School times will remain the same in Freehold Twp.
Change in way budget is drawn up allows board to keep current schedule
BY MARK ROSMAN
Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Parents, do not reset those alarm clocks. The Board of Education announced at its Feb. 27 meeting that school times will remain the same in the 2007-08 school year.

That is a complete turnaround from a plan school administrators put forth a month ago and one that drew a large crowd of parents to a Feb. 13 meeting to ask the board not to change the established start and end times for the district's schools.

Only a few residents were on hand at the Feb. 27 meeting to hear the news that school times would remain the same.

Administrators explained that a change in the way the state has decided to permit the board to draw up its budget is the reason why they will be able to keep the same busing schedule and class schedule. District administrators said they were advised of the change in the state's budgeting philosophy at a meeting with state education officials on Feb. 23.

The K-8 school district presently has about 4,600 students and a budget of $60.1 million.

Business Administrator Sean Boyce said a tentative budget for the 2007-08 school year will be introduced by the board on March 13. The budget will then be subject to review by the Monmouth County Superintendent of Schools, which is the local representative of the state Department of Education. The board will adopt a final budget later this month and residents will vote on it in the April 17 school election.

Boyce and Superintendent of Schools William Setaro explained the change in the state's budget philosophy as follows: As recently as two weeks ago (Feb. 13), school administrators were being told there would be a state-imposed spending cap on the total amount of their budget. On Feb. 23, they were informed the new cap is not on what they can spend, but on the amount of property taxes that can be raised.

Boyce and Setaro said that subtle change provides some budget flexibility that will make it possible for Freehold Township schools to keep the same bus schedule and class schedule in place, at least for the 2007-08 school year.

As Setaro noted after the meeting, the state can change the rules at any time, which makes planning for future budgets a tenuous undertaking at best.

"We're trying to make ends meet with a lot of obstacles in our way. We are trying to control spending without hurting our children in the classroom," the superintendent said. "For us, right now, this change in [budgeting] philosophy is fortuitous."

Boyce and Setaro explained that the state will now permit school boards to seek outside sources of revenue and to use that money in the budget because it does not come from taxpayers.

Setaro said Freehold Township administrators will pursue outside sources of revenue that could include everything from interest on investments to advertising on school buses. He noted that other districts are already pursuing outside sources of revenue, mentioning the Toms River School District, which constructed a facility it rents to outside groups for sporting events, and the Millstone Township School District, which is building a performing arts center that will also be used to generate revenue.

The superintendent said the state's previous budget philosophy was a cap on revenue. The change in thinking now equates to a position of "if you can bring it in, you can spend it, and the cap is on what can be raised in the local tax levy," he said.

With no change in school times necessary for 2007-08, the instructional day at the Applegate, Donovan, Errickson and West Freehold schools will remain 8 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.

The instructional day at the Barkalow and Eisenhower middle schools will remain 8:25 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The instructional day at the Catena School will remain 8:40 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Under the board's proposal, the instructional day at the Applegate, West Freehold and Errickson schools would have been from 7:45 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.

The instructional day at the Barkalow and Eisenhower middle schools would have been 8:30 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.

The proposed instructional day at the Donovan and Catena schools would have been 9:15 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

Parents who spoke at the Feb. 13 board meeting in opposition to the change in school times expressed concern about asking children to be ready to perform in class at an earlier hour; about having children at bus stops in the dark winter morning hours; about children having to wait at home wasting time for several hours in the morning after waking up and before their bus came; about the impact later arrivals home would have on the children's participation in after-school activities; and about the effect a change would have on children's health and education.

Many of the people who spoke at that meeting identified themselves as parents of children who attend or would attend the Donovan and Catena schools.

Setaro said fewer bus drivers would have been needed because of the change in school times and the result would have been a savings of $500,000 to the K-8 district in the transportation department.

He said administrators will form an advisory committee of residents, with and without children, to examine school transportation issues as the board looks to future budget years.

Commenting on the class times remaining the same, board President Mindy Wille said, "We want to run an efficient operation. That is our goal. We want to maintain the excellence we have achieved. We do not want to make arbitrary changes that affect people's lives."

Resident Donna Herbert acknowledged that the board members "took a lot of heat" about the proposed change in school times at the Feb. 13 meeting and thanked them for listening to the parents' concerns. "Some of you have served on this board for many years and I would like you to know your service is appreciated," she said.