News
Middletown Committee: Cut $2.1 Million From School Budget
By Ryan Fennell
MIDDLETOWN - The Middletown Township Committee adopted a resolution on Monday night that recommended approximately $2.1 million in cuts to the Board of Education's 2010 budget that was soundly defeated by residents on April 20.
The approximate $2.1 million total is derived from cuts in 11 areas.
Over $800,000 would be cut from the district health insurance plan, $465,000 would be saved by refinancing a bond, nursing service modifications would cut $150,000, changing Summer Guidance to a Federal Grant would reduce the budget by $70,000, and the classroom supplies account would be reduced by $58,000.
Several positions would also be eliminated including one night foreman position at $50,000, the public relations position at $16,000, one assistant business administrator at $91,000, one assistant vice-principal at High School South at $130,000, one assistant vice-principal at High School North also at $130,000, and one director position at $126,000.
These recommendations now go before the Middletown BOE for ratification.
The Middletown BOE can adopt these recommendations or deviate from the recommendations and make alternate cuts at its discretion.
Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger called the process a learning exercise for the Township Committee, as the school budget "was a little bit of a departure from what we're used to."
Scharfenberger reaffirmed his position that he believes the Middletown teacher's union should have accepted a one-year wage freeze.
"I had asked the union for a wage freeze for one year which would have saved three million dollars and would have had a tremendous impact not only on the overall budget but on the overall tax levy."
Scharfenberger said a wage freeze would not cost any jobs and would not cost the district any programs.
"I'm very, very disappointed that the union did not see fit to even let their membership vote, which is probably the most disheartening part," Scharfenberger said. "Be that as it may, we looked at other areas that would not affect teachers or programs."
"This is a very difficult issue," Committeeman Sean Byrnes said. "The one thing you learn when you start dealing with the school issues is there's a lot of passion around it, more so than some of the issues we deal with on a regular basis. We are talking about children and the education of our town's children. I'm supportive of this resolution but I think long-term changes still need to be made."
"It's definitely a passionate issue," added Deputy Mayor Anthony Fiore. "I think it's important to recognize that we looked very hard at this. Obviously there was a huge turnout in the Board of Ed. elections and what all of us have strived for was to make sure that any cut we were going to make would not impact the children in the classroom."
According to Fiore the recommendations would lower the tax levy on average from the BOE budget from $182.70 to $80.65.
"The number we've come to, our cuts, the different things we recommend to get to that $2.1 million number does not take one teacher out of the classroom. It doesn't recommend cutting one program," Fiore said. "That was one of the messages we received loud and clear, that we need to be very cognizant of the impact to the classroom. I think we were."
While Byrnes expressed his support for the resolution he would like to see the committee and the township take one step further and create a budget advisory board that would consist of two committee members, representatives from the BOE, and residents with certain financial qualifications as a means for addressing future budgetary issues as they arise on a township-wide scale.
Byrnes had raised the proposed advisory committee at the Township Committee's most recent workshop meeting and submitted a resolution but the resolution was not on Monday night's agenda due to alleged technical difficulties. Byrnes was unable to receive a second on his motion to adopt the advisory committee resolution he had on hand at the meeting.
"Where I do think we are potentially missing out on an opportunity here is there's a lot of focus from people in town and the turnout for the school budget was unprecedented here and elsewhere, we have a rare opportunity with that kind of attention to make some long-term, substantial, meaningful changes to the way we do business as a local government and as a Board of Education," Byrnes said. "I think we should seize that opportunity and not let it slip away. Even these changes we're making tonight do not make meaningful structural changes. We need to have a hard look at how we do things."
"The resolution I tried to introduce tonight was an attempt to do just that," Byrnes continued. "I'm still hopeful that maybe at the next go-round we can take another crack at it."
The next regular meeting of the Middletown BOE is scheduled for Wednesday May 26 at 7:30 pm at the Middletown High School North library.
