Board makes cuts, transfers
to make room for custodians
EAST BRUNSWICK — The positions of 38 custodians proposed to be cut from the Board of Education’s 2002-03 budget are now back in the spending plan, but in two separate places.
The school board, after proposing to cut the jobs, bring in a private cleaning service, and save about $800,000, came to a consensus Monday to restore the positions after hearing complaints from numerous teachers and parents about the proposal.
Of the 38 positions, the board decided to restore 25 in the district’s base budget of about $96 million. The other 13 positions — all of which are evening positions at East Brunswick High School — are being added to a second budget question being put to voters in the April 16 school election, according to Jennifer Forbes, public information officer for the district.
The second budget question, now increased from $1.9 million to $2.4 million, was originally proposed to include items such as three new teaching positions at Churchill Junior High School; the nonmandated busing of 2,300 district students; the continuation of the district’s early drop-off service for parents of elementary school children; the hiring of two department chairs in arts and foreign languages; 15 two-hour school aides for lunch and recess; all district field trips and band summer camp; and other items.
In order to make room in the base budget for the 25 custodial positions, the board is proposing to add several items to the second question, moving them from the base budget. Those items include four new teaching positions at Churchill Junior High School (bringing the total to seven new teachers); one new humanities teacher; district-wide media center book purchases; staffing for media center open hours at the high school; and some trips to athletic meets.
The board has also decided to use another $50,000 in surplus funds to enable the restoration of the custodial positions.
Additionally, it is proposing to cut the following items from the budget, according to Forbes: $10,000 will be cut from the board’s travel and registration budget; $100,000 from the district’s interlocal reserve budget; $10,800 to upgrade calculators; $11,000 for chaperones who assist on field trips; $50,000 in adult school salaries; and $75,000 in employee benefits.
The board will hold a public hearing tonight on the budget, which totals more than $98 million and would increase the school tax rate by about 35 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.