Next FBSD School Board Meeting - 3/22

[dfx]

Topic: Preliminary 2010 – 2011 Budget
Date: Monday March 22nd
Time: 7pm
Location: Park Avenue Elementary School

[BrianSullivan]

Dan, thank you for the reminder. I hope many people attend in order to become better informed.

[BrianSullivan]

Just a bump and reminder that this meeting is tonight. I hope people show up and show an interest in the budget as well as vote when the time comes.

[BrianSullivan]

I attended this meeting last night but got stupid and sat in the back so I could not hear very well. Luckily there was real news papers there so we should see better reports. If I understand the basics correctly, here is what we can expect.

This was a tentative budget. It is a flat budget, but, with state aid being reduced, there will be a call for the max of 4 percent tax increase when we vote.

There will be no staff or program reductions. It appears clear that the BOE is still surviving on a shoe string budget that is very tight.

Besides the above, the place was packed. Most noticeable was the presence of many people wearing yellow shirts advertising support for education. I asked one of them who they were and it was the teachers and staff of the schools. I am not sure what their point was, if anything,but I do assume it has to do with current contract talks.

Like I said, I had a tough time hearing the meeting and will await reports from the local papers.

[BrianSullivan]

From the APP.

www.app.com/article/20100323/NEWS/3230331/1285/LOCAL09/Freehold-school-board-seeks-4-percent-tax-hike

FREEHOLD — The borough Board of Education will seek to raise the school property tax rate by 4 percent for the 2010-11 school year to make up for a decrease in state aid and an anticipated increase in costs, according to the budget the board introduced Monday night.





If approved by voters, the borough school tax rate would increase from 2.4 cents per $100 of assessed value for the 2009-2010 school year, to 3 cents per $100 for 2010-2011.

The $17.5 million proposed budget is up by about 1 percent, or $172,856.

School Business Administrator Pat DeGeorge attributed the increase to anticipated health insurance and utility costs, and said that the district was under a spending freeze in most departments.

Facing a 9.5 percent, or $890,613, cut in state aid, the board plans to appropriate $724,497 from surplus and ask voters to approve an increase in the tax levy of $318,260 over last year.

If the levy is approved, the district will not need to eliminate any programs, reduce staff size or increase class sizes, according to DeGeorge.

The board will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. March 30. On April 20, voters will decide on the proposed $8,274,772 local tax levy.

ednote Colleen Curry: 732-308-7758, [e-mail].

[BrianSullivan]

The APP article mentioned the anticipated increase in health insurance. As I understand it, the district did go to the state health benefits plan last year, which saved money. Even with the money savings from that change, the district still has to plan on a 25 percent increase.

Here is a simple break down of the budget, most of which is in previous posts.

State aid decreased $890,613 or approx 10%
Health insurance increase approx $380K
No elimination in Staff planned
Total operating Budget will increase by 1%, approx $172K
Total per pupil cost will be $324 for next year
The district is Approx $4.2M BELOW adequacy

[BrianSullivan]

In one of my previous posts I mentioned that the teachers union was there in great number. I mentioned that they were wearing yellow shirts. The shirts said Fighting for a Better Education for All. I did not stay for the public portion of the meeting, but did interview a couple of people to get the facts.

A spokesperson for the union did get up and address the BOE. They were there to draw attention to the fact that there is a contract negotiation in progress and the union is making claims that they just want to sit and talk about things and that has not been happening enough. After the unions spokesperson was finished, all but a couple of the yellow shirts got up and left the room. Reports state that as the union was leaving the parking lot, they interrupted the meeting with car horns.



The following is a break down of the meetings between the union and the BOE.

February 2, 2009 First Negotiations Meeting
February 18, 2009 Second Meeting
March 2, 2009 Cancelled due to Snow
March 31, 2009 Third Meeting
May 13, 2009 Fourth Meeting
May 28, 2009 Fifth Meeting
June 16, 2009 Sixth Meeting
June 29, 2009 Seventh Meeting
August 3, 2009 Joint filing for Mediation
October 15, 2009 First Mediation Meeting
December 21, 2009 Second Mediation Meeting
March 10, 2010 Third Mediation Meeting cancelled due to death in family
of state mediator



Anybody who is even remotely familiar with contract talks and how they work will see that there most certainly has been a reasonable dialog going on. Not only was there ample meetings, but it does appear as if many efforts were made before both sides agreed to go to mediation.