Latch-key funds to help council meet mandate.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
JAMESBURG The school board plans to raise $48,000 in revenue over the next 12 months through the township’s latch-key program to cover a May 14 Borough Council mandate that it make cuts to the 2004-04 school budget.
To accommodate another council inquiry into the amount of hours part-time secretaries were working, the board cut the hours of John F. Kennedy School secretary Lucille Panos.
"Based on enrollment numbers and the increases (in program fees), we have enough to cover that," district Business Administrator Tom Reynolds said Thursday.
On May 15, the school board approved the Borough Council’s decision to cut $48,000, dropping the district’s tax levy to $5.888 million. The council was required by state law to act on the budget when Jamesburg voters defeated a proposed $10.24 million budget on April 15.
The cuts represent a 2-cent reduction in the proposed tax rate, which stands at 41 cents per $100 in valuation. The new tax rate will be $2.62 per $100 of assessed valuation, which means the homeowner of a house assessed at the borough average of $123,000 will pay $3,222 in school taxes, an increase of $504 for the school year.
Prior to sending the proposed budget to the voters, the school board made cuts that included the cancellation of the after-school sports programs and the elimination of a librarian position that was shared by Grace M. Breckwedel and JFK schools. That librarian will head into the classroom next year.
School board members said that they, along with the Borough Council, looked thoroughly at the budget for things they could cut that would not ultimately affect the educational programming offered to the children.
"We couldn’t find anything of substance to cut," school board member Frank Hand said.
The district looked toward the latch-key program as a source of additional revenue that could help the district come up with $48,000.
The district does not run the latch-key program, but receives revenue from the program for use of its facilities.
District officials said they looked at the current fees for the latch-key program and decided the they were not enough to cover services provided by the district for the program, including energy costs and use of the building.
"It’s a volunteer program where parents in Jamesburg and surrounding areas use the services," Mr. Reynolds said.
The program runs a morning program for students before school, starting at 7 a.m. until school begins at 8:25 a.m. The morning program currently costs parents $50 per month. Effective July 1, the program will cost $70 a month.
There also is an afternoon program that begins at 2:45 p.m. and runs to 6 p.m. The program costs $120 per month now and will run $140.
An eight-week summer program begins after July 4 and runs until the start of school that program runs for an 8-hour-a-day cycle during the week, Mr. Reynolds said.
The summer program currently costs Jamesburg residents $120 per week. The increase would cost parents $140 a week. Out-of-district children who participate in the program are already charged $5 more per week. The new fees would have those parents paying $145 per week, Mr. Reynolds said.
The school board said that "with regret" it voted 6-2 in favor of slashing the JFK secretary’s hours for the second time in as many years. Effective July 1, Ms. Panos’ hours will be reduced from 26 hours to 24 hours per week. Board member Sherry Thienert was absent from the meeting.
School board President Don Peterson said the decision was not one based on Ms. Panos’ abilities and contributions to the district, but related to the troubles in the district.
Prior to the vote, Ms. Panos said she was aware of the district’s financial troubles, but limiting her hours was not the way to go.
"I am acutely aware of the budget situation," she said May 15. "My hours were reduced last year which reduced my pay, but I stayed because of the benefits. I like this community and I give to the school community. I ask you to reconsider you position and what you will do."
In a move not related to the council’s request to cut the budget, the school board approved the contract renewal for the 2003-2004 school year for Assistant Principal Al Perno at a salary to be determined.
The Jamesburg School District will receive $3.55 million in state aid for the 2003-2004 school year, but is being hit hard by out-of-district tuition costs. The cost for tuition for special education students and students who attend Monroe Township High School is expected to increase from $3.47 million this year to $4.09 million in 2003-2004.

