The Westfield Board of Education will vote to adopt the $96 million preliminary budget for the 2013-2014 school year at its public meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 at 302 Elm St. 

On Thursday, the NJ Department of Education released state aid numbers which showed the Westfield School District will receive $1 more in state aid than it did last year, for a total of $2,832,317. (The Board addressed that increase in a letter to the editor.)

The bulk of the tentative budget--80 percent--is comprised of salaries and benefits. Negotiations with the Westfield Education Association are ongoing as the three-year teachers' contract expires on June 30, 2013. When the current contract was ratified in March of 2010, it was source of contention within the community as it included a 3.9-percent salary increase.

At the time, newly-elected Board member Mitch Slater was very vocal about reopening that contract. "I think the reality of the economy and the differences in the private sector, lead me to believe this is the time for associations to stand up and accept a wage freeze," Slater told Patch in April 2010. 

A call and an email to school district business administrator Dana Sullivan to ask where current negotiations stand were not returned as of press time. 

The budget will be up for a final vote on March 21. To view the preliminary budget, click here. 

At tonight's meeting, the Board will also authorize Sullivan to solicit bids for the following:

• Replace Edison School Boilers
• Replace Edison School Gym Bleachers
• Replace High School Lockers
• Replace High School Ceiling & Lighting
• Replace Classroom Floors & Ceilings
• HVAC System Upgrades
• Classroom Renovations
• Jefferson Field Repairs 
• Replace Gym Doors
• Repair Steps & Sidewalks

When the amount of each project is known, the Board will approve the transfer out of the Maintenance Reserve Account and into the operating budget.

To view the meeting's agenda in its entirety, click here and then click on the document marked 3/5/13.