U.F. officials wanted teachers to do more to face budget woes

      Residents waited over three hours on May 12 to voice their opinions about how Upper Freehold and Allentown should deal with the defeated 2010 Upper Freehold Regional School District (UFRSD) budget.
When the public session of the meeting held at the Upper Freehold Municipal Building finally opened, many members of the public had left, and 10 people spoke.
      During the April 20 election, 1,679 residents of Allentown and Upper Freehold cast ballots against the 9.88 percent tax levy increase that would support the proposed $37.9 million budget, while 681 supported it. The proposal would have increased taxes an average of $402 in Allentown and an average of $868 in Upper Freehold.
      Monmouth County Executive Superintendent of Schools Carole Knopp Morris attended the meeting to try to ensure that the governing bodies of Upper Freehold and Allentown do not reach an impasse on determining a school budget and its supporting tax levy.
      The meeting began at 5 p.m. and immediately went into executive session. Upper Freehold’s Deputy Mayor Lorisue Horsnall Mount and Committeemen Bob Frascella and Steve Alexander are eligible to discuss the school budget, but Mayor Stan Moslowski Jr. and Committeeman Bob Faber had to recuse themselves from the discussion because they have relatives who work in the school district.
      Prior to going into executive session, the Township Committee voted on whether to take public comment at the start of the meeting or later. Alexander voted against going into executive session before hearing from the public, but Frascella and Mount voted to go into the private session prior to hearing from residents. Township Attorney Granville Michael Magee announced that the public portion would resume at a later time. A large number of people left before the open session began at about 8:15 p.m.
      Frascella defended his vote to go into executive session, saying that the township and borough are under the gun to get business done.
With regard to the budget, Frascella noted that district bus drivers agreed to a pay cut, and administrators agreed to a pay freeze. He said the teachers’ union didn’t seem open to pay cuts or freezes, and that the Board of Education should take that into account during the next contract negotiations.
      “We’re in tough economic times,” Frascella said. “We need everybody to give. Unfortunately, that’s not happening.”
Mount agreed with Frascella, saying that everyone needs to play a part in the process.
      “A lot of players are involved in this, and people who will deal with the repercussions of these players,” Mount said.
      During the public portion of the meeting, Jennifer Stampe, the wife of Board of Education Vice President Joe Stampe, said the school system is the centerpiece of a strong community. She noted that PTA fundraising helped repair the Allentown Public Library’s roof. She said many members of the Four Seasons active adult community, who don’t have children in the schools, use the library.
      With regard to further reducing the school budget, Stampe said, “A lot of kids are struggling and below someone’s radar. I don’t want anyone to get lost. Some kids need extra attention. Kids will slip through the cracks, and that’s not good for any community.”
      With regard to how further reducing the school budget would impact class sizes, resident Denise Marsala-Williams said her sons “won’t survive in a class of 35 kids.” She said she and her husband are considering sending their children to private schools but would rather pay higher taxes to keep them in a quality public school. She added that one of her children receives special services, and two of his teachers have already been cut.
      Board of Education President Lisa Herzer asked the governing bodies to remember that people’s lives are affected by budget cuts.
“The bus drivers, teachers are affected in our community,” she said. “We look at percentages and numbers. I’d like you to look at the faces of the people affected.”
      When Herzer asked if the two municipalities had come to an agreement on a budget figure, Mount said they were not 100 percent in agreement.
      The Allentown Borough Council will hold a final school budget meeting at 5 p.m. May 17 in borough hall and then will join the Upper Freehold Township Committee at the final public hearing and vote at 8 p.m. that day in Allentown High School.
      All school districts must have their final budgets and supporting tax levy information to the state by May 19.