Proposed School Budget Will Cost Taxpayers $20 More Per Month
The proposed 2012-13 budget “a living document” that is subject to change
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Bloomfield homeowners will have to pay an average of $20 extra a month in taxes for funding of the town’s schools if the proposed budget is approved, according to Superintendent Jason Bing.
The proposal, which was approved on March 27, also assumes that a number of teaching positions will be cut, he said.
At a public hearing on the budget at the BOE meeting, Bing presented “a living document” of the 2012-13 budget, while at the same time delivering an optimistic overview of the school district for the parents in attendance at Oakview School.
The budget summary was as follows:
General Fund: $83,366,526
Special Fund: $2,543,826
Debt Service: $4,193,165
Total: $90,103,517
Based on this budget, homeowners with an average assessment of $280,300 will have to pay $244.17 more in taxes, or about $20 more per household per month, Bing explained.
He noted the proposed budget was a working document that was subject to change. He invited anyone who wanted to discuss or suggest changes to the budget to contact his office and set up an appointment to meet with him.
“This is my first budget for the Bloomfield school district,” he noted. “It’s a work in progress until the ballots are printed in mid-April. If you see things that work in other districts, I urge you to get in touch with my office or [School Business Administrator] Mr. [Michael] Derderian’s office and let us know.”
Jason Bing
super@bloomfield.k12.nj.us
973-680-8500
973.680.8501 x2023
In addition to the increase in taxes for residents, Bing said a number foreign language positions and one “AT,” or Academically Talented, teacher position at the elementary school level would be cut. The high school AT teacher position would not be cut.
Two parents and four children came forward to protest the cuts.
“That’s an incredibly poor message you’re giving [the AT students], saying academic excellence is not a priority,” parent Laura Heyman said angrily. “When I was a kid they sat the AT kids in the back of the classroom or used them as assistant teachers. Academically talented students deserve the opportunity to learn. This scares the hell out of me.”
Later in the meeting BOE President Mary Shaughnessy assured attendees that “I don’t take any pleasure in asking for an increase [in taxes] but it takes a lot of money to run a school.”
She added, “Bloomfield is second from the bottom in terms of salary and benefits for teachers and total student spending in school districts of similar size,” she said. “I am not proud of that.”
Both Shaughnessy and Bing noted that the Bloomfield school district has been underfunded for three consecutive years by the state government. Shaughnessy said that she has lobbied in Trenton, as recently as this month, to fight for the reimbursement of Bloomfield’s allocated funds. She also said she has written appeals in media outlets for taxpayers to join her effort.
“I beg you to write,” said Bing emphatically to the parents at the meeting. “We have been underfunded by $16 million over the past three years. If that’s not enough impetus to write to your local representative, I don’t know what is.”
Bing said that the state of New Jersey has not provided resources to fund mandated programs, such as the Anti-Bullying Act, despite the fact that all schools were required to implement them.
“The harassment/intimidation/bullying law is a good example,” said Bing. “It has cost districts between $10,000 and $40,000. In New Jersey, about 85% of the budget is dictated by the state.”
Though last year's budget had a 0% increase, Derderian pointed out that "the majority of state aid went for tax relief. That puts us in a vulnerable position this year."
When it came time for the vote, seven board members present voted yes to the proposed budget. Joe Lopez voted no. Robert De Marino was absent.
The school budget will be presented at next week's township council meeting, Monday April 2 at 7:00 pm.
Karen Banda
10:52 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Oh goody! Being unemployed and a homeowner, I had nothing else to do with that extra $20.
Occidentalist
7:40 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
My $11,000 in taxes not already enough? How does, oh I don't know, pretty much every county in the country get by with significantly less in taxes than Essex County?
How is it cuts are being made yet more money is still needed?
What the holy hell are you (current administration) incompetent boobs doing?
john g chipko
9:16 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
no increase cut where necessary. taxes of close to 20K for bloomfield are insane
john g chipko
9:18 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
every year we get the bs that the next board is going to control costs and then we have more increases, When is this going to stop?
john g chipko
9:20 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
it's time for those of us with no children in the school system , over 60 years old,to have some type of break in school taxes.
Ginny Cocchi
9:29 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
In my opinion, Rosetta Stone will be an improvement over the elem and middle school "world language programs" -- at least those I knew which existed in the late 90's/early 00's -- and the taxpayers won't have to pay for Rosetta's pension!
Pete Mock
11:24 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
Not sure some of you get it. The quality of the schools is directly tied to the value of your home. The decline of Bloomfield schools means a decline in your property values, and even increased taxes, as fewer and fewer families move in and contribute to the tax pool. It's a nasty spiral.
Being dead last in teacher salaries, and 2nd to last in per pupil spending for our size district (Bloomfield is $3,658.00 below the per pupil state spending average!) is not the the way to get new folks to come to Bloomfield and contribute to the tax base.
