What Chatham Thinks About the School Budget

When Gov. Chris Christie announced he would cut state aid to schools to address the state's budget mess, the School District of the Chathams projected it would lose $450,000. The district has lost much, much more than that—around $2.58 million—and has been forced to cobble together a budget with 86.3 percent less state aid than it had last year.

Chatham Patch spent some time Monday afternoon at the Washington Avenue Elementary and Milton Avenue Elementary schools asking parents what they thought of the 2010-2011 school budget, which cut several staff positions, raised taxes, implemented a $150 "pay-to-play" fee for students who want to participate in extracurricular activities and required teachers to contribute to their health benefits.

Borough resident Binita Kraus was waiting in her mini van in a long line of cars to pick up her two daughters, in second and fifth grade, from Washington Avenue Elementary. She is in favor of the budget because, she says, schools need all the help they can get.

Specifically, the school district is hoping that a provision to raise property taxes 2.7 percent for borough residents and 1.8 percent for township residents will help. For a $700,000 home, the average tax change would be an increase of $193 for borough residents and $129 for township residents.

In general, parents understood why the district wants to raise taxes.

"We moved into the community for the school system," Kraus said. "We are fully aware that the system is maintained through property taxes."

Borough resident Nancy Greco, who was also waiting in the long line of cars, agrees that a good school system is worth paying for.

"I don't think the waste is in the school. It's in the government. We're here for the school. If we have to pay for it through taxes, we're willing to do that," she said.

Parents were less decisive about "pay-to-play," which would require students to pay a one time fee of $150 to participate in most school activities, including athletic, music and academic programs.

Some said that tax dollars, and not an additional fee, should pay for the programs.

But Patrick Regan, who was watching his third grader play soccer at the field at Milton Ave Elementary and also has a kindergartener, said he favored "pay-to-play" if that was the only way to keep the athletic program going.

"Whatever it takes to keep kids participating in sports," he said.

To make up for lost funds, the school district has eliminated two full-time and six part-time instructional aides at the first to third grade levels, eliminated a new library software program and will ask teachers to share in the cost of their health benefits.

The budget also allocates funds to create 11 new 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 middle and high schools—and increase teacher salary and benefit costs by 2.5 percent.

Kraus thinks the raises are warranted.

"I think we are extremely fortunate with the staff we have," she said. "I understand, you get raises. Any job you get a raise."

But township resident Amy Droner, who has daughters in preschool, first and third grades, disagrees. She thinks the raises are unfair.

"There is probably a great majority in this community who are receiving a zero percent raise or a decrease," she said.

Droner was under the impression that teacher salaries would be raised 3 to 5 percent. The number is actually closer to 2.5 percent.

One of the most contentious aspects of the budget has been the Board of Education's handling of the kindergarten program, which will see its day decrease by 20 minutes in the new budget—though the board hopes that funds from elsewhere that are not formally allocated in the budget will keep the kindergarten day and specials intact.

Some parents at the elementary schools were worried that the budget will cut specials from the kindergarten and were upset that the already short kindergarten day may get shorter.

Overall, though, parents seemed supportive of the budget.

Michelle Clark, who has three children in kindergarten, third and fifth grade, has been a vocal proponent of the budget and is a chair on the community-based program, Education Counts, which has been encouraging people around Chatham to vote yes on April 20.

"I feel our school board has done a very responsible job in providing an outstanding education for a very reasonable cost," she said. "We're much more cost-effective than other districts."

It's true. According to School District of the Chathams Superintendent Jim O'Neill, who spoke at Chatham High School's Athletic Booster Club meeting Monday night, Chatham spends, on average, than every other district in Morris County except for Randolph.

Clark is upset, though, that Governor Christie hopes to enact a 2.5 percent hard cap on property tax increases next year, which would prohibit school districts from raising taxes higher than that percentage in the future.

In theory, a cap on taxes sounds like something a community that already pays high taxes might want to hear. But with such drastic cuts in state aid, and possibly more to come in the future, the school district depends on its ability to raise taxes to increase revenue.

"When they hold us to a hard cap and they take our state aid, what is there to do besides cut?" she said. "If they cap us at 2.5 percent, that would be devastating for the school district."

Still, Clark, who was at Chatham Station in association with Education Counts Monday morning to gauge people's reactions to the budget, said the overall sentiment was positive.

She is hopeful that people will turn out to vote on April 20.

"The next week is critical," she said. "People need to go out and vote. We need to show our strength in numbers."

The budget has the support of Kraus, at least.

"The way I feel," Kraus says, "you've got to give to get."