BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
NORTH BRUNSWICK — Residents made their own recommendations on how to handle the defeated 2005-06 school budget at Monday’s Township Council meeting.
“As a concerned parent for a student involved in music at the high school, I hope you wouldn’t cut out programs including music. Music is a very important part of our children’s growth,” said resident Anne Maimone. “It is hard enough now to get uniforms and instruments.”
“People have asked for arts in school not to be cut, and I second that,” said resident Mindy Angstrich. “This past weekend there was an unbelievable production of ‘West Side Story’ at the high school. I don’t believe we have enough of that in our schools. This is something we need to hold onto.”
The proposed budget, with a $55.5 million local tax levy and 15-cent tax hike, was defeated on April 19.
Resident Fortunato Marcuzzi is disappointed the budget has come to this stage.
“Less than 10 percent of residents voted for one of the biggest budget increases. This affects two-thirds of the tax bill. I am proud of the taxpayers who came out for this.”
Marcuzzi said a budget cut of $750,000 to $1 million is necessary.
“Money is not coming through from the federal government. Taxpayers here in North Brunswick have to put up money, year in and year out. We can’t keep mandating down programs from the state level and federal level, and have the taxpayers pick it up,” he said.
“Fifteen cents is out of hand on top of 15 cents for the referendum [passed in January],” he continued.
Resident Richard Fowler touched upon several areas that need consideration.
“[Superintendent] Dr. [Robert] Rimmer said that 50 percent of our teachers have five years’ experience or less. There is a turning over of experienced teachers. When coming in, what knowledge do they have versus what knowledge is there?” asked Fowler.
He opposed the notion that North Brunswick teachers would look elsewhere for health benefits.
“Telling me they’re going to leave because they have to pay something into their health benefits doesn’t cut it for me. Are tenured teachers going to take the risk and go somewhere else and not get tenure?” Fowler asked.
Fowler also cited the level of education brought forth at the schools.
“I would want to know how many students have to take remedial courses, such as English and math, at Middlesex County College, and see how frequently it occurs; it may not even be that frequent. But if so, we need to see what we’re doing to improve the ratio. We have to take a look at how we’re teaching our youngsters,” he said.
Fowler is additionally concerned with the costs associated with special education, teaching native languages and English as a second language, and busing situations.
“How many students in Parsons live outside of the Parsons’ radius? They should be in Judd or Adams, but they are transported to Parsons. What is the cost of busing students in the area who could walk to school versus sending them outside of the area?” he asked.
Amid all of the questioning, council President Carlo Socio, head of the council’s budget subcommittee, explained to the residents how the budget is approached.
“Whatever recommendations we make for cuts are just that: recommendations. As a governing body, we will be making specific line-item cuts. We will keep away from any program, educational or extracurricular, that is going to affect any child. Again, we are trying to make specific line cuts, but the Board of Ed makes the ultimate decision on how they carry out our recommendations,” he said.
Socio will discuss the budget revisions, along with Councilman Ralph Andrews and Councilwoman Cathy Nicola. They will consult with Business Administrator Robert Lombard, Township Auditor Andy Hodulik and Chief Financial Officer Natasha Turchan.
“My goal is to follow the voice of what the voters want,” Socio said.
Councilman Bob Davis will be excused from the discussion because his wife is a teacher at John Adams Elementary. Councilman Bob Corbin will be excused because his wife was recently elected vice president of the Board of Education.
Socio says his experience substitute teaching three years ago does not make him partial to any decisions.
“The last time the budget was defeated, I was a substitute and I was coaching, so I had to excuse myself,” he said.
He said there are no such conflicts presently evident.
Meetings are scheduled throughout the week, and Socio hopes to meet with the board at least once.
“We have to come up with a statutory statement of any changes. The law requires the recommendations we make be in writing and address specifically what changes, if any, we recommend. We will then present them to the board and to the public,” Socio said.
At the conclusion of the public hearing at the council meeting on May 16, the council hopes to vote on the recommendations. The deadline for review is May 19. The finalized version will be posted on the township Web site, according to Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack.
If the board feels the council’s recommendations are unreasonable, they can appeal to the Department of Education in Trenton.
“Hopefully whatever cuts we make the Board of Ed can live with,” said Socio.
Residents are invited to visit www.northbrunswickonline.com/
bd-edu-forum.html to express their opinions through a forum on the township’s Web site.