Monroe Township Schools Superintendent Kenneth R. Hamilton is holding off on sending out more pink slips in the wake of the recent budget defeat.
“There’s no point in subjecting people to two rounds of agony,” he said.
Voters here defeated the $80.6 million tax levy portion of the $90 million budget for the 2010-11 school year by a vote of 5,637 to 4,474 in the April 20 election.
School officials said they will not send out termination notices until the Township Council decides on additional school budget cuts in May, Hamilton said.
“They will come up with something and we will have to reduce our budget by that,” he said. “I respect the democratic process, and the people have spoken.”
Hamilton described the mood in the district as “very somber.”
“Our teachers feel like they are completely exposed,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton, who came to the district in March 2009, said that despite Monroe’s massive state aid cut, he had expected the budget to pass.
“We had done so much work going out and speaking to different groups in the community,” he said. “I thought all the feedback we were getting indicated strong synergy for supporting the budget.”
The budget called for the layoffs of 22 employees before the vote. School officials warned before the April 20 vote that the number of terminations could rise to between 46 and 50 employees. It could also spell the end of after-school programs, all non-mandated courses, some sports offerings, summer programs, some transportation services, special services and early childhood programs. The defeat could also delay the opening of the new high school.
For Hamilton, a “bigger surprise” was the defeat of Board of Education President Amy Antelis in her bid for re-election. Antelis’ position on the bottom of the ballot may have been a factor, he said.
“She was fourth,” Hamilton said. “I think people just went one, two, three.”
Mayor Richard Pucci said he and the Township Council would meet with school officials to begin reviewing the budget on May 4.
“It’s the most difficult time I’ve ever seen for school boards,” Pucci said. “We’ll go through it and we’ll regroup to work together with the school board. The mayor and the council and the school board have the obligation to make sure the long-term future of the community holds steady.”
Hamilton and board member Lewis Kaufman, who was elected to his second term in the election, both noted that the administration and the board did everything they could to get the word out about the budget.
“Outside of sending up smoke signals, we used every avenue of communication,” Kaufman said.
There are two major factors that will affect what eventually happens: what the Township Council cuts, and whether or not the Monroe Township Education Association agrees to a salary freeze for the upcoming year, he said.
“We’ll have to talk to them right up until the last minute,” he said.
Both Hamilton and school Business Administrator Wayne Holliday agreed before the election to freeze their salaries for a year. The district’s supervisors and principals agreed to only a half-year wage freeze, Kaufman said.
“I’m a little disappointed,” he said. “I thank them for the effort.”
School officials have struggled with a nearly 95 percent cut in state aid since Gov. Chris Christie released the aid figures in March. Holliday has called the cut “incomprehensible.” Monroe took the secondbiggest hit in state aid for districts in Middlesex County, losing more than $4.4 million. The district will receive only $238,696 for the 2010-11 school year.
“It’s sort of like playing a football game,” Kaufmann said. “You’re already two touchdowns behind. And while the game is being played, they change the rules.”
District officials anticipated a savings of nearly $1.6 million with the staff layoffs. So far, the layoffs include world language teachers, two vice principals, paraprofessionals, technology support and other teachers.
Operating costs at the district’s nine schools were also reduced by $1.4 million, according to budget documents.
Pucci said he had hoped the school budget would pass, but was not surprised when it didn’t. He had gotten hints of the way things would go just by talking to residents, the mayor said.
“Everybody is struggling,” he said. “A lot of things are happening with the economy.”
And many of Monroe’s senior citizens can no longer count on their property tax rebates, Pucci noted.
“That’s another dagger,” he said. “It’s kind of like a whole maze of things impacting people. The only opportunity they really have to speak is the school budget. In the end, it was frustration.”