BY JENNIFER DOME
Staff Writer
BRICK — The township’s Board of Education has called for some backup.
Dr. Vito A. Gagliardi, a former state Commissioner of Education, was hired by the board at its March 1 meeting as a consultant for the 2005-06 school budget process.
According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Seidenberger, “Dr. Gagliardi fully understands the dynamics of budget development, especially from an administrative and regulatory perspective and as a local taxpayer, he understands this community.”
Gagliardi, a resident of Scotch Plains and owner of a summer home here in Brick, has more than 38 years of experience in school administration and most recently served as the state’s Commissioner of Education from 2001 to 2002, according to a press release from the school district. He was also the policy adviser to the senate president, former acting governor Donald DiFrancesco, from 1994-97.
Gagliardi was hired at a daily rate of $500, not to exceed $7,500, school district Business Administrator Nicholas Puleio said. Puleio said it’s possible that the board will use his services only three or four times.
The Board of Education said that as an adviser, Gagliardi will help clarify misinformation regarding the school budget. Seidenberger said “his background and expertise will hopefully help build a stronger bridge of support with [the Township] Council — providing them with a better understanding of how school districts work adhering to the requirements of S1701.”
S1701 is a new law, introduced in 2004, that, according to a press release from the school district, reduced available revenues for boards of education, limiting school district flexibility. The law limits the amount of surplus a school district can hold onto.
Gagliardi was brought on board in response to the disagreement that occurred last year between school district officials and the Township Council.
When voters failed to approve the budget last spring, the council was given the task to review the budget and make cuts if it wanted. The council trimmed 6.2 cents off the proposed tax-rate hike of 15.4-cents per $100 of assessed value after consulting with Frank Marlowe, a retired Leonia superintendent, and township financial officials.
The council maintained that there was $9 million in the district’s unrestricted fund balance, meaning there were no obligations made against those funds, but school officials disagreed. According to Puleio, about $3 million of that money was already allocated, so there was only about $5.6 million in the surplus fund.
Marlowe was recently brought back by the Township Council to review the school district’s recent audit to determine if he was correct in his assessment during last year’s budget process.
For the past month, district officials have outlined items that impact the budget — including the needs and wants for special education, curriculum, athletics, technology and other programs at the elementary and secondary levels. The actual budget figures were not scheduled to be released until Tuesday evening, and therefore were not available to the Bulletin before press time Tuesday morning. Seidenberger said the budget that was to be presented at the Board of Education’s meeting Tuesday night was only “tentative” as the state aid figures were just received Friday.
Seidenberger said he has been attempting to disseminate more information about the school budget to show township residents that the district is fiscally responsible.
“This is all designed to build public trust in us,” Seidenberger has said.