A$684,450 reduction in the Marlboro K-8 School District’s general fund tax levy for the 2010-11 school year will result in the start of a pay-to-play fee for after-school activities and lead to the elimination of four additional teaching positions.
On April 20, Marlboro voters rejected a proposed general fund tax levy of $64.5 million that would have supported an $84.1 million budget in the upcoming school year. That proposal was for a budget that already included the loss of 27 staff members, the removal of the 4:15 p.m. late bus and a hold on the purchase of new textbooks.
While the elimination of those items led to a decrease in the total budget from the current school year, a reduction in state aid led to a projected 4-cent increase in the K-8 school tax rate. The owner of a home that is assessed at $450,000 would have paid $180 more in the upcoming year to support local schools had the tax levy been approved by voters.
Now, with a $684,450 reduction in the general fund tax levy, the K-8 school tax rate will increase by 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home that is assessed at $450,000 will pay $135 more in K-8 school taxes in the upcoming year.
The district’s total budget will now be $83.6 million for the 2010-11 school year with a general fund tax levy of $63.8 million.
When the tax levy was rejected by voters, a committee consisting of Board of Education members and Marlboro municipal officials met to determine how the tax rate could be pared.
On May 17 the Marlboro Township Council voted to approve the $684,450 reduction in the tax levy. Council members voted 4-0 to certify the cut in the tax levy. Councilman Jeff Cantor was absent from the meeting.
During the board’s meeting on May 18 the panel unanimously accepted the lower certified tax levy.
Council President Frank LaRocca praised the Marlboro K-8 School District and said everyone who was involved in the budget discussions was very knowledgeable about each line item.
LaRocca and board President Terry Spilken complimented one another for the give and take that occurred around the table as those involved in the process looked for ways to reduce the tax levy.
Spilken said that as soon as the tax levy was defeated by voters, Superintendent of Schools David Abbott, Assistant Superintendent Marc Gaswirth and Business Administrator Cindy Barr-Rague came forward to volunteer to accept a pay freeze for the upcoming school year.
A pay freeze was then asked for from all employees of the district and one was agreed to by all employees except for the members of the Marlboro Township Education Association, which represents the district’s teachers.
According to the council’s resolution certifying the general fund tax levy, MTEA leadership declined to present the idea of any concession to the general membership.
Spilken applauded the school district employees who came forward to help in a time of need by agreeing to a wage freeze.
According to officials, if the MTEA had agreed to a wage freeze the school district would have saved about $1.4 million in 2010-11. If the MTEA had opted to accept a wage increase of 2.5 percent (instead of an overall 4.5 percent increase in salaries), the savings would have been about $622,000.
The council asked the MTEA to consider not taking a $300 one-time payment that is scheduled to be paid to all union members. The payment was a part of a recently negotiated contract between the MTEA and the board.
The foregoing of the $300 payment would have saved $240,000, which the council members wanted to use to save the additional teaching positions which are scheduled to be cut.
The school district will achieve the $684,450 reduction in the general fund tax levy through savings from the wage freeze from those employees who agreed to accept one; by making a 5 percent reduction to each school for supplies; by instituting a participation fee for after-school activities; and through the loss of four teachers in the fourth and fifth grades.
The loss of the four teachers will bring class sizes in the fourth and fifth grades to between 28 and 29 students per class at each school, administrators said.
Starting July 1, Marlboro students who participate in interscholastic middle school sports will be required to pay $100 per sports team. Students participating in the music programs and other clubs will be required to pay $30 per activity. The charges are expected to bring in revenue of $138,500 for the 2010-11 school year.
Members of the board and the council indicated that they did not want to see the elimination of after-school activities and that is why a participation fee was instituted.
LaRocca highlighted how efficiently the elementary school district is operated and said most of the areas where the council’s budget review committee made suggestions were areas the board had already reviewed.
One such area was a suggestion to consolidate vice principals for the elementary schools. The board had reviewed that idea previously but it was not implemented because of the disciplinary and supervisory review services performed by the vice principals.
The council encouraged a reorganization of responsibilities that could lead to a consolidation of Marlboro’s vice principals in the future.
Another area of savings was associated with lunch aides in the amount of $10,000 through a new contract. According to the council’s resolution, there were discussions of instituting a parent volunteer program and using current staff members to supplement or replace the lunch aides.
During those discussions it was determined that instituting a policy of volunteers could not be implemented for the 2010-11 school year, but the council suggested that possibility be explored further for future years.