Schools merit resources for finest education

PACKET EDITORIAL, April 12

By: Packet Editorial
   Each of our local school districts faces a unique set of challenges as it puts the fate of its 2005-2006 budget into the hands of voters a week from today.
   In Princeton, the $67.1 million budget is accompanied by a $1.9 million second question, which is always a dicey proposition. A second question asks voters to approve expenditures above and beyond the state-imposed budget cap — in other words, to submit voluntarily to a larger property-tax increase than would otherwise be permitted.
   Princeton’s second question covers a wide range of new program offerings — extending the school year for math and science literacy academies, offering preschool for 4-year-olds, enhancing the middle-school instrumental music and athletic programs and upgrading middle- and high-school playing fields. The most controversial element, however, calls for beefing up security at Princeton High School by adding hall monitors and some form of "administrative assistance" to the staff.
   Some parents have expressed the view that this is an overreaction to media hype about the alleged presence of gangs in Princeton. Others contend that unarmed hall monitors and one more nebulously defined administrative position won’t do enough to combat the gang-related violence that is definitely taking place in our community. The challenge here is to prevent either of these extreme positions on one relatively small component to doom the second question entirely.
   In West Windsor-Plainsboro, the challenge is not quite so daunting. There is no second question on the ballot, with the budget of $136.2 million coming in below the state cap. And the tax rate in West Windsor will rise a mere 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation if the budget is approved.
   In Plainsboro, however, the picture is not quite so rosy. The township recently underwent a complete property revaluation, with the value of an average home jumping 108 percent, from $190,000 to $395,000. But the tax rate did not drop by a corresponding percentage, meaning many Plainsboro residents are about to be socked with large property-tax hikes, which could seriously jeopardize passage of the school budget.
   In Montgomery, the challenge is enormous. Because the township participates in a program that calls for regular reassessment of property values, many residents are getting tax notices showing whopping increases in the value of their homes — which translates into whopping hikes in their school tax bills, even to support the base budget of $67.9 million. And that’s just for starters.
   There’s also a $391,705 second question on the ballot — a relatively modest sum but for a very controversial item: to provide every high school student with a laptop computer. Add in widespread parental dissatisfaction over changes in the opening and closing times of the district schools starting in September, along with charges that the school board and administration are generally unresponsive to public comments and concerns, and the prospect of a protest vote looms large — making the outlook for both the budget and the second question iffy at best.
   We urge a yes vote on all three budgets. We believe all three of our local districts deserve the resources necessary to continue offering the highest-quality education available in New Jersey’s public schools. We also support both second questions, Princeton’s because it will fund several deserving new programs and Montgomery’s because it will keep the district ahead of the technology curve. Sooner or later, every public school student in the nation will have a laptop computer; in a school district that values educational excellence and achievement as highly as Montgomery, it only makes sense to provide them — at relatively little cost — sooner rather than later.