Schools

Taxes to Decrease Under Preliminary School Budget

The budget, to be voted on by the public on April 27, remains about 3 percent under cap

Bloomfield Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously to adopt a $86.3 million preliminary 2011-12 school budget Tuesday night that will have zero impact on taxpayers.

The budget, if passed by the public on April 27, will mean an annual decrease of $3.27 for the average assessed home value of $286,871. The budget falls 1.27 percent under the 2 percent cap imposed by Gov. Chris Christie.

"I would think that we're probably one of the few districts, if there are any others, in New Jersey that the (school) budget's going down," said Interim Superintendent Catherine Mozak following a short PowerPoint presentation breaking down the numbers at

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This version of the budget differs from the one calculated on March 11, which estimated a $99.64 average increase per household, because it factors in additional surplus funds from this year. After combing the budget line by line, $1.3 million in savings from self-insured health benefits and $550,000 in special education savings were realized, said Business Administrator Michael Derderian.

"I reduced taxes to be raised and I increased surplus to be utilized to plug the gap," he said, noting that the was created in just four days.

Find out what's happening in Bloomfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The biggest increases in expenditures from 2010-11 to 2011-12 were in employee benefits (4.6 percent; about $662,000), instruction (3 percent; about $1.5 million) and debt (13.8 percent; about $532,000).

But not everyone was happy with the reduction in taxes. Bloomfield resident Emidio D'Andrea said he found it "insulting" the BOE was able to create a zero tax increase  after "crying" about last year's $6 million budget cut. He referenced the comparative spending guide which he said lists Bloomfield as having the second lowest per-pupil cost out of comparable districts in the state last year.

"As a taxpayer and a homeowner, you're destroying my property value by not putting money back into the classroom where it belongs," said D'Andrea. "The $3, folks, is not going to make a difference … The money belongs back in the classroom with the kids."

Mozak shot back saying there was no way to foresee the various sources of surplus that encompass the 2011-12 budget, like special education savings due to students aging out and a federal Education Jobs Fund grant totaling $704,000. She also noted 17 teachers will be hired as part of the K-6 schedule change designed to target schools falling below Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

"A different set of eyes looking at the same information comes to a different conclusion," said Mozak.

D'Andrea, who is the business administrator of Sayreville Public Schools in Central Jersey, said a zero tax increase this time around may mean trouble for future budgets.

"Tax relief is not the way to do it when you can put money back into the classroom at a point in time that you're available to do it," he said.

Improving the district's AYP and lowering property taxes were at the forefront of priorities while hammering out the budget, according to Mozak.

Seventeen additional teachers will be hired as part of the K-6 schedule change meant to target AYP. The change will create 120-minute literacy and 75-minute math block classes at all schools. Last year, Berkeley and Watsessing Elementary Schools failed to meet AYP benchmarks.

The budget goes to public vote on Wednesday, April 27 from 1-9 p.m. Polls will be at the following places:

First Ward
Civic Center, Franklin School, Forest Glen School, Fairview School, Fire Station No. 3

Second Ward
Brookdale School, Bloomfield Middle School, Demarest School, Oak View School

Third Ward
Fire Department Headquarters, Watsessing School, Carteret School, Berkeley School, Fire Station No. 2

Click here to watch the entire BOE meeting, courtesy of WBMA-TV.


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