GUEST OPINION: Not a zero-increase budget, but we’re trying

By Mel Myers, school board president
   Even in the best economic times, the challenge of funding our schools at a level that maintains their quality at minimal cost to local taxpayers is huge. In today’s economy, that challenge is even greater.
   The Board of Education approached the planning process for next year’s budget with an ambitious goal: to build a budget that would require no increase in taxes. This is an especially big goal when you consider that over three-quarters of our budget is made up of non-discretionary costs – salaries and benefits, mandated programs, transportation and energy. Needless to say, none of these costs will remain flat next year.
   Negotiated salaries alone, which comprise nearly 70 percent of our $67 million budget, will rise 4.5 percent next year, in line with what other districts pay.
   We haven’t yet met our goal of a zero-increase budget but we have made significant progress. We are building on proven cost cutting strategies, finding new efficiencies and asking our staff to tighten their belts more than ever before.
   — We have cut all department and school supplies budgets for next year by 15 percent.
   — We have eliminated the costly practice of having the board attorney at every meeting and have undertaken a monthly review of our legal bills.
   — We have sharply curtailed the use of consultants, relying more on our capable, professional staff.
   — We have pressed our health insurance carriers for the best possible rates.
   — We are close to reaping income-generating credits from our new solar power system at Timberlane Middle School.
   — We are switching to a fiber-optic telecommunications system, which we project will significantly lower the cost of these vital services while providing greatly expanded bandwidth.
   — We are in the midst of an energy study, in conjunction with the Board of Public Utilities, to reduce energy consumption, especially at our energy-inefficient 1920s-era buildings – Hopewell Elementary, Toll Gate Grammar and the Administration building.
   — We continue to partner with the government of Hopewell Township and other school districts to leverage costs of basic needs, such as gasoline, electricity, heating fuel, paving and copy paper.
   — We are realizing significant energy savings in our newer school construction and are using the lessons learned there to make our older buildings more energy-efficient.
   — We are also working on the behavioral end, by encouraging a green mindset in our employees. We have begun automatically shutting down the district’s 2,000 computers during the overnight hours and have sharply curtailed the amount of printing, especially expensive color printing, in the schools.
   Our employees understand the seriousness of these times and they are responding. Last December, midway through this school year, Superintendent Tom Butler asked staff to freeze spending for the remainder of this year. That is expected to generate $1 million in savings.
   A combination of creative route design, maximized ridership and cheaper in-house busing helped our transportation department realize another $300,000 in savings.
   We have also determined to forego any new capital projects for next year.
   With all of these efforts, we are still not at a zero-increase budget, but we are close. The full Board is considering other cuts recently suggested by the administration and Finance and Facilities Committee.
   We are assuming we will receive the same amount of state aid next year.
   We may not reach our goal of a zero-increase budget. But we assure our community that we remain committed to our district’s core values and mission which is to equip our students with the skills to succeed in a challenging world.