BOE Approves Budget for County Review

A standing room only crowd watched as the board of education approved a 2010-11 budget Tuesday evening that includes what Schools Supt. Richard Brodow called "very painful" cuts, including a reduction in all instructional aides and five supervisor positions.

The Board of Education voted to send the proposed budget to the Essex County schools superintendent, but the board will cast its final budget vote on March 31 before sending it to the voters for the annual election. Board members Michael Birnberg, Lise Chapman and Eric Siegel abstained from the vote.

Superintendent Brodow said the struggles the district is going through to cope with a dramatic reduction in state aid are not as bad as what some other districts are battling, but that doesn't make it easier. "Unfortunately given the circumstances I have to recommend these reductions," he said. In many instances he said the details of the staff cuts have yet to be worked out.

The instructional aides "are gone," he said in going over the staff cuts. That amounts to 22 part-time positions. Aides required for special education programs will not be cut.

There also was a reorganization at the administration level, Brodow said, which will include cutting five supervisor positions, but the superintendent did not explain what supervisors would be affected.  Brodow said he is in the process of determining how the cut would be made. "We're trying to work it out," he said. "I wish I could give you more specifics than the numbers." Once he speaks to the affected employees, he said, he will make public the changes.

Board President Noreen Brunini said reducing the number of supervisors was one of the hardest decisions in the proposed budget. The original proposal, which was voted down, included cutting five classroom teachers. The board didn't want to do that, Brunini said. "We think it will be better in the long-run than cutting classroom teachers," she said.

Several parents questioned the supervisors cut. Larkin Cohan, a high school parent, said parents can't go to the high school principals about issues, and it's better to be able to go to a supervisor with questions. The cuts are dramatic and could hurt the district into the future, she said, plus there would be a loss in institutional knowledge.

Brodow said school officials normally add teachers for additional classes at the middle and high schools, but they will not be doing that this year. No specific details were given.

The district also won't fill a number of vacancies created by retirements. That includes not filling an elementary school computer teacher. The district won't fill a guidance secretary position at the middle school and a library media specialist at the high school. The Education Center receptionist position will not be filled after a retirement. A custodian position vacated because of a resignation won't be filled, and there will be a reduction of 4.5 hours of lunch aide time.

In many cases, school officials said not filling the positions would mean other employees would have to pick up the responsibilities.

In non-staff areas, Brodow said there are reductions in teacher training, technology, furniture and equipment, substitutes, athletics, co-curricular programs and textbooks.

Elaine Vislocky, assistant superintendent for curriculum and technology, said the cuts in teacher training are mainly for outside classes or consultants brought to the district. Instead, the classes would be held in district and taught by people inside the district.

Vislocky said new editions of textbooks would not be purchased, but textbooks that are worn will be replaced.

Birnberg said he had a concern the most current information in subjects like science would not be available to students.

Vislocky said areas like science rely on outside materials beyond the textbook. Because of that, they feel comfortable with not replacing the textbooks with newer editions.

There's also a proposal to start charging for regular education students attending the district's integrated preschool program. The program would remain free to special education students. Brunini said school officials feel they need to start charging. Many other districts have been charging for preschool programs.

Marissa Christmas, a parent, again questioned charging regular education families for the preschool program. She raised the same issue during Monday night's meeting. Christmas said such a requirement would create an inequality where half the class wouldn't be paying and the other half would. As a parent in the program, she said, her family needs to make a decision by March 29.

Chapman questioned a reduction in special education costs. Robert Zeglarski, school business administrator, said school officials are getting a better handle on the accounting for special education costs. Because of better management, the savings are being passed on to the taxpayers. Additionally, he said, there is a $700,000 emergency reserve that could be used in case of extra special education costs.

The budget proposal also includes a 10 percent reduction in co-curricular activity costs and a 7 percent reduction in athletic costs, according to Zeglarski. Brodow said school officials want to continue to offer a thorough athletic program, but they are looking to reduce costs, including transportation and equipment. That could be done in reducing the number of contests, he said, which is something state officials are examining for all school districts.

During public comment, Caroline Rothman, of Seminole Way, said she was concerned by how many cuts would affect the classroom and wanted to see more changes at the administrative level.

She also said changes to the district's health care program for unionized employees, including teachers, needs to be considered. Employees need to contribute some money to health care, she said, and that is where a sustainable model will be created for  costs.

And Rothman questioned courtesy busing and its cost, noting that her family receives courtesy busing. People may not want to give it up, but it should be considered.

Sam Levy, a board member, said courtesy busing costs $1.5 million, but the funding could not simply be cut. Courtesy busing was created through a referendum, and there may need to be another public vote in order to rescind it.

Zeglarski said school officials could increase taxes up to 4 percent, but they would go up by 2 percent in the budget the board adopted. Including debt service and using leftover money from the recent construction project, the increase is 1.3 percent. Zeglarski said there was a loss in some debt service aid, which increased the proposed tax increase from 1.2 percent as previously proposed.

School officials also plan to use $2.9 million in excess surplus from the 2008-09 budget and $1 million anticipated surplus from the 2009-10 budget, Zeglarski said.

Birnberg said he has concerns about the potential for a $4 million budget cap for 2011-12 because of the use of excess surplus. He doesn't want the district to be in a worse situation a year from now and questioned if more cuts should be made. He also said he doesn't want to cut more.

Zeglarski said the $2.9 million has to be used in the next budget as mandated by state law. He also said he cannot predict what the state will provide in the form of aid, but he doesn't think it would be worse than what happened this year. "I don't think the people in Millburn and other school districts will sit back and let this happen for a second year in a row," he said.

Scott Kamber, board vice president, said the board needs to have a budget model where it doesn't rely on state aid, so they aren't in the same position as they are this year, if they lose all of the aid. "We can't be put in the same position," he said. "We need to look at it like it's a bonus."

The budget process, though, has allowed the community—parents, teachers, administrators and the public at large—to come together to have a dialogue on the budget, Kamber said. It will help them all build a better school district.

The cuts come about a week after school officials found out they would lose all of their state aid, which totaled about $3 million. The board rejected one version of the budget Monday morning. Board members have been meeting with the administration since then on a new version of the budget.

Tuesday's meeting isn't the final step in the process. A budget hearing is scheduled for March 31 before the school board holds its final vote on the budget and sending it to the voters for an April 20 vote.