The members of the Jackson Board of Education Finance Committee read with interest Sal Duscio’s letter in which he criticizes the board for “spending money like drunken soldiers.” He does so without listing any areas where this so-called wasteful spending is occurring. He claims that the budget is “too confusing to the average person in Jackson” because we “lump all the costs of a proposed budget together.” This is inaccurate.
As required by the state, the budget is broken down into specific line items that we are certain the average person in Jackson can readily understand. He has had plenty of time to review our budget for the current school year and offer suggestions as to how we could save money. Like the rest of Jackson, he will also have an opportunity to view our upcoming budget at one of several public meetings we will be holding in March and April.
Our budget process is open. Not only do we hold a special public meeting to discuss the details of the proposed budget, but we also go out to local community groups and to the homes of those individuals who might like their own personal budget presentation.
After we get our final state aid figures from Trenton and are able to put a proposed budget together, our superintendent is out almost every night answering questions at parent-teacher group meetings and small group discussions. We would contend that every resident of Jackson has the opportunity to have his or her questions answered.
Based on the questions he is asking, we would have to assume that Mr. Duscio feels we spend too much money on administrators and sports. The facts prove otherwise.
Actual data from the state’s own report refutes the notion that we are careless with the money the people of Jackson have entrusted to us. All of the figures below can be found on the New Jersey State Report Card, which is the official profile of every school district’s academic and fiscal performance. This report compares us with similarly sized K-12 districts and reveals that we are one of the most efficient districts in the state.
Our comparative cost per pupil is $2,125 below the state average and is among the lowest among similarly sized K-12 districts;
We spend $294 less than the state average on administrative costs per pupil and again are among the lowest spenders in that category;
We actually have far fewer administrators for every student than other districts. Our ratio of students-to-administrators shows we have 239 students to every administrator, compared to the state average of 168 students for each administrator.
Regarding Senate Bill S-1976, we would like to clarify that the money collected would go only to capital improvements and technology upgrades. That’s it. We discussed how the funds this bill would generate could be spent at our recent board meeting (which Mr. Duscio attended), so we are puzzled at the suggestion that we were looking to put money into “the pockets of administrators.”
Nevertheless, we welcome the opportunity to clarify the issue and to urge our Jackson neighbors to help us support this bill. Anyone familiar with our schools knows that many of them (Switlik and Jackson Memorial High School spring to mind) are in need of repair. We can no longer get by with minor repairs and are eager to find a funding source that can help us create a regular maintenance schedule without impacting the Jackson taxpayer.
Any funds that came from the parking fee would also go toward improving our technology. Anyone familiar with what it takes to prepare our students to succeed in this technology-driven world knows that we have to keep up with the changes if we want our children to compete.
We think aggressively seeking alternative funding for capital improvements and technology is a good thing. We think we provide good opportunities for people to have their budget questions answered. We urge anyone who would like additional information to call the board office and we will be pleased to schedule your very own budget discussion. Invite some neighbors over and we’ll come prepared to answer all of your questions.
Marty Spielman
Marvin Krakower
Linda Lackay
Finance Committee
Board of Education
Jackson