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Schools

Tentative School Budget Sheds 13 Teaching Positions

Board discusses including separate funding referendums on April ballot

The Brick Township Board of Education adopted a tentative budget of $135.8 million for the 2011-12 school year – roughly $400,000 more than last year’s budget of $135.4 million. The spending plan sheds 13 teaching positions from the district and does not include funding for middle school sports programs, officials said.

The budget calls for an increase in the local tax levy of 2 percent, or a 1.8 cent increase on the property tax rate, according to school officials, which translates to a tax hike of about $49 per year on the average assessed home in the district.

“This is one of the smallest increases the board has asked for,” said Business Administrator James Edwards. “We believe we are being fiscally responsible.”

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The tentative budget for next school year calls for 13 less teaching positions and nine less para-professional positions due to declining enrollment, said Superintendent of Schools Walter Hrycenko.

According to 2011-12 enrollment projections, class sizes in the district’s elementary schools will range from about 19 to 26 students next year, while the two middle schools will have about 24 to 27 students per class. Student enrollment in the district is expected to decline by 183 students by September 2011, school officials estimate.

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One of the more hotly debated budget issues has been the funding of middle school sports. For the second year in a row, the board has not allocated any money in the budget for sports – a move that has upset many parents.

Edwards said there are several options for funding middle school sports activities: an increase in participation fees, alternate sources of funding, or perhaps a separate question on the ballot on whether voters want to include sports funding in the operating budget.

In February, the board approved participation fees for spring sports ranging from $346 to $376 per student-athlete, depending on the sport. The move proved to be unpopular with parents, who complained the fees were too high.

The fees were after the district was awarded an additional in state aid next year. Officials said they would apply federal stimulus money aimed at retaining teaching positions to defray the cost of spring middle school sports.

Board Member Vicky Leone said the goal is to get the budget adopted, and then determine where there may be funds that can be shifted or allocated to support middle school sports. She noted that last year, there was extra money in the budget from teacher retirements that could’ve been used towards middle school sports, but the budget was defeated. However, some residents questioned whether the board could legally fund something in the budget that was not already included as a line item.

Another issue raised by residents was the deteriorating condition of Brick Township High School, and the fact that the board has not allocated any money in next year’s budget for capital improvements.

Edwards explained that the budget does include money for maintenance work. However, multi-million dollar, large-scale capital improvements such as those needed in the high school would have to come from loans, he said, and the board is considering including a referendum on the ballot concerning the funding of capital projects.        

The board is scheduled to hold four more public hearings on the budget this month, including a meeting on March 29 when it will vote on adopting a final budget. Residents will vote on whether to approve or reject the tax levy to support the proposed spending plan on April 27.

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