeking to do so.
The districts seeking such increases have two options. One is asking the state education commissioner. This year, 33 districts did that. Twenty-three of them were allowed to raise their taxes -- but only three by as much as they requested.
The other option is asking voters on a second ballot question for increases beyond 4 percent. The measures must be approved by 60 percent of voters. That tough standard went into effect last year.
Difficulty in getting approval, a sour economy and increases in state aid for most school districts have had a chilling effect on districts even making such requests.
Between 1997 and 2007, at least 70 districts had second ballot questions each year -- often to expand offerings.
Only 11 districts across the state are trying to raise taxes by more than 4 percent on Tuesday. The School Boards Association says most of the requests are to retain art teachers, sports or other offerings currently in place.
In Gloucester County's fast-growing Kingsway Regional district, voters are being asked to raise taxes by more than 4 percent to maintain middle school and freshman sports.
Superintendent Ave Altersitz said it would be a blow to students and the community to eliminate the sports. But she said school officials had to choose either the extracurriculars or a half-dozen teaching positions to put before voters.
"It's the only budget that people get to vote on and a lot of times they take out their frustrations" on the schools, she said. In her district, voters have opposed the budgets the last two years.
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would move school elections to November and eliminate the votes on most budgets.
School board seats will also be in the ballots Tuesday. Poll hours vary by community
Herald News Editorial: Stimulus and the schools Sunday, April 19, 2009, Herald News
For the Abbott schools, where, historically, New Jersey’s most at-risk kids attend classes — some of them in buildings more than a century old, some of them in cramped rooms with little or no heat, some of them without cafeterias or gymnasiums — the last few months have brought little in the way of good news.
Recent unfavorable court decisions and the persistence of Governor Corzine’s effort to revamp state funding formulas have left the Abbotts feeling the brunt of taxpayer fury and more than a little hostility from the state’s so-called "suburban" districts. The formula change would effectively give Abbott districts flat funding for the next couple of years, but could drastically cut their budgets in years to come.
And so it was in this uncertain climate that the Abbotts and their supporters received a spark of good news last week, when it was revealed that New Jersey school districts stand to get some $609 million in federal money through President Obama’s economic stimulus package. According to Kathleen Carroll’s front-page story in the Herald News, the stimulus funds will target special-education and low-income students and will be available as early as this summer. Irene Sterling, executive director of the Paterson Education Fund, says the money is "going to save a lot of jobs" in Paterson.
In Paterson, the projected $20.7 million is a godsend. There is also $9.6 million that will come available for Passaic city schools and $1.8 million for Garfield. But the stimulus money will also be a boost for Clifton, a so-called Abbott "rim" district because it borders both Paterson and Passaic. The Clifton district, which can especially use money for special education, is slated to receive $4.9 million.
Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition, a school advocacy group, said that districts across the state "will breathe a sigh of relief as we go into a tough budget vote next week and continue to deal with a tough economy."
Of course it is imperative that each district receiving federal money keeps a good account of its spending. The Abbott districts, in particular, have lost political clout and public sympathy over the years because of the wasteful spending, negligence and in some cases, outright corruption, of a distinct few.
Still, it cannot be overstated that many thousands of the state’s most at-risk students continue to receive less than adequate educations because of outdated classrooms and lack of quality programs. Even Superior Court Judge Peter E. Doyne, who found the governor’s formula plan "constitutional" and paved the way for the end of the Abbott designations, noted that those districts will continue to face challenges of low local tax collections and concentrations of poverty.
At this stage, these districts will take a financial boost where they can find it. Their future, under the Corzine plan, is mostly unclear after the first three years. Fortunately, they have a president in office who understands their plight and their daily struggles. The schools should make him proud and put his stimulus money to good use.
For the Abbott schools, where, historically, New Jersey’s most at-risk kids attend classes — some of them in buildings more than a century old, some of them in cramped rooms with little or no heat, some of them without cafeterias or gymnasiums — the last few months have brought little in the way of good news.
Recent unfavorable court decisions and the persistence of Governor Corzine’s effort to revamp state funding formulas have left the Abbotts feeling the brunt of taxpayer fury and more than a little hostility from the state’s so-called "suburban" districts. The formula change would effectively give Abbott districts flat funding for the next couple of years, but could drastically cut their budgets in years to come.
And so it was in this uncertain climate that the Abbotts and their supporters received a spark of good news last week, when it was revealed that New Jersey school districts stand to get some $609 million in federal money through President Obama’s economic stimulus package. According to Kathleen Carroll’s front-page story in the Herald News, the stimulus funds will target special-education and low-income students and will be available as early as this summer. Irene Sterling, executive director of the Paterson Education Fund, says the money is "going to save a lot of jobs" in Paterson.
In Paterson, the projected $20.7 million is a godsend. There is also $9.6 million that will come available for Passaic city schools and $1.8 million for Garfield. But the stimulus money will also be a boost for Clifton, a so-called Abbott "rim" district because it borders both Paterson and Passaic. The Clifton district, which can especially use money for special education, is slated to receive $4.9 million.
Lynne Strickland, director of the Garden State Coalition, a school advocacy group, said that districts across the state "will breathe a sigh of relief as we go into a tough budget vote next week and continue to deal with a tough economy."
Of course it is imperative that each district receiving federal money keeps a good account of its spending. The Abbott districts, in particular, have lost political clout and public sympathy over the years because of the wasteful spending, negligence and in some cases, outright corruption, of a distinct few.
