Schools

Pifko: 'Definitive' Answer on Second BOE Question Will Come March 29

Residents voice concerns at public forum on pending budget

A “definitive” answer on whether or not the Brick Township Board of Education will place a second spending question on the April 27 school election ballot will come when the final budget is adopted March 29, one board member said Tuesday.

Board Vice President Michael Pifko said as of right now, there has been no decision made to place a second question on the ballot, where voters will choose three board members and vote to approve or turn down the tax levy for the district’s 2011-12 operating budget.

The update on whether or not there would be a second referendum came near the end of a public budget forum held Tuesday night at Lake Riviera Middle School. The marathon, three-hour-long session included numerous township residents asking questions of board members about the budget, criticizing district spending and pleading for middle school sports to be included in the district’s spending plan. The budget, for the second year, does not include the middle school sports programs. It also calls for 13 teaching positions to be eliminated.

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“It’s a hot topic,” said board President Kim Terebush, of the middle school sports debate. “We’d be foolish to sit here and say it wasn’t.”

Terebush said the decision on whether to include middle school sports in the budget came down to the fact that there are no easy answers to the district’s budget woes.

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“It’s not as though we don’t want to put it in [the budget],” said Terebush, referring to the sports program. “It’s boiling down to, ‘what do we take out?’”

“Sports is something that is very important for kids,” Victor Acosta, a parent of several children in Brick schools, told board members. “Sometimes, our kids depend on sports in order to attend college.”

Sandra Scott, another resident, was most concerned with the impending elimination of some teaching positions.

“Fifty-four teachers were laid off last year, I don’t think we need to lay off 13 this year,” she said. “You can’t keep laying off teachers.”

District officials have cited projections of declining enrollment next year as the reason for the potential layoffs.

Anne Coll, a Greenbriar II resident, told board members to consider the state of the economy as they tweak their budget proposal over the course of month.

“You have to take into account what the taxpayer can afford,” Coll said. “You have elderly people in Brick who don’t have enough money to feed themselves properly. You have young families that are losing their houses.”

Tuesday’s forum was one of several the board will host this month. Additional meetings include:

  • March 15, 7 p.m., Brick Memorial High School auditorium, public budget forum.
  • March 22, 7 p.m., Brick Township High School library, public budget forum.
  • March 24, 7 p.m., Veterans Memorial Middle School, regular board meeting.
  • March 29, 7 p.m., Veterans Memorial Middle School, public hearing and adoption of final proposed budget.


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