By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
MONROE — In the midst of budget season, the Board of Education has found two major items to cut as it attempts to control costs this year.
By eliminating an assistant superintendent position and limiting voting hours during the upcoming election, the board estimates that it will be cutting around $160,000 from this year’s budget.
The board approved both items at its Jan. 21 meeting.
During the April 22 school board elections, voting booths will be open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. as opposed to previous years, when they operated from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., said Amy Antelis, school board president.
”Really, the savings is in the salary to election officials,” she said. “All election workers are paid. This represents a savings of over $10,000.”
Most of Monroe’s neighboring school districts already have similar voting schedules, opening their booths in the midafternoon, Ms. Antelis said. School officials do not expect the change to have a large impact on voter turnout, considering that last year only 15 percent of the township’s population came out to cast their vote, she said.
In addition to the later elections, the school board also decided to eliminate the position of assistant superintendent of personnel.
In accounting for this staff member’s salary and benefits, the district is looking to save around $150,000, Ms. Antelis said.
”I don’t think we felt it was expendable; we felt it was a high-paying position that could possibly be doled out to other positions,” Ms. Antelis said. “We have to cut our administrative costs.”
The district still employs an assistant superintendent of curriculum, but felt this position was more vital to students and the school’s educational goals, she said.
Although these are the major initial cuts, there could be more to come as the board goes through the budget process in the coming week, Ms. Antelis said.
”We’re in some very lean times now and the board needs to be fiscally responsible to taxpayers,” she said.