You want to underfund the schools and allow them to keep declining, whether you have kids in the system or not, you're shooting yourself in the foot.
john g chipko
11:32 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
Pete Mock i guess you don't get it. the people of Bloomfield are tired of paying taxes and getting little in return.If you think people are going to move into bloomfield and pay the school taxes and county taxes than your living in a different world than the rest of us. Maybe it's time for Charter schools they seem to be doing better than what we have now, I have heard that argument for 20 years and nothing has changed in the education system.
Tony Troiano
3:00 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012
How are other city's / county's getting by? I have no issues paying taxes, though they just keep increasing and we get less and less. It needs to end at some point. John has a very valid point - how do we attract people to come and live here abd buy homes with the taxes being out of contriol? There has to be cuts that can be made behind the scenes. I have not received an increase in salary since 2006, I'm still getting by, be creative! - maybe it's time salaries are frozen until we can fix this economic mess? My benefits have increased over 50% in the last 4 years, maybe it's time we stop paying for every one elses? I can go on...
A Harrison
9:53 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
John, my family moved to Bloomfield and are willing to pay the taxes specifically because the Oakview school has a great reputation, and I know two families right now that are looking to move into the Oakview and Brookdale areas of Bloomfield from other towns because of the schools. I would be more than willing, John, for us "young families" to pay for our schools without your help if you "old folk" let us stop paying taxes for your social security, Medicare, shuttle buses, etc.etc. Perhaps you should think long and hard about not wanting to pay for other people's needs, and realize too that well-educated children are the key to the everyone's future, including yours!
john g chipko
10:11 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
well it's good that your movng to bloomfield and you can afford the taxes. You'll find out soon just how much of your taxes are wasted by the bloomfield elected, both in township and school taxes. As far as paying for my Social Securtiy and Medicare that last tine I looked i have been paying into to these all my life. Maybe you should be asking your elected reps where they spent the money that was suppose to be in trust. as far as the senior citizen perks these are put into existence by your elected officials to get votes, and if you believe they do it because they are concerned you are living in Obamaville.
G. Lombardi
11:35 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
A. Harrison and Mr. Mock's points about the need for helping Bloomfield's Schools close the tiny budget cap is well taken. This Town will thrive or dive based upon our children and their success in the world. The slight increase is about 66 cents per day. I can't think of anything in this world that has only risen by 66 cents per day, nor anything more worthwhile than our children's future and in the long run Bloomfield's future. Perhaps rather than bemoan the cents it would make more sense to contact our elected officials for District 28, Sen. Rice, Assw. Tucker, Assm. Caputo along with Gov. Christie and demand the $16 million back that was mandated for our Town? If we had those purloined funds, the schools could be made whole and everyone can have their 66 cents back and go hog wild with it! The crime here is the theft of those millions, not the hardworking personnel of the Bloomfield Schools District scraping for every penny they can save. We're all in this together. 40,000 or so, voters can make a lot of noise
john g chipko
11:44 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
your statement is not true. the $20 per month is based upon a value of approximately $200.00 value, what about homes above that value. the $.66 a day comment is a copout as every year we hear the same thing. the schools needs to do more with less like the rest of us.you mentioned the hard working personnel of the school district , how about the hardworking taxpayors who have to pay the taxes to pay those personnel?
john g chipko
11:44 am on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
sorry it's $200,000 value. there are a lot of homes valued more than that
G. Lombardi
12:36 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
I am one of those taxpayers Mr. Chipko and our taxes are over $11,000 per year, for the moment. Like yourself, I have no desire nor a fat wallet to pay any more. But I think the argument that will yield greater results is to uncover what happened to the over $16 million the State of New Jersey allotted to Bloomfield Schools. While I loathe to pay taxes, I loathe politicians robbing our children of their education and our Town of viable future a lot more. You can't have the second lowest expenditure per pupil in the State and lowest starting pay for the teachers, with little room for in District career advancement, zero health benefits for school paraprofessionals and aides and expect to magically whip out a great school system. Schools are at or beyond maximum capacity now and are so overcrowded that some of our kids must attend classes in FEMA-like housing trailers. Their official term is "Learning Cottages." Bloomfield schools are now, (not a few years down the line) currently in a crisis in terms of infrastructure. Mr. Bing, the Principals, administrators, teachers and all staff are involved in a massive juggling of updating curriculum, finding space for classes, training staff, scouring for funding, consolidating services and everything else under the sun to attempt to make our schools work. The crisis is real. The crisis is now. We need the millions in school funding that was robbed from Bloomfield.
john g chipko
1:21 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Every year there's a crisis and every year we the taxpayors get robbed. Maybe we should ask the federal government why we spend billions for Solar companies that are known to go bad, but we leave our education system, the children holding out their hands. Maybe if we didn't provide pensions where little if no contributions are required ,we might have more money for what the children need. it,s time for charter schools be given a chance to teach, and not worry about poltical motivations.we spend millions in the Newark school district and yet we have children gtraduating with limited skills and below par educationsal skills. Your commets make it seem that the bloomfield teachers are being paid minimum wage and you know that's not the case. The bottom line is our school boards need to run the educational system like they would run a business and cut out waste and non effecetive personnel.