MILLTOWN — Like other school districts, the borough’s Board of Education faces major challenges if Gov. Chris Christie follows through with the state aid cuts he has discussed.
Superintendent of Schools Linda Madison said the outlook is grim as the board puts together its 2010-11 budget. The board held a public forum on the budget on Feb. 23 and was to present its preliminary spending plan at a public meeting on March 2 so that it could apply to the state for a tax levy cap waiver.
Madison said the bleak budget forecast is due in part to Christie’s executive order freezing $1.6 billion in unexpended state funds, including $475 million intended as state aid to school districts. On top of that, Christie has told local boards to expect a 10- 15 percent reduction in state aid for 2010- 11.
The school district received $1.38 million in state aid for 2009-10.
Madison said school officials may have to consider layoffs.
“We are looking at all areas of the budget to reduce costs before going to personnel, but we have been told by the county superintendent of schools [Patrick Piegari] that we have the lowest class sizes in the county, and to balance the budget we will have to look at reducing sections of classes,” she said.
The average class size in the schools is 17 to 18 students, with four sections to a grade level.
“We will most likely have to reduce by one section per grade, which will raise class sizes to about 23 to 24 students,” Madison said. Also likely is a reduction in custodial and secretarial support, she said. Meanwhile, new textbook adoptions will have to be deferred for one year.
The superintendent said the district is also dealing with a legislative change in the tuition adjustment schedule — a reconciliation that occurs when the state audits the amount Milltown pays to send its high school students to Spotswood High School. Milltown’s tuition adjustment schedule had been on a three-year cycle and now has changed to a two-year cycle.
“[This means] we owe two years of tuition adjustments to Spotswood in one budget year,” said Madison, adding that the cost is about $200,000 for one year and $116,000 for the other year.
Madison said there has been an increase of nine Milltown students attending Spotswood High School. Those students either left private schools to attend Spotswood or just recently moved to Milltown, she said.
The board is scheduled to meet again on March 9 and to hold a public hearing on the budget on March 24. Meetings begin at 7 p.m. and are held at the Parkview School on Violet Terrace.