Busing a concern in Upper Freehold
Frank D’Amico
UPPER FREEHOLD — Residents commented on the 2000-01 school budget at a hearing Monday night, voicing concerns about a proposed new busing schedule and cuts to several programs.
The proposed budget, which on Wednesday night was expected to be voted upon by the Board of Education, totals $17.2 million.
If approved by voters April 18, the budget would result in a tax rate of $1.88 per $100 of assessed property value in Allentown, an increase of 22 cents. Based on an average house of $150,000, the owner would pay $2,819 in taxes, an increase of $329.
In Upper Freehold, the tax rate would be $1.79 per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of 10 cents. Based on an average house of $207,661, the owner would pay $3,708, an increase of $199.
Plumsted Township’s gradual withdrawal from the Upper Freehold Regional School District’s Allentown High School resulted in the loss of 65 tuition-paying students and a revenue decrease of $650,000, administrators said. This factor contributed to the tax increase for Allentown and Upper Freehold.
With the loss of revenue, the board worked on keeping expenditures down without cutting any educational programs, officials said.
A tiered busing schedule was proposed to save the cost of buying two additional buses at $50,000 each, plus the cost of hiring bus drivers.
Students at Allentown High School, the middle school and the elementary school would start at three different times of the day. That would allow the district to transport students without adding an extra bus or buses to its fleet.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to even find drivers,” district Business Administrator Ann Murphy said at the meeting.
Dr. Murphy also explained some expenses in the budget she said had to be added this year. These included a seventh-grade teacher with benefits and salary, at a cost of $41,392. A part-time teacher of Spanish was budgeted for $17,432 and a part-time speech teacher, with benefits, was $21,834.
Dr. Murphy said the additions to the budget, which also included $17,012 in Y2K upgrading equipment loans, totaled $116,472.
After a 12-part dissection of the budget, the public brought up its concerns, including opposition to tiered busing and program cuts.
When some teachers retire this year, including a business teacher, they won’t be replaced, interim Superintendent Thomas Vona said.
Also, a retiring teacher of English will be replaced by a part-time instructor.
Some parents were concerned that the school’s preschool program, “pre-K,” was cut. Dr. Vona said the program, which enrolls 18 children, would be cut because it receives no state aid.
The pre-K program for special education students will be offered because it receives state aid.
On the busing issue, some parents said they were completely left out of the decision-making process and their concerns were not considered.
Board President Lynne Meara said the board considered the inconvenience of the schedule by telling parents about it five months before it would take effect.
Parents raised the issue of adding a question to the ballot addressing the tiered busing issue, and the crowd reacted with applause at the suggestion.
Also, board members said the tiered busing issue has been under discussion for a while and public input is always welcomed at board meetings.
Board member Betty Jane Pepe said she wanted more people to attend board meetings.
“We don’t have a lot of ratables in Upper Freehold and we have to rely on taxpayers, but we can’t find enough people to even run for the Board of Education,” she said.