By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — A subcommittee tasked with reviewing the failed Montgomery Township school budget has recommended that the tax levy be reduced by nearly $2 million.
”I was hoping for a larger reduction in the tax levy, but I think given the situation it was as much as we could possibly do,” said Mayor Mark Caliguire, who served on the subcommittee.
The Township Committee will hold a special meeting tonight, Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building to vote on a resolution adjusting the tax levy. The public is invited to speak during a public comment period prior to the vote.
Rocky Hill Borough Council was set to vote on the tax levy Monday night, after The Packet’s deadline.
The district’s proposed $77.96 million spending plan was overwhelmingly defeated in last month’s school elections, with nearly 60 percent of voters casting their ballot against it.
The Board of Education had proposed a $65.4 million tax levy, which carried a tax rate of $1.883 per $100 of assessed value for township residents.
For the average township home, valued at $507,000, it would have resulted in a $547 tax increase. Under the subcommittee’s recommendation, the tax increase on the average home would be reduced to $258.
The subcommittee, consisting primarily of Montgomery and Rocky Hill officials, met several times in closed session over the past several weeks, developing a report for consideration by the full governing bodies. A final decision on the tax levy is due to the state Department of Education by May 19.
From the school district, board Vice President Charles Jacey, board member Andrea Bradley, Superintendent Earl Kim and Business Administrator Tom Venanzi attended the meetings. They served in an advisory role, Mr. Kim said, explaining the implications of cuts and suggesting areas that could be reduced.
The subcommittee made a series of recommendations on how the district could achieve the reduction, though the school board is not required to follow them, only the tax levy.
The largest recommended cut, $700,000, would come from transportation by instituting a three-tier busing system.
Another $200,000 would come from curriculum and development, while $100,000 would be cut from each category of grounds upkeep, custodial salaries, guidance salaries and staff training services.
The remaining cuts include $139,000 from tuition reimbursement, $130,000 from administrative staff salaries, $70,000 from purchased services, and $78,000 from employees that are not unionized and do not work in the classroom.
An additional $200,000 in revenue will be raised through a student activity fee and $35,000 from rentals of district buildings.
Committeewoman Louise Wilson expressed concern over the magnitude of the cuts, saying that they are “far higher” than those made in other districts where budgets had failed.
”I am very concerned about the impact of these cuts on our schools and families,” she said in an e-mail. “The busing changes mean that many young children will not get home until late afternoon — after dusk during much of the school year. Also, the Township Committee has received no information about the impact of further reductions to guidance counselors.”
Superintendent Earl Kim said Monday that despite the subcommittee’s recommendation, he hoped that the full governing bodies would be “gentler.”
”I think it’s fair to say while we disagree on the depth of the cuts, we remain hopeful that the councils will be gentler and more in keeping with cuts in other districts,” he said.
At its May 25 meeting, the school board will decide whether to accept the tax levy or appeal to the Somerset County superintendent of schools, Mr. Kim said.
If it decides to work under the tax levy put forth, the school board will face a tight deadline to decide on most of the cuts, he added.
The triple-tier bus system would save money by eliminating 20 contracted bus routes, but it has met with parental opposition in the past, he said.
The system would add an hour to morning runs, meaning that some children wouldn’t get to school until about 9:30 a.m., and it would delay dismissal to 3:55 p.m., he said.
He would recommend that the school district make a decision on busing at its next meeting, May 25, he said, as available bus contracts become more scarce and more expensive as the summer progresses.
Cuts related to staff will also have to be made at that meeting because of contractual deadlines, he said.
In the event of a disagreement between the two governing bodies, the county superintendent would arbitrate the matter.
ksnodgrass
@centraljersey.com
