Bramnick Hears BOE Budget Wrath

Board of Education and audience members directed their anger over state budget cuts towards Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) during part of Tuesday evening's school board meeting.

Bramnick quietly slipped into the packed meeting, which was considering cuts to the local school budget, including layoffs and program cuts, based on Gov. Chris Christie's decision to slash local school aid by $4.22 million. Bramnick, a Christie ally who the governor considered for lieutenant governor last year, was Westfield's only state legislator to attend the session.

Bramnick told the board that he did not favor Christie's cuts and had advised the governor before he released the state budget to stick to a no more than 15-percent cut in state aid to school districts. State Education Commissioner Bret Schundler told suburban education leaders on March 2 that aid would be cut by no more than 15 percent. On March 17, Schundler cut Westfield's aid by 90.4-percent after Christie announced plans to cut aid by an amount equal to five percent of a district's total budget.

"Do I approve of taking all of the aid from Westfield? I do not," Bramnick said. "It should have been taken evenly across the board."

Bramnick, the father of two Westfield High School graduates, said he wanted to hear local reaction to the governor's decision to help guide the decision-making between now and the legislature's final adoption of the state budget in June. During the board meeting, Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan detailed a proposal which includes 27 staff layoffs and various program cuts including the elimination of eighth grade sports, intermediate school fall plays and ending the purchase of new library books.

BOE President Ginny Leiz required Bramnick to sit through Dolan's presentation of the cuts before he was allowed to speak to the board. Bramnick left after his presentation but before other public comments.

BOE member Richard Solomon took the lead in questioning Bramnick, asking him for the reasons behind Christie's decision, including the tight time frame. State law required the board to submit a budget to the county superintendent by yesterday with a final budget being adopted by next week for the April 20 vote. The board had a draft budget prepared before the governor announced the cuts.

"It feels like we were thrown under a bus," Solomon said.

Bramnick defended Christie's general budget actions, saying the governor is trying to lower the state's large fiscal deficit. Echoing other Republican leaders, Bramnick laid the blame at the hands of previous governors, who had borrowed to pay operating expenses.

"The governor is trying in one way to stop that borrowing and mismanagement," he said. "There are serious consequences and I am here to fix those consequences."

Solomon, who said he'd like to hear from Christie at a board meeting, questioned Bramnick on the aid distribution to urban school districts, which are getting more money than suburban districts. A look at state aid figures shows the urban districts receiving the same five percent cut, but the amount was less given the amount of urban aid exceeded $100 million in most districts.

Bramnick said he does not find the disparity fair but noted the state's hands are tied given the state Supreme Court's Abbott decision and other potential legal challenges to the governor's education cuts. He noted the 15-percent across the board cut could have faced a legal challenge from urban districts.

Bramnick also placed the blame for the decision on cutting Westfield's funding at the hands of former Gov. Jon Corzine. He said Corzine's decision to get a Supreme Court decision to change the state's funding formula does not help well managed school districts like Westfield.

"Very effective and well run districts are not rewarded but are penalized by the state," Bramnick said.

Solomon questioned Bramnick on that statement saying he believes Christie is doing the same thing with his aid cuts.

"You said you did not agree with the prior administration's funding formula because it not fair to districts like this one," Solomon said. "What do you think about what just happened?"

Bramnick repeated to Solomon that he opposed the cuts to Westfield.

Dolan's presentation was a preliminary presentation on the budget and final cuts to make up the $4.22 million will be made on March 30. Solomon invited Bramnick back to attend that meeting in order to discuss the issues with the board again and hear the final cuts.

"You came here to hear our anger and take it back to the state," Solomon said.