Supt. Bing Offers Budget Update

In a letter on the budget released on Monday, Bloomfield Schools Superintendent Jason Bing lays out how past fiscal decisions laid the groundwork for the current budget crunch.

Bing said that in the past, the district has operated on a bare bones budget, saying that past school budgets have reduced or eliminated textbooks, facility projects and jobs. After those reductions, Bing said, school operations have overly relied on state and federal aid for basic necessities like books and technology.  

Bing said that the school has not budgeted to cap in almost 10 years, making it harder for the district to amass any savings and creating a situation analogous to living paycheck to paycheck. 

He said the situation was further stressed by the board's decision three budget cycles ago to pass a zero percent tax increase. He said that in the years since, the town's tax ratables have decreased by $125 million. 

Meanwhile, Bing said, the state has underfunded the school district over the last decade and recently imposed a 2 percent tax levy cap that does not account for cost of living increases.

In addition, the township's special education costs have steadily rose due to an influx of special needs students. 

Despite the enumerated challenges, Bing said that the plan does not exclusively call for gloom and doom.

"Though this year is very challenging, there are more positive things on the horizon such as a more stable operating budget that will be fully funded if the public agrees with the district's request to restore some of its furloughed staff and continued oversight of all programs to ensure a thorough and efficient operation," Bing wrote.