Montgomery school board works to fix disputed activity fee

An item of less than 1 percent of the budget gets a huge amount of attention

By: Greg Forester
   MONTGOMERY — An item amounting to less than 1 percent of the 2007-2008 school budget loomed as the major topic of the Montgomery school board’s final budget hearing Tuesday.
   Another revision of the item, a fee charged to students participating in extra-curricular activities, was announced at last week’s finance and budget committee meeting at the county superintendent’s request.
   "The county found that one could construe the fees to be discriminatory, forcing some people to help defray the costs of the general curriculum," said board member Charles Jacey.
   Somerset County Superintendent David Livingston approved the proposed budget with the proviso that the Board of Education charge the fee to only those students taking part in the extra-curricular activities, and on a per-student basis.
   The original version of the plan first sent to the county would have charged a $100 fee per household with children in grades seven through 12, bringing in $175,000 to the district.
   With the plan going from a per household to per student basis, board officials said the original $100 fee could be reduced, possibly to about $75.
   Residents said they feared voters would reject the budget because of the controversial fee, even though it represents a very small part of the overall budget.
   "My fear, as a person who wants the budget to pass, is that this is going to become some sort of rallying cry," said resident Debbie Meola. "I don’t think the town is opposed to contributing to the education, they’re just opposed to being charged for it."
   Another resident, Bob Witanek, said the board should just remove the fees from the budget completely.
   "Shelve the plan for the year," said Mr. Witanek. "Pull it out, think about it, and we’ll have the debate next year.
   Mr. Witanek said the fees would create unforeseen expenses, such as legal defense against lawsuits brought by parents, and would be unenforceable.
   He also said that the school district in Ridgewood had the same program, and had a 75-percent compliance rate and no way to enforce the fees, citing a statement by the school board president in the Ridgewood News.
   Despite opposition, board members said they believed the fees were a good alternative to cutting programs, which could have been another option if the fees weren’t included in the budget.
   "When we started in the fall, we weren’t talking about fees, but cutting programs and teams," said board member Mark Conforti. "You wanna talk about discrimination? Talk about shutting a team down and making parents pay for it out of their own pocket."
   Other residents said they remain supportive of the plan, viewing it as a necessity because of the state-imposed four percent property tax cap.
   "We have a standard of education that we expect the school district to continue to give to our children," said Jerome Carr, founder a local student advocacy organization. "I don’t see the board going out of their way to affect our lifestyle. They’re just trying to maintain the quality of education we expect."
   Tuesday’s meeting, to be held 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Middle School, was to be the final public hearing before the April 17 budget vote.