Still, it cannot be overstated that many thousands of the state’s most at-risk students continue to receive less than adequate educations because of outdated classrooms and lack of quality programs. Even Superior Court Judge Peter E. Doyne, who found the governor’s formula plan "constitutional" and paved the way for the end of the Abbott designations, noted that those districts will continue to face challenges of low local tax collections and concentrations of poverty.
At this stage, these districts will take a financial boost where they can find it. Their future, under the Corzine plan, is mostly unclear after the first three years. Fortunately, they have a president in office who understands their plight and their daily struggles. The schools should make him proud and put his stimulus money to good use.
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Posted on Sun, Apr. 19, 2009 N.J. schools say voters face leanest of budgets Local districts cited staff cuts and other efforts to keep taxes stable. The public will weigh in Tuesday. By Cynthia Henry Inquirer Staff Writer A winter of state aid delays and federal stimulus uncertainty led to tough budget trade-offs for New Jersey school boards: Jobs or field trips? Sports or preschool fees? New textbooks or swimming? "This budget represents sacrifice," Cherry Hill School District spokeswoman Susan Bastnagel said of the 2009-10 proposal, which will go before voters Tuesday. Cherry Hill is cutting 63 jobs, but at the community's request it is seeking $100,000 in corporate sponsorships and discounts to preserve a week-long sixth-grade field trip to Mount Misery in the Pinelands, a 30-year tradition. Superintendents say their proposed budgets are among the leanest in years - through staff cuts, combined services, refinanced debt, and reduced programming. Still, in this economy, they worry that may not matter when roughly 550 districts vote Tuesday on school board candidates and the portion of the budgets covered by property taxes. Cherry Hill, Lumberton, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, and Pennsauken are among South Jersey districts whose 2009-10 budgets would keep residents' property taxes nearly identical to last year's. Others, such as Moorestown and Haddonfield, propose tax increases of less than 2 percent. The state caps increases at 4 percent without a waiver. "Even if John and Jane Q. Public support the schools, they're nervous about their own fiscal situations," Gloucester County Executive Superintendent Mark Stanwood said. "People's investments are down, and they're worried about losing their jobs." Freshman sports are targeted for elimination in Deptford and elsewhere if budgets fail. In Gloucester County, Monroe and Kingsway Regional made the sports programs' survival dependent on passage of a ballot question. Haddon Township residents opposed a proposal to cut freshman sports, so the district will charge families $1,000 to enroll a child in what had been a free half-day prekindergarten program. Like companies, districts are laying off staff and freezing administrators' raises. In Washington and Pemberton Townships, staff cuts are due to enrollment declines. Washington Township's enrollment dropped to 8,700, down from 10,000 a few years ago, board members said. The district will lay off staff members - 29 - for the first time in a dozen years. Pemberton Township, next to Fort Dix, arrived at its $111 million budget by cutting 14 staff members to save $600,000, business administrator Pat Austin said. Enrollment has fallen by about 1,000 in the last decade because of federal military base realignment. Monroe Township, however, is reducing staff even though its enrollment continues to grow by about 200 a year - 66 percent in the last decade. Its $82.5 million proposed budget would mean about 30 layoffs, including 10 teachers and 11 aides, Superintendent Charles M. Earling said. A ballot question attempts to preserve 20 other positions at a cost of $1.1 million. "When you start cutting people, that's when you start affecting the quality of schools," said Steve Baker, a state teachers union spokesman. "We're hoping boards keep flexible in case revenues come in ahead of where they expect." To arrive at its $361 million budget, Camden eliminated 90 positions - about half of them vacant - at least until federal stimulus money comes in. The district will reduce its food-service deficit by $1 million by requiring students who don't qualify for free or reduced lunches to pay for their meals for the first time. It has been a tough and confusing budget year, said Frank Belluscio, New Jersey School Boards Association spokesman. "There's always a concern when there's an economic downturn, and this is a bad one." Yet voters have approved at least half the budgets since 1976, he said. Supplemental questions, which require a 60 percent majority to pass, fail more frequently. In the last decade, 70 to 100 districts annually posed supplementary questions to pay for such things as extra staff, extracurricular or enrichment programs, maintenance, and security. This year, only 11 districts are posing ballot questions - the fewest ever, the school boards association said. Boards "are afraid to ask because they know they need a supermajority," Stanwood said. "But it also speaks to the respect they have for the property owners. They don't want to ask for more than they need." Kingsway Regional, based in Woolwich Township, seeks $202,203 to pay for a late bus and middle school and freshman sports. To maintain current class sizes, Monroe's ballot requests $1,140,882 to retain or replace about 20 teachers and a nurse. The money also would fund freshman sports. Ballots in 19 districts statewide, including six in South Jersey, also contain construction-bond questions. Clearview Regional, in Mullica Hill, and Northern Burlington Regional are trying for solar-panel installations. Kingsway Regional wants to build science labs. Riverside and Mount Holly are looking to renovate schools. Woodlynne seeks funding for an early-childhood-education wing and Americans With Disabilities Act compliance. With no tax increase and uncontested board races in her district, Cherry Hill's Bastnagel said her biggest worry was voter apathy. Statewide turnout in the last 10 school elections has been less than 16 percent, according to the school boards association. "There will always be people who vote no because this is the only budget they can vote on," Bastnagel said. Contact staff writer Cynthia Henry at 856-779-3970 or chenry@phillynews.com. Inquirer staff writers Jan Hefler and Rita Giordano contributed to this article. |
