All options on table in budget talks

BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

It’s crunch time for the K-8 Marlboro school district as budget discussions continue among Board of Education members and district administrators.

Although final numbers for the 2006-07 budget have not been calculated, district projections indicate that at this point the budget is an estimated $2 million over a state-imposed spending limit. No information on the budget’s impact on property taxes has been released.

The board is expected to tentatively adopt the 2006-07 budget at a special meeting to be held Feb. 28. In the meantime, the administration has presented the board with several options that would reduce the size of the estimated budget increase.

The total estimated budget increase for next year has not been made public at this point.

According to school officials, due to an increase in enrollment over the last several years, seven new teachers and six trailers — which would be used as classrooms at the elementary level — are needed for the 2006-07 school year.

However, at a recent board meeting the administration proposed increasing class sizes at the kindergarten and elementary levels, so the trailers and additional teachers would not be necessary. That recommendation would cut an anticipated $650,000 expense out of the spending plan for next year.

If approved, two kindergarten sections at the Marlboro Early Learning Center would be eliminated, one morning section and one afternoon section. According to Superintendent of Schools David Abbott, this proposal would bring the average kindergarten class size from 21 to 24 pupils.

At the elementary level, the elimination of one first-grade section at the Marlboro Elementary School and one section at the Frank J. Dugan Elementary School would bring the average class size from 21 to 24 pupils. The administration also suggested eliminating one second-grade section at the Asher Holmes Elementary School, which would bring the average class size from 21 to 25 pupils.

In fourth grade, removing one section at the Frank Defino Central Elementary School would bring the average class size from 24 to 27 pupils; at Dugan, eliminating one fourth-grade section would bring the average class size from 23 to 27 students.

The final piece of the proposal is to remove one fifth-grade section at Marlboro Elementary School, which would bring the average class size from 23 to 27 students.

The implementation of a fee for students who are involved in athletics and extracurricular activities is another way the district could reduce the size of the impending budget increase.

If approved, the suggested fee for students involved in athletics is $125 per pupil; the suggested fee for students involved in clubs or other activities is $50 per pupil. The district has also proposed a $300 maximum fee for families with several children involved in sports and clubs. If approved, this proposal would reduce the projected $2 million overage by $186,000, according to information provided by the district.

Jim Carrigan, the athletic director at the Marlboro Middle School, believes that if the fee is approved the board should consider implementing an individual maximum fee for students who are involved in several sports and activities.

Carrigan does not believe the initial fee will be exorbitant, however, he said when a student is involved in more than one activity, the fee structure can become expensive.

Although Carrigan said he does not like the idea of implementing the participation fee, he understands the board’s position and the current financial state of the district. He said he does not believe implementing the fee will severely damage the programs.

“We’d rather not be discussing this, but it has to be something put on the table or cutbacks [will be made] and no one is in favor of that,” Carrigan said.

School officials have also discussed the possibility of eliminating courtesy busing. According to Sharon Witchel, the district’s public information officer, the district is not required to bus students who live within a 2-mile radius of the school they attend. The district provides the busing as a “courtesy.”

Whether or not courtesy busing will be available next year may be left up to the discretion of Marlboro residents on school Election Day in April. The board has discussed the possibility of making the decision to remove courtesy busing a second question on the ballot. Residents will also be asked at that time approve the budget for the 2006-07 school year.

According to business administrator Cindy Barr-Rague, the second question may ask residents if they would be willing to pay approximately 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation more on the total increase of the budget in order to keep courtesy busing in the district.

Witchel said if courtesy busing is discontinued, parents would have the option of allowing their children to walk to school, driving them to school or paying for private busing, which could cost several hundred dollars.

According to the district, an estimated $780,000 could be saved if courtesy busing was removed from the budget.

One proposal the administration made to cut costs sparked disapproval from one board member. Terry Spilken said he believed a proposed building assessment fee could alienate members of the community who would normally support the district during budget time.

The fact that implementing the fee would only reduce the projected budget increase by $30,000 also made Spilken believe it is not a necessary place to make a cut.

According to Witchel, there are outside groups such as private schools that use Marlboro schools during the evenings and on weekends. The nonprofit organizations have always paid a custodian fee in order to use the schools, Witchel said.

However, if it is approved, the new fee would include an additional charge (approximately $40 to $80) for use of the building. The district also proposed allowing for-profit organizations to use the buildings. At present, for-profit organizations are not permitted to use the schools.

Organizations exempt from paying the fee are the PTA and PTO. Whether the township recreation department would be required to pay the fee has not yet been discussed by the board.

Discussions regarding these proposals will continue at upcoming board meetings.