MONROE: State aid disparity worries school board

By David Kilby, Staff Writer
   MONROE — As the Board of Education presented the Monroe School District’s 2011-12 proposed budget, school officials could not emphasize enough the disparity in the amount of state aid Monroe is receiving for its schools.
   The board held a public hearing on the proposed budget and adopted it Wednesday. Voters will vote on the budget April 27.
   The total proposed budget for 2011-12 is $102,926,020 with a tax rate of $2.413 per $100 of assessed value, a 20-cent increase from the 2010-11 budget. The owner of a house assessed at the average of $169,399 would pay $368.76 more in taxes this year if the budget is approved April 27.
   Dr. Kenneth Hamilton, superintendent of schools, said only about 40 percent of registered voters voted on the school budget last year. He said the school district needs voters to vote to help the district maintain the momentum of going from good to great.
   At the hearing Dr. Hamilton also explained what he calls a “funding inequity.”
   ”There is a disparity between the amount of aid we receive in our district and the amount received by other districts,” Dr. Hamilton said. “There may be some who are saying stop whining about it and move on, but the fact of the matter is that this kind of inequity cannot be ignored any longer.”
   In the presentation, he compared state aid amounts of districts similar to Monroe.
   According to the presentation, Monroe, which has about 5,500 students, anticipates receiving $1,125,818 in state aid or $204.69 per student for the upcoming school year.
   Old Bridge, which has 9,600 students, anticipates receiving $41,140,821 in state aid for 2011-12, which amounts to $4,285.50 per student or about 21 times more than Monroe.
   North Brunswick, with 5,700 students, anticipates receiving $1,662 per student; South Plainfield, with 3,600 students, anticipates receiving $7,767,093 or $2,157.53 per student; Edison, with 14,500 students, anticipates receiving $667.74 per student; Middlesex Borough anticipates receiving $3,797.61 per student for its 2,092 students; and Piscataway, with 7,197 students, has budgeted to receive $1,798.17 per student, according to the presentation.
   ”They use the excuse that we’re a wealthy community,” said Mark Klein, board member. “Are our children any different than inner city kids? Every child deserves the same quality education.”
   Mr. Klein was the only board member who voted no on adopting the proposed budget, because he couldn’t support the tax increase.
   But other board members explained why they do support the budget.
   ”Not supporting the budget would hurt the children,” said Kathy Leonard, board member.
   ”We still have to operate,” said Ken Chiarella, board member. “Not supporting the budget wouldn’t do anything but jeopardize the quality of education.”
   ”The things we’re putting in this budget are lights on,” said Lew Kaufman, board president.
   The presentation noted that within the middle-class category the state places Monroe in, “FG,” the average district receives $1,869 per student in state aid.
   Using these numbers, Michael Gorski, school business administrator, said Monroe should be receiving $10,464,127 in state aid. If the district were to receive that much state aid, it would be able to reduce its tax rate from a 20-cent increase to an 8-cent increase.
   ”As we prepare our budget and think about the liability we have as it relates to the tax burden to our residents, part of the challenge is this inequity in state aid,” Dr. Hamilton said.
   Dr. Hamilton said school officials have been having several conversations with the interim executive county superintendent, the representative of the commissioner of education, the governor’s office, senators and local assembly people, Monroe’s mayor and the Town Council.
   ”They are equally appalled at the inequity in our state aid numbers and have committed to join us in our quest to reverse the trend,” he said.
   The district also is looking for other sources of revenue through more progressive means as it works to compensate for low state aid.
   This year, it will implement “pay to participate,” requiring students to pay $100 to participate in a sport and $25 to join a club. The district anticipates an extra $181,875 in revenue from this new requirement.
   Mr. Gorski explained most of the district’s expenses are fixed costs the district cannot change, such as facilities, salaries, benefits, insurance, transportation, professional services, fuel and energy costs.
   ”Only 15 percent of the budget is flexible,” Mr. Gorski said.
   School officials and members of the public agreed the main problem with the budget is the amount of state aid, which is based on a complex formula.
   The formula is available on the New Jersey Department of Education website, www.nj.gov/education, and is about 40 pages long, Mr. Kaufman said.
   ”If you had a doctorate in economics, it would be a good case study,” he said.
   ”It’s a bunch of mumbo jumbo, and we’re getting stiffed,” said John Leary, board member.
   ”Part of the problem is we’re above adequacy,” Mr. Chiarella said.
   ”If we provide kids with the least they need to survive, they get rewarded,” said Paul Gentile, of Sedwig Street in Jamesburg. “It makes no sense. “We’re awarding bad behavior in this state.”
   Members of the public and the board also spoke of the need for a whole new system for funding schools.
   ”We’re a nation founded upon private property rights,” Mr. Chiarella said. “When we’re asking for property owners to pay for education, what we’re really asking is for property owners to pay rent. I think that’s a major issue, and I think it’s eroding freedoms. It’s just wrong and backwards.”