By Maria Prato-Gaines
MONROE Township Council and Board of Education subcommittees will meet Monday to discuss what should be done about the recently rejected school budget.
The council will then hold a public meeting on May 5 at which a decision could be made on how to proceed, said Wayne Hamilton, township administrator.
The district’s $96.3 million school budget was defeated 2,273 to 1,932 on April 15. The budget carried a school tax rate increase of 6.7 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, to $2.003.
Under state law, a defeated school budget goes to the municipality’s governing body, in this case the Township Council, for review.
The council can cut the total tax levy as long as it includes recommendations on what should be trimmed from the budget.
The school district is not bound by the recommendations, but it is bound by the tax levy reduction, according to state regulations.
The township has until May 19 to set the tax levy. If the district chooses to appeal the new levy and proposed cuts, it has 10 days from when the levy is struck to file a petition with the county executive superintendent.
The council does not expect to make cuts that will affect instructional programs.
”What we look at is a minor portion of the budget,” said Township Council President Gerald Tamburro. “There’s about $64½ million that is untouchable.”
That portion of the budget is reserved for items that the council considers off limits such as salaries or educational programs, he said.
