BOE Restores Three Program Cuts, Approves $89.3 Million Budget

The Board of Education restored three proposed extracurricular cuts Tuesday night while passing a $89.3 million budget proposal.

The budget, totaling $89,377,980, will include a four percent tax hike town wide, with an average $306 tax hike on a home assessed at $180,000. Taxes will fund $81,379,595 of the budget. The creation of a new student activity fee for the district will fund the extracurricular programs.

Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan said parent demand over the last week led to the decision to restore eighth grade athletics, intermediate school dramas and intramural sports to the budget. Dolan announced plans last week to cut the programs following Gov. Chris Christie's decision to cut state aid to Westfield schools by $4.22 million.

"Parents support a student activity fee," Dolan said in her budget address. "They recognize times are tough and everyone needs to pitch in."

Dolan said that since announcing cuts to the three extracurricular activities last week, she and BOE members received a series of e-mails from parents around Westfield asking for the restoration of the cuts. In the e-mails, Dolan said the parents expressed support for the student activity fee Dolan proposed in order to offset program cuts in the wake of the Christie cuts.

Details of the student activity fee have not been settled by Dolan's office.

Twenty seven proposed layoffs of district staffers, including teachers, intermediate school guidance counselors and paraprofessionals remain in the current budget. Program cuts including several stipend positions and a decision to halt the purchase of library books also remain in the budget. BOE members cautioned that the cuts are not final and could change as new budget details emerge from Trenton.

In her speech, Dolan said the budget will total less than the current school budget. The current general fund is $84,544, 832 with the proposed general fund being $84,477,022. The remainder of the total $89.3 million total comes from the spending of special revenue and  an almost $3 million debt service payment.

Dolan's remarks at the meeting followed a public comment section of the meeting where the extracurricular cuts were brought up. Amy Flaggs approached the board with a plea to continue the intermediate school drama programs, noting that her son was able to overcome shyness and develop a sense of community through the program. She mentioned private fundraising to produce the shows at Roosevelt and Edison.

"For many kids this is their sport or after school activity," she said.

Concern over how to occupy students after school was also brought up to the board before Dolan announced the restoration of the cuts.

"That three to six hour will be empty," Nessa Barber said.

The 3.9-percent pay raise given to teachers as a part of a contract approved by the board on March 9 dominated parts of the public comment section and board discussion. Several parents questioned the board on the subject, along with the teacher's union president presenting a defense for the contract.

Dolan and BOE members continued to place the blame for the budget cuts at the governor's doorstep, reiterating the steps leading up to last night's vote. This included Christie's March 16 announcement of a state aid cut equal to five percent of the district budget, which equaled 90-percent of the state aid. This came two weeks following a speech by state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler, where he had warned suburban school leaders to prepare for a no more than 15-percent cut in state aid.

Christie's announcement, part of his state budget address, came with less than a week before the BOE needed to present a budget to the county schools superintendent, which was last week. The budget will be presented to voters in the annual school election on April 20. If the budget is voted down, the Town Council will be required to review the budget and make changes.

BOE Vice President Julia Walker, the board's finance committee chairwoman, said the board could make changes to the budget going forward, based on future news out of Trenton regarding additional revenue sources. She noted the board was able to factor the community's desires into the spending plan, which she hopes will help the budget at the ballot box.

"This community values its extracurricular activities," Walker said. "That is the number one thing we get in our e-mails."