Proposed school budget would contract custodian, aide, bus driver jobs
By Andrew Corselli, Staff Writer
Last year the Board of Education let go 45 teachers, five administrators and 16 other employees as a key strategy to reduce its annual budget.
This year, the school board is targeting almost all of the district’s non-instructional jobs custodians, bus drivers, teacher aides to save $2.2 million in the proposed $109,622,140 budget it introduced Monday night.
As described, about 254 part- and full-time employees would cease to be employees of the school district. The district would offer a bid package to companies who would compete for the work. The proposal would include provisions to force the companies to hire back existing employees, usually at a lesser wage and perhaps without health, vacation and pension benefits, if they wished to continue.
The rooms will still be cleaned, and the buses will still be driven, said Superintendent Jorden Schiff, adding “It may not be the same people but students would still be provided those services.”
The plan was part of the 2011-12 school budget that was introduced Monday night. It calls for $101.7 in local property taxes, a figure that will have to be approved by voters at the school election on Tuesday, April 27.
The board is scheduled to vote on its final proposed budget following a public hearing scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 28, in the cafeteria of Auten Road School.
A budget summary will be printed as a legal notice in the Beacon on March 24.
The board described its fiscal bind. A state law allows the tax levy to rise by a maximum of two percent. The $103,863,139 to be raised by local property taxes is up against that limit, said Board President Steve Paget.
Privatizing the district’s custodial, Maintenance and transportation services, as well aslunch and instructional aides, would save about $2.2 million $700,000 for custodial and maintenance, $500,000 in transportation and about $1 million for aides.
Because township property underwent a revaluation that goes into effect this year, it’s difficult to make a simple statement about how the proposed budget would affect the tax rate.
The board had estimated the school tax rate would be $1.445 per $100 of assessed valuation. Last year the corresponding figure was $2.03. The only sure comparison would be for a property owner to calculate for themselves multiply the rate times the assessment, and subtract the difference.
Board member Greg Gillette said he did the math and calculated that he would save about $600 in school taxes on his property.
Pressed by Jody Morrison of Crowley Road, the board estimated the numbers of workers by category. Yesterday, the board office said eight bus drivers, 10 bus aides, 54 custodians, 16 maintenance workers, 64 lunch room and 98 instructional aides would have their positions eliminated. Another four library aides also have to let go to meet state efficiency rules.
The specter drew negative comments from about a dozen people, including some employees.
”I can tell you right now that tomorrow I am going to teach my classroom and every assistant is going to go in and teach for two hours,” said Carol Cropley of Sheppard Court, who works with autism students at Woods Road School. “So to think that you can throw a body into the classroom without training, without experience and not affect instruction is crazy. I think you’ve got to look at the entire privatization picture, but you really need to look at when you list under non-instructional cut an instructional position. It’s very insulting to their position.”
Bus driver Barbara Majewski of Millstone River Road said, “Our department is small there are only eight drivers and three aides but our charges are some of the most vulnerable students in this town.”
”They’re autistic, they need sign language, they have behavioral problems and seizure disorders. These children need consistency, and we provide it. The children are not just passengers on the bus. They’re our child when they come through that door. We care and you can’t put a price on that.
Dr. Schiff presented an overview of how the budget was drawn. The process started from the proposition that no teacher jobs would be cut, and no instructional programs would be eliminated, in contrast to last year.
”””As a result of those reductions, we eliminated our elementary Spanish program and we saw class sizes increase in programs throughout the spectrum of our district,” he said.
Dr. Schiff spoke of looming cost drivers. He talked about a possible 19 percent increase in health insurance premiums from Horizon Blue Cross-Blue Shield and the need to upgrade curriculum and technology.
”We need to fund more capital projects,” he said. “We have leaky roofs in our buildings. We need to put more money back into those lines that have been depleted as a result of budget reductions and failures to pass budgets.”
Other reductions like from the athletic supplies account, private tuition from in-state account, other purchased services account, business purchased services account and reimbursement in lieu account would save $330,000.
””“”“The school board is also pondering finding new sources of money an adult school and summer enrichment programs were mentioned as possibilities. The most likely to happen this year, though, would be setting up a full-day kindergarten program for which parents would pay tuition.
When parents enroll children for fall-session kindergarten this week at local schools, they will be asked to fill out a survey of their interest. Whether the program can be up and running by the fall depends a lot on those results, said Schiff.
The school is one of the largest employers in the town.
”My husband is also a custodian in the district, so if you privatize we both lose our jobs,” said bus driver Christine Brzyski of Duncan Court.
Dr. Schiff said the board would do its part to ensure that job loss isn’t an issue for any employee.
He said the board would include in contracts the first right of refusal for current employees. “So if you wanted a job you would have a job,” he said.