| Author |
Message |
    
Ed May
Citizen
Username: Edmay
Post Number: 2007
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 3:48 pm: |     |
PETITION
" VOTE DOWN THE SEPARATE PROPOSAL in its entirity. By definition, these are not 'thorough and efficient' items, for if they were, they would be in the basic T&E Budget. The School Board gets to spend last year's dollars plus 3 %. This '3 %' will raise property taxes in Maplewood by an actual '4.2 %'. Tell the BOE to live with that! Do not actually raise our taxes by another '2.8 %'! Tell the BOE to introduce efficiencies in the T&E Budget if they want to spend $3,300,000 more, than the $2,200,000 increase they are already getting!"
If you agree, please chime in below.
Ed May |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 3078
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 4:11 pm: | |
Before taking a position, folks might want to take the time to "Meet Your Separate Proposal" (at this link). Some of the items:- K-5 Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction (1 new FTE) ($120,000): The administrative reorganization includes the addition of a K-5 Supervisor to cover some of the responsibilities of the four K-8 Supervisor positions which were eliminated. This position will provide curricular and instructional support to elementary principals and coordinate the efforts of the Instructional Resource Teachers in order to facilitate a consistent implementation of the K-5 program.
- Athletic Trainer (1 FTE) ($74,400): The athletic trainer provides support for student athletes. This position was removed from the T&E budget for the 2004-05 school year due to budget constraints .
- Special Education Child Study Team Members (2 new FTEs) ($148,800): The addition of two new CST positions will complete a new 6th Child Study Team to provide services to the district’s students with special needs.
- High School Teachers (4.6 new FTEs) ($342,240): The addition of 4.6 FTEs would increase the elective offerings at Columbia High School in the following areas: 1.8 additional supplemental classes in mathematics; 0.8 additional electives in science and a new Physical Science class; 0.4 additional elective in industrial technology; 0.8 additional supplemental classes in language arts and 0.2 in each of mathematics, language arts, science and social studies as a result of abolishing the four 9-12 Subject Chairs who each taught one section.
- Elementary Instrumental Music Teachers (2.4 FTEs) ($178,560): Instrumental music teachers offer fifth grade students their first opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument of their choice. These positions were removed from the T&E budget for the 2004-05 school year due to budget constraints.
Those are just some of them. The Separate Proposal also includes funds for security, custodians, and costs associated with community use of the school buildings, among other items.
All of these budget items cannot be funded, if the separate proposal is simply voted down. Yes, it's infuriating that these are the types of expenditures which the BOE viewed as "expendable". |
Who?
Citizen
Username: Deadwhitemale
Post Number: 723
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 6:21 pm: | |
How do you get a fractional increase in class number?
Does 0.8 additional elective mean eight tenths the number of students, in eight tenths the normal class period, for eight tenths the number of hours per week?
Huh?
DWM |
guessagain
Citizen
Username: Guessagain
Post Number: 38
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 8:03 pm: | |
You put items in the Separate Proposal that you KNOW will infuriate the population if they are cut and would be the most visible. It's an old game. They propably don't view these items as "expendable", expendable items are buried in the regular budget for to expose them in the Sperate Proposal might mean they'd be voted down. |
lumpynose
Citizen
Username: Lumpyhead
Post Number: 821
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 8:07 pm: | |
I'd say their bonuses are expendable. |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 3079
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 9:37 pm: | |
Guessagain: Yes, I know that's the game, which is the reason for the quotes around "expendable". It's just tiresome that the game is played every year like this.
Anybody out there with a firmer grasp of the intricacies of N.J. school finance law? I know that if the Separate Proposal is voted down, we lose the programs; but, if the whole budget is voted down, do we get to ask the BOE to go back and do the whole thing again?
Or is that the "doomsday scenario"? |
sbenois
Citizen
Username: Sbenois
Post Number: 10879
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 9:48 pm: | |
I believe that the Super needs to try again. The BOSE should vote this budget down.
It's time to call his bluff.
---> Brought to you by Sbenois Engineering LLC <-
Write in J. Crohn for the BOE
|
Marilyn May
Citizen
Username: Marilynmay
Post Number: 229
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 10:49 pm: | |
I'd like to agree with Mr. Sbenois and Mr. Ed May:
JUST VOTE NO  |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 3085
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 10:58 pm: | |
Um, Mr. May and Mr. Sbenois recommended different things ... |
michael
Citizen
Username: Michael
Post Number: 514
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 1:44 pm: | |
Are there enough no votes? (3 needed?)
If yes, then sq can be appealed to ----
BSE again. At that point, other solutions, possibilities, etc can be discussed. But Yes.
A NO Vote is CRUCIAL this year from the BSE as a firm signal. No more BS.
|
kathy
Citizen
Username: Kathy
Post Number: 798
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 6:31 pm: | |
Dead One, Surely it was obvious that it was fractions of FTE's, and not fractions of classes, that were being referred to. If a standard teaching load at the high school is five classes, then each class represents .2 FTE. It is not unheard of to hire a teacher to cover a partial load (.6 or .8 FTE). |
J. Crohn
Citizen
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 1020
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:25 pm: | |
FYI:
At a meeting of the South Orange Board of Trustees tonight, BOSE member Allen Rosen let it be known that an apparently organized email campaign from Maplewood has been sending form letters to members of the South Orange BOSE urging them to approve the separate proposal.
Comparatively few messages from South Orange have been received, and very few messages in favor of voting down the separate proposal have been received.
|
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 848
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:35 pm: | |
Does anyone know the email addresses of the BOSE members or BOE members. I am desperate to voice my opinions against the sham Dr. H calls a budget and the Special Question. |
doublea
Citizen
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 539
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:50 pm: | |
The email addresses are listed in the first post in the "Take action to safeguard our schools" thread. |
doublea
Citizen
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 543
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 8:01 pm: | |
TomR has written an excellent explanation of how the dollar amount of approved special questions are then included in the following years T&E compounded at 3% annually. See his post of March 16,2004 3:58p.m. in the "Take action to save our schools" thread. Then those items are put in a special question the following year.
As he points out, this is legal. Nevertheless, it does seem to be a loophole. At the bare minimum,the Admistration and BOE should say in at least the following year's budget presentation how much of a previous year's special question amount is included in the T&E and how it is being used. It may very well be used for increased costs that aren't covered by the 3% cap, but at least this should be highlighted. It seems that this would help a lot in understanding any special item requests.
If you agree with this, please contact the BOE and BOSE members. |
michael
Citizen
Username: Michael
Post Number: 517
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 10:26 am: | |
Maplewood BSE members
You can contact Fred Profeta at the Township offices at 574 Valley Street.
or fax your thoughts and concerns to 973. 762.1934 – Attn. Mayor Profeta
You can contact Ken Pettis, Ian Grodman and David Huemer directly at:
Ken Pettis kap07040@yahoo.com
Ian Grodman igrodman@grodmanlawoffices.com
David Huemer drh23@columbia.edu (alternate)
The South Orange BSE email addresses are:
William R. Calabrese wcfuzzy@aol.com
Dr. Allan J. Rosen ajosrosen@aol.com
Steven Steglitz sasteglitz@aol.com
Patrick Joyce pjoyce13@juno.com (alternate)
You can also email all members of the Board of Education at ssommer@somsd.k12.nj.us Address your email: “To all BOE members”.
(The Board secretary has assured me that all emails will be forwarded to the BOE members and that they will receive a hard copy of your email as well)
May I add that the BSE voteson the ENTIRE budget
T&E and Special question.
If you are unhappy with the way the BOE is and has been playing the "tug on your heartstrings- special question" game, you may ask your elected BSE members to vote down the ENTIRE budget. and have them send it back to the BOE for a "reworking" |
John Davenport
Citizen
Username: Jjd
Post Number: 172
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 27, 2004 - 8:13 pm: | |
Voting down the entire budget because we think there are items in the T&E that are more expendable than most of the items in the Special Question -- many of which are indeed quite important-- would be a drastic step. Before it could be justified, the BOSE would have to know and be able to point out a lot of items within the T&E budget that really could be cut.
I have been studying the budget looking for items like that, and this is difficult because it is so unclear what many of the budget lines really refer to. I have heard from a Board member that there is as much as $500,000 of custodial overtime in the T&E budget (aside from the custodial charges for keeping the schools open late that is in the special question) but I cannot find this item in the T&E budget. Maybe I missed it.
