School district awaiting budget info from state
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK — The school budget process could be delayed this year due to a lag on the part of the state.

School Business Administrator Bernardo Giuliana told the Board of Education Feb. 16 that the state has not been forthcoming on the amount of aid to be doled out to school districts, nor has it announced what the spending cap will be. As a result, the board may have to push back the dates of its budget discussions and adoption.

School officials have not indicated what the budget may look like this year, or whether there will be a tax increase.

The township’s school district, like most in the state, has seen large tax increases in recent years as state aid has leveled off. The current year’s budget saw a tax rate hike of 23 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. The figure came about after voters defeated the budget in April and the Township Council subsequently ordered a $2 million cut.

Giuliana said timelines for school budgets are established by state statute, and dates could be affected by the state’s lag. In fact, it is likely that special legislation will be enacted to change the dates.

As it stands, though, a tentative budget for the 2006-07 school year is to be approved at the March 2 board meeting. Budget discussions are expected to continue at meetings on March 9, 16, 23 and 30, when the budget is scheduled for adoption. The school election is set for April 18.

Giuliana said it is possible that Gov. Jon Corzine’s budget address will come as late as March 21. State aid figures for districts are typically announced in the days following the governor’s message.

“We’re looking at an overall one-month delay, I believe,” he said.

While March will be a busy month in terms of budget discussions, there has already been a great deal of work on the matter. Giuliana said that from July through September of last year, the school administration received input from staff, addressed needs, and made presentations on what is needed for the district.

The priorities of this year’s budget, spelled out by a slide show, include meeting the needs of the always-growing student population; supporting and improving classroom instruction; improving transportation services; maintaining facilities; and reducing and controlling operating costs.

While the district has made some inroads as far as construction projects are concerned, Giuliana said there are many other construction needs that must be assessed.

At the forefront of the budget process, however, has been the search for ways to control costs, he said.

Meetings were held with administrators to challenge each budget proposal, make assessments of the proposals, and see how they fit into the priorities, Giuliana said.

The board’s finance committee looked at a number of areas, including curriculum, special education, staffing, physical education and technology, he said. In addition, the committee looked at buildings and grounds, transportation, debