BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer
Red Bank RED BANK – Members of the Borough Council were expected to meet with public school officials this week to discuss the school district budget, which failed to be approved by voters on April 18.
On Monday, Mayor Edward J. McKenna Jr. was expected to appoint council liaisons to meet with School District Interim Superintendent Robert Mahon and Business Administrator Frances Finkelstein to discuss possible cuts to the budget for the 2006-07 school year.
“We provided documentation on our budget to the borough,” said Finkelstein Monday. “The budget has to be certified to the Monmouth County Board of Elections by May 19, then we have to redo the budget. I hope to be able to do it before I leave.”
Finkelstein recently resigned from the Red Bank Public School District, effective May 31.
The $15.4 million budget, with an $11.1 million tax levy, failed to pass by about 60 votes.
The procedure for when a school budget fails is for the council to decide whether the budget should be cut and by how much and to make recommendations about areas to be cut.
Finkelstein said that although the Board of Education can appeal the recommendations to the state Department of Education, the amount cut from the budget by the council is final.
The last time the school budget failed in 2004, the council decreased the budget by $60,000, which amounted to less than 1 cent per $100 of assessed property value.
The district took another blow last year when the restrictions of state law S-1701 forced the district to restrict the surplus in the school budget and to hold any increase in the budget to 3 percent over the previous year.
The board, in addition to its budget struggles, is also dealing with appointing a new superintendent, a new board member and electing a board president.
At last week’s board reorganization meeting, the first since the election, three board members were sworn in, including incumbents Juanita Lewis and Mary-Ellen Mess and newcomer Ann Roseman.
The board, however, is still one member short, since Barbara Horl resigned from the board in March.
The board has 65 days from the date of resignation, which was March 7, to find a replacement board member, who would serve a one-year term. The board must have a ninth board member by May 10.
The board decided to have people interested in filling the board seat meet with them last Tuesday, when they were expected to appoint a new member.
The three residents who are expected to meet with the board for the board position include Kimberly Hulse, who received 10 write-in votes in the election; Jennifer Zona, who received two write-in votes; and Mehmet Ors.
One of the effects of not having a ninth member on the board is that at last week’s meeting, the eight- member board was unable to reach a majority vote for either of the two board members nominated for the position of board president.
Both current board President Janet Jones and Vice President Peter Noble were nominated for the position, and each received four votes.
Board Attorney Peter Sokol said that Jones would continue to sit as president until a new board member was chosen, and after that, the board would have two weeks to take another vote for president.
The board is also expected to make a decision on who will fill the superintendent position, which has been open since January, when Dr. John Krewer left the district for a position in Middlesex County.
Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Keshish also tendered her resignation, effective at the end of this school year, but she has applied for the superintendent position.
Jones has not commented on whether Keshish is among the three finalists for superintendent.