| District has published Board of Ed Budget Documents and Open Meeting Notices |
|
the following information has been posted on the district website and is being resent for your information
2014-2015 Proposed School Budget
Find the background documents by clicking here
On March 4, 2014, the
district's proposed budget for the 2014-2015 school year was presented
to the Board of Education and the community.
Cheryl Schneider, Business Administrator and Board Secretary, reviewed
the budget development process, highlighting the alignment of the budget
to the district goals, indicating the amount needed to be reduced,
where the reductions are proposed, and the tax impact of the
Superintendent's recommended budget. Ms. Schneider also presented 5
year budget projections with a 2% operating tax levy cap.
The Board is considering all of the information presented, and will be discussing the budget in three upcoming meetings.
2014-2015 Budget Overview
The 2014-2015 budget proposes a total expenditure of $119,765,545 and was developed to support the district goals set by the Board of Education. These goals are set annually and are designed to help the district continue to build momentum in enhancing student learning, strengthening teaching, engaging parents as partners, operating more efficiently, and doing more with less.
The guiding principle of the budget development is the alignment of the budget to district goals and strategy, and reining in spending on major cost drivers, as specified in District Goal Four. More information is available in the PowerPoint Presentation from the March 4, 2014, Board meeting.
Expenditure Reductions
The budget calls for reductions in both personnel and non-personnel areas. Superintendent Osborne characterized these reductions as painful but necessary given that cost drivers beyond the district's immediate control continue to rise at a rate well in excess of the state-permitted increase in the annual tax levy. He also emphasized the level of tax stress felt by local residents as an ongoing constraint on spending and one reason why he was recommending a 2% tax increase, despite an additional $1,886,183 in taxing authority granted by the State of New Jersey due to enrollment and health care adjustments for the current year, and banked cap from the prior three years.
District administrators worked collaboratively to prune the budget, always focused on the need to continue building momentum in student learning by resourcing schools and instruction.
Non-personnel reductions totaling $670,000 include efficiencies in summer programs, professional development, electronic reporting, maintenance spending, professional services, and energy usage.
The budget will result in the net elimination of 18.5 employees for a total budget reduction of $1,530,000.
Positions slated for elimination include:
- 1 Child Study Team member
- 1 Secretary
- 0.5 Transportation Personnel
- 1 Elementary Enrichment Teacher
- 5 CHS Teaching Staff
- 2 Elementary Specials Teachers
- 2 Special Education Resource Room Staff
- 6 Special Education Teaching Staff
The budget proposes a
total expenditure of $119,765,545, with a total school tax levy for the
operating budget of $106,563,115 and $3,999,551for the debt service
budget. This represents an increase over last year in the school tax
levy of $2,201,202, or 2.03% in percentage terms. Of that, 2% is
attributable to increases in the operating budget, with the remaining
.03% slated to cover the increase in annual debt service.
Community Input on the Budget
The Board of Education welcomes and encourages community input on the budget throughout the process. In addition to discussions at monthly Board of Education meetings, a special Community Forum is scheduled for 7:30pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 in the District Meeting Room at 525 Academy Street in Maplewood, NJ. The Board invites community input into the budget discussion at the Forum and other key Board meetings. Feedback can also be sent to Board members at:budget@somsd.k12.nj.us
2014-2015 Budget Calendar
Community Input on the Budget
The Board of Education welcomes and encourages community input on the budget throughout the process. In addition to discussions at monthly Board of Education meetings, a special Community Forum is scheduled for 7:30pm on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 in the District Meeting Room at 525 Academy Street in Maplewood, NJ. The Board invites community input into the budget discussion at the Forum and other key Board meetings. Feedback can also be sent to Board members at:budget@somsd.k12.nj.us
2014-2015 Budget Calendar
Mon., Mar 11
|
Community Forum on the 2014-2015 Budget
|
Mon. Mar. 17
|
BOE Meeting. BOE considers/adopts preliminary budget to submit to Essex County Superintendent for approval to advertise
|
Mon. Apr. 28
|
BOE Meeting. Public Hearing/Action to Levy 2014-2015 school tax
|
No comments:
Post a Comment