After Healthy Debate, School District Adopts Budget That Adds 11 Teachers, is Likely to Keep Kindergarten Day Intact

It wasn't the original plan.

At a School District of the Chathams Board of Education meeting Monday, during which the district's 2010-11 $58.5 million budget was adopted by the board, officials said they had concluded the kindergarten day needed to be cut down by 20 minutes—from two hours and 50 minutes to two hours and 30 minutes—so the school district could save roughly $120,000. Sessions of programs such as art, music, gym and library would be eliminated from the kindergarten curriculum, though the so-called "specials" would have still been fit into the childrens' normal classroom schedule.

But parents had pushed hard for keeping the specials a part of the kindergarten program—415 people signed an online petition in support of keeping the activities.

"That time spent standing up, walking up the stairs, doing art and music ... there's been an enormous amount of research to show how important that is," said parent Kelly Loufbourrow. "Having the critical thinking coming from a different place is very important."

So the Board of Education had decided to submit the matter to the voters in the form of a "second question," which voters would have been required to approve during the April 20 budget vote separately from the district's fixed budget. In order for a second question to pass, it must garner 60 percent of the vote.

The uncertaintly of the matter passing, however, coupled with second questions' poor success rate during budget votes throughout the state, caused the board to reconsider the matter. It instead decided to totally eliminate the second question from its budget proposal in hopes that it will secure now-unavailable funding from a variety of possible sources that would allow the district to secure $120,000 outside of its budget that would allow the kindergarten day to remain intact.

"The more sure way to have the funding for these positions is to not include them in the second question," Superintendent Jim O'Neill said.

The board's final decision on the matter capped a lengthy debate on the budget as a whole. The district administration presented the budget to the board Monday night, and it was eventually adopted by the board.

Once a budget is adopted, changes can still be made during a subsequent public hearing (which will take place next Monday) or by Executive County Superintendent Kathleen Serafino when she reviews it this week.

Essentially, the budget contains an 8.9 percent tax levy increase—a number that would have been lower, according to board members, if the state had not cut its aid to the district by 86 percent, or $2.58 million. The tax levy, however, is the total amount the school district raises in local property taxes; it does not specifically have to do with the amount each individual homeowner pays in taxes. The average borough homeowner would see a 3.4 percent tax increase, while the average township homeowner will see a 2.6 percent spike.

The budget eliminates several teaching positions, such as a special education supervison, a fifth grade teacher and a district technology coach. The district will also save money by restructuring its central office and by cutting $1 million in capital projects. All those cuts will save the district a total of $1.7 million.

The district is adding 11 teaching positions—four in the high school, four in the elementary schools, two in the middle school and one who will split time between the high school and middle school—that will cost $660,000.

It will use some of its reserves for one-time capital projects around its schools, and as a result, capital project costs will more than double next school year (though Business Administrator Ralph Goodwin emphasized this is a one-time cost). There will be a 4 percent increase in salaries and benefits, a 6.9 percent increase in instructional supply costs, a 9.4 percent increase in utility costs and a 3.7 percent increase in transportation expenses.

There will also be a 17.9 decrease in auditing fees, dues and insurance costs.

Salaries and benefits account for 69 percent of the district's costs, and all other expenses are relatively minimal in comparison. Individual school site budgets prepared by principals, for example, account for 4 percent of the district's total costs.

"It's frustrating that all their efforts to conserve and save don't give us the big benefit we're looking for," Goodwin said of the principals.

Some residents urged the district to consider asking the teachers' union to renegotiate its contract so more money could be reallocated toward school programs. Goodwin and O'Neill said it was unlikely that would happen, but said the matter could potentially be discussed.

But most of the public discussion during the night centered around the second question. In an effort to make the question more palatable to members of the public who might not have children, and who therefore might vote down the specials, administrators added two other items to the question in addition to the kindergarten specials: the equivalent of 1 1/2 new basic skills teachers in the elementary schools (which would cost $80,000) and the repair of the Chatham High School parking lot (for $490,000). Residents do not vote separately on each item, meaning that people would vote for all three measures at once.

Parents feared, however, that the addition of the parking lot to the mix could dissuade some from voting for the second question.

"Is there a concern that people are going to not see that much value in a parking lot and take it down?" resident Jeff Truppo asked. His comment was met with murmurs of approval from those in the audience, most of whom seemed to favor removing the parking lot renovations from the ballot. Others said they felt removing the item would better allow parents who are passionate about the kindergarten issue to rally the community around that specific item.

Others said they favored simply putting the kindergarten matter into the regular budget, citing Gov. Chris Christie's promise that he will attempt to impose a 2.5 percent cap on property tax increases for municipalities and school districts statewide. As of now, districts can generally increase taxes by 4 percent, but because the district met certain requirements—such as a large enrollment increase—it was actually allowed to increase taxes by even more than that.

Even residents such as Laura Nonnenmacher, who called herself a fiscal conservative, said the district should consider spending more money this year than it normally would with Christie's cap potentially looming next year.

"Strategically, I think it's a move to be considered," she said.

In the end, however, the board decided not to do that. It was poised to adopt the budget with the second question intact until board member Richard Connors spoke up, saying that the board should consider funding the kindergarten program through revenue streams that could become available later on.

Such streams could include a state incentive that would encourage teachers to retire, which could free up money for the district. The state could also soon require employees to pay 1.5 percent of their salary toward their insurance to reduce costs.

District officials said they were frustrated there had not yet been a state Legislature vote on whether those cost-saving measures have gone into effect yet. But they assured board members one or the other would likely pass, and money saved from such measures would allow the district to keep the kindergarten program intact.

This way, district officials said, they do not have to worry about the public voting down the second question, and they also do not have to incorporate the additional $120,000 in costs into the budget as of now. District officials also said they could consider charging parents a fee in order for their children to participate in the specials, though board members acknowledged they would need to discuss that matterfurther.

The board then voted to adopt the budget with no second question, and board member Alan Routh was the only person to vote against the measure.

Parents praised the board for listening to their concerns. Now, they said, the district needs to educate the public on the matter.

"I think we need to offer another meeting during the day to give parents the opportunity to see what the budget looks like," parent Michelle Clark said.

O'Neill said he intends to meet with parents in the coming weeks.