MONTGOMERY: Teachers urge full 4-percent tax hike

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
   MONTGOMERY — Montgomery Township School District teachers came out in force at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night to ask that taxes be increased to the full 4 percent cap allowed by law.
   Most of the nearly 100-member audience at the special budget meeting wore ID tags as district teachers. The turnout was in response to a meeting earlier this month, where the public asked the district to “share the burden” and limit its tax increase.
   Superintendent Earl Kim said the district is now looking at a 2.31 percent tax increase, which would translate into the same increase as last year, or $199 for the average homeowner.
   ”It’s not something we’re proud of, but it’s our attempt to be responsive to the community’s concern,” he said.
   Mr. Kim went through a list of possible options to cut $570,000 from the budget, including laying off employees, seeking more grants, scaling back co-curricular offerings and limiting the use of district facilities.
   Possible layoffs, termed as “alternatives to manage salary and benefits,” proposed at the meeting could result in $1.7 million in savings, he said. They include outsourcing custodial services, reducing the Board of Education office staff, administrative instructional support, other support staff, summer custodial work and even teachers.
   Reducing co-curriculars could result in savings of $225,000, he said. Middle school athletics could be combined into fewer teams and assistant coach positions could be reduced. Clubs and sports that do not pay their activity fee could also be reduced. The activity, currently $75, could be increased.
   Reducing summer use of district facilities, which would limit township recreation programs, could save the district $15,000 a year, he said.
   He cautioned that the list was not easy to put together.
   ”We realize that behind every line up there, there’s a livelihood and a family, and it’s not something we do capriciously,” he said.
   Part of the budget remains uncertain, he said, because state aid figures are not expected until March 12.
   ”The big question mark in our mind remains,” he said. “Will the state give us what we are due?”
   Board President David Pettit cautioned that budget decisions would not be taken lightly, and the board understands the ramifications of possible cuts.
   After the presentation, the board asked for public comment.
   Pete Valla, a Skillman Road resident and former band director in the district, urged the district to increase taxes to the cap because it will lose the difference, $800,000, every year in the future under the tax cap system, he said.
   ”I think you’re being penny wise and pound foolish,” he said.
   Chris Crow, president of the Montgomery Township Education Association, said teachers’ salaries are modest, as a teacher that has 12 year’s experience and a bachelor’s degree makes $54,000 a year.
   A tax increase to cap would result in a $9 to $10 increase per month for homeowners, he said. The quality of the school district, he added, is an important investment into the value of homes in the township.
   ”It’s important to think about these things and not get carried away by emotion,” he said.
   He said the association’s teachers are willing to work hard, citing their attendance rating as the highest in the area.
   ”I’m urging the board, for the sake of the community, to seek the full 4 percent increase,” he said.
   Kathy Pae, a secretary in the high school, said an outside custodial company would not have the same work ethic or connection with the school.
   ”Our custodians can’t even get their work done now,” she said.
   She also said she could not afford a salary freeze that was suggested by another member of the public.
   ”I cannot afford to give up one penny of my salary,” she said.
   Cara Hippinger, a resident of Spring Hill Road, said the board should remember those in the township who have lost their jobs in the recent economic downturn.
   ”We can’t all work in last year’s reality,” she said.
   She chastised the crowd for not addressing any of Mr. Kim’s suggestions for cuts.
   ”All I heard was, they’re untouchable… There’s got to be something that can be touched,” she said.
   Karen Meritt, an Upper Middle School teacher, said she is worried that if the district makes cuts, it will lose the level of education it has achieved in recent years.
   ”The kids have this time to be educated, and they don’t have five years to wait,” she said.
   Bill Robbins, principal of the Upper Middle School, encouraged the district to value extra- and co-curricular activities as well as academics.
   ”We teach the whole child,” he said. “We don’t teach pieces of the child.”
   He added that cutting support staff would impact the entire school. Aides and custodians serve as mentors to students, he said.
   ”I don’t think anything should be cut in the budget that would directly affect children,” he said.
   Mr. Kim said a moderate wage increase has been built into the budget, but the details could not be divulged because negotiations are still under way.
   The district will present a proposed budget at its next monthly business meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Upper Middle School media center. At the meeting, the board will convene in executive session at 7 p.m. for the purpose of discussing employment of personnel matters and negotiations with the Montgomery Township Education Association and the Association of Principals and Supervisors of Montgomery Township.
   The district will approve its tentative budget March 17, and the final budget will be approved March 31.