The only things I'm confident could be cut in the T&E budget are:
(1) Marilyn's position (Asst. Super for Elementary and Middle Schools)
(2) Jim's position (Asst. Super for Curriculum)
(3) One or two confidential secretaries, and the little bit of money spent on public relations consulting.
(4) Lastly -- though this would be drastic -- the Alternative High School.
I would estimate the savings from these cuts at under $800,000 and that is optimistic. That is 1% of our budget. So this would only reduce the Separate Proposal from a 5% to a 4% addition to the T&E budget. I'm not sure that it makes sense to vote down the entire Budget for this. We cannot gut the central administration and expect them to produce better and more timely financial reports, and do more and better studies on cost-cutting plans, curriculum improvements, etc.
By the way, although inflation is under 2%, it is much higher in education across the board, including colleges. This is true in other sectors too. You might notice that your Waste Management trash bill has gone up from $61 per quarter in 2000 to $89 in 2004. That is a 46% increase in four years: a faster rate than our schools budget! Next, look at the rate at which your cable TV bill has climbed if you kept the same services in the last few years.... With teacher salaries going up at 5% per year, and benefits increasing in cost at almost 15%, there is no way that the T&E budget can grow at 3% without squeezing out into special questions things that last year went under T&E -- even with last year's special question folded into this year's T&E. But doublea has a good point that exactly how this works should be explained. |
Ed May
Citizen
Username: Edmay
Post Number: 2013
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 1:51 am: | |
JUST VOTE NO !! |
John Davenport
Citizen
Username: Jjd
Post Number: 178
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 1:32 pm: | |
Not a sufficiently nuanced or intelligent response, Ed! This posting board is not a lawn sign. |
sbenois
Citizen
Username: Sbenois
Post Number: 10915
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 5:28 pm: | |
Dearest John Davenport,
Isn't it time for drastic steps? Especially when BOE members start saying during meetings that the budget problem is "hopeless"? Or when other members (Mr. Campbell) admit that the process is broken? Or when SOMEA members blanket the center of town on a Saturday morning to say that their concerns for the district are not being heard or addressed in the budget?
I'd say that this is the best time to take drastic steps. |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 3103
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 7:20 pm: | |
I guess we have our choice of "drastic steps".
The Board of School Estimate ("BOSE") could approve the T&E budget, and reject the Separate Proposal ("SP"). Some of the items in the SP are detailed in the post above. Loss of many of those items would, indeed, be drastic. "Drastic" may be too mild a word - "tragic" and "irresponsible" are two other words that come to mind.
The other "drastic step" would be for the BOSE to reject everything, and tell the Board of Education ("BOE") to go back to the drawing board. This would seem to be more appropriate, if this means that some of the essential programs in the SP can still be funded in the new, revised budget. Then, the tragic and irresponsible cuts to important programs could be rectified, and a (possibly) more documented and justified budget put in place.
The community will accept a tax increase, and possibly even accept a large one, if they feel that the budget includes clearly justified items. By including very important programs in the SP, the BOE is almost daring the BOSE and the community in a tragic game of "chicken". The BOSE should decline to play, and send the whole mess back for a re-do. |
sbenois
Citizen
Username: Sbenois
Post Number: 10917
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 7:24 pm: | |
Bingo |
jacman
Citizen
Username: Jacman
Post Number: 178
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 8:34 pm: | |
SOMEA paid for a very interesting ad in this week's News-Record. It highlights the Administration's budget priorities and then lists the teachers' priorities... |
J. Crohn
Citizen
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 1051
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 9:00 pm: | |
Nohero, I've been finding all your posts on ths subject quite worthwhile. |
johnny
Citizen
Username: Johnny
Post Number: 855
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 9:15 pm: | |
Vote no. |
John Davenport
Citizen
Username: Jjd
Post Number: 179
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:11 pm: | |
Well what would you have the Board of Education (not the BOSE) do at its meeting tomorrow night? It has to send something to the BOSE. What should it send? |
Nohero
Citizen
Username: Nohero
Post Number: 3109
Registered: 10-1999
| | Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2004 - 10:30 pm: | |
Hmm, Prof. Davenport raises an interesting question. I suppose they could vote on the following:| Send the BOSE the budget we originally proposed, and tell the community to stuff it | ___ | | You know, we really need to try again on this one | ___ |
|
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