MATAWAN — Full-day kindergarten has been restored in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District.
In a show of unity, the Board of Education and the governing bodies from Matawan and Aberdeen have decided to resolve the school district’s budget cut issues.
"It’s going to be an ongoing process, but this is where we’re at today," said Catherine Zavorskas, board vice president, at the June 17 board meeting.
School budget cuts became an issue after the regional school district’s $46.7-million budget was defeated by voters in April by almost a 2-to-1 margin.
The proposed budget would have increased school taxes in Matawan by 16.6 cents and Aberdeen by 23.7 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The defeated budget was turned over to the Matawan Borough Council and the Aberdeen Township Council for cuts and revisions.
The initial $914,300 budget cut proposed by the councils was decreased to $650,000 at a meeting of the two governing bodies June 18.
Prior to the June 18 meeting, the board met with Matawan and Aberdeen councils to come up with an agreement on the budget cut, Zavorskas said.
The settlement restores some programs at risk of being cut, like the full-day kindergarten, while cutting other programs entirely.
Some extracurricular activities as well as supervisory and teaching positions will be affected by the budget cuts.
Although the board disagrees with some of the cuts, it will not appeal the councils’ decision in an effort to resolve the situation.
"It does not unify our town," Zavorskas said. "It pins one against the other."
Board members and residents were unified after the final budget was announced.
"We definitely need, now more than ever, to be working with each other," said Gerald Donaghue, board president. "Quite frankly, there is strength in numbers. What we need to do is talk to each other like cohorts, friends and associates. We’re not separate entities."
The budget problems caused tensions between the board and the municipalities, said Bruce Quinn, schools superintendent.
In the future, Quinn said, he hopes the three parties will work together to serve the best interests of the children and community.
Aberdeen Mayor David Sobel credits Quinn for standing up and taking charge during the recent budget crisis.
"[Quinn] took a position that showed the type of leadership qualities that you would want," Sobel said. "It’s an agreement that all three entities agreed to," he said.
Looking to next year, district residents spoke out at the June 18 meeting to prevent future budget problems.
Matawan resident Robert Casagrande asked the board to re-examine its spending methods.
Carla Tobias of Matawan attended the June 18 meeting to tell the board of the importance of reinstating school librarians.
"[The library is] the most fundamental tool in learning," she said. "It’s the foundation for education. I would hate to see ours get whittled down to nothing. The most important functions of a school librarian is to teach them [students] to find answers."