to develop 2003-04
Marlboro spending plan
Superintendent of schools
wants public in on budget
Work beginning now
to develop 2003-04
Marlboro spending plan
By jeanette M. eng
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — Superintendent of Schools Dr. David C. Abbott and the Board of Education are taking steps to educate residents about the 2003-04 school year budget in a combined effort called Project 3000.
"It is my hope that more members of the community will have more of an understanding of the board’s financial matters and will actively participate in the budget vote on April 15," Abbott said.
The first Project 3000 meeting was held at the Asher Holmes Elementary School on Nov. 20. In a cluster of chairs and tables in the media center, concerned parents and residents offered their attention to the superintendent.
During comments to those in attendance, Abbott encouraged Marlboro residents to get involved in the voting process.
"Traditionally, 6 to 8 percent of the population votes for the school board budget election," he said. "A real goal of mine is to get out and share as much information as I can to change this."
The focus of the evening was Abbott’s presentation of the administration’s recommended reductions for the 2003-04 school budget based on a nine-month audit of all programs presently being delivered in the district.
During the current school year, in order to reduce the total amount of a tax increase approved by the board, $1.9 million from one-time sources was used to help fund the 2002-03 budget, Abbott explained.
The board’s total budget for 2002-03 is $56.3 million. The local tax levy to support the budget is $39.35 million.
As a result, the same dollar level of support now has to be generated to fund the 2003-04 budget in order to avoid beginning the budget process at least $1.9 million in the hole, Abbott said.
Abbott began the explanation of his plan by showing that $500,000 was available immediately for the 2003-04 budget. Due to administrative actions such as overestimated salaries and favorable health benefits pricing, the generated savings from the 2001-02 budget were $1.8 million, rather than an estimated $1.3 million.
Before presenting his proposed program reductions, Abbott pointed to a 6-inch thick binder containing a description of every program offered in Marlboro’s K-8 school district.
"I have carefully considered each cut’s ramifications and have reviewed them with the administrative groups that would be most affected as well as the executive administrative team," Abbott said.
The superintendent explained the criteria that was used to examine each program in an attempt to determine where reductions could be made as the coming school year’s budget is developed.
"We took the time to look at each program from six different prisms, which consist of how many students were served by the program, the program’s costs, the cost per pupil, the objectives of the program, whether the program or any parts of it were doing what it should be and whether or not the program or any parts of it should be eliminated or modified in order to deliver a high-quality and cost-effective program," the superintendent explained.
Abbott’s final recommendations included a staff reduction of one-half teacher in the Marlboro Early Learning Center; a reduction of one full-time physical education/health teacher for grades one through five; a staff reduction in nursing by hiring registered nurses as second nurses in each middle school; a staff reduction of 1.6 Spanish teachers in grades two through eight; a staff reduction of one teacher and one assistant in the multiple handicapped program; and a staff reduction of four assistants in special education instruction.
To illustrate how staff reductions could be realized, Abbott outlined his recommendations for a child study program that deals with classified children. He recommended eliminating the need for a learning disabled teaching consultant and reallocating the work among the remaining child-study team members.
"We’re simply shifting and spreading the work around," the superintendent said.
Another example of eliminating positions is in the self-contained programs which serve students who are not placed in mainstream classes. Due to graduating students and parents and teachers working to get the students into other programs, this reduction is possible, he said.
Changing the resource center’s four-week summer program from a free service to a tuition-based program is another way the superintendent plans to save money.
"The four-week program serves special education children who, according to the law, do not necessarily need the extra education. Now, we will still offer the extra help, but it will be a tuition-based program," Abbott said.
According to Abbott, for those children who, according to their individual education plan, are required to have the extra schooling, the existing six-week program will remain.
Changes in the bus system and applied technology and technology completed Abbott’s recommendations.
According to Abbott’s presentation, the total recommended reductions exceed $1.2 million. Taken together with the unanticipated $500,000 savings from the 2001-02 budget, more than $1.7 million may be applied to the 2003-04 budget, he said.
In addition, on Feb. 29, the board took $557,000 out of the 2002-03 budget and placed it into surplus to be applied to the 2003-04 budget. Therefore, the total dollar amount available to be applied to the 2003-04 budget is almost $2.3 million, according to Abbott.
"This is our way of driving the costs down while still keeping the quality of education up," he said.
In an interview with the News Transcript, the superintendent explained new challenges which he had also presented to the board.
Among these was the development of standardized tests and at least one "real-time" curriculum assessment lab in at least one elementary school. Real-time labs are used to assess children at different points throughout the school year to see how they are progressing. This system would provide teachers with almost immediate feedback, allowing them to address areas in need of work right away, he explained.
As they plan to develop a budget for the 2003-04 school year, board members are faced with the prospect of hiring between 20 and 25 teachers to staff the new Marlboro Memorial Middle School, Nolan Road.
School administrators also indicated that additional staff members will also be needed to restore the teacher/pupil ratios in the primary grades to one to 20/23.
Potential increases in health benefits and other charges are unknown factors as the board and administration begin preparing a budget for 2003-04, Abbott said.
"This is a major issue because of double-digit inflation and the state of the whole health care industry," Abbott said. "Last year’s health increase was more than $1.5 million."
One point that Abbott stressed was the fact that some of the recommended reductions and savings are already in effect.
From here, the administration will begin working on the proposed 2003-04 school year budget and present it to the board in late January.
The board will vote to adopt a 2003-04 school year budget in March and residents will vote on the budget in the April 15 school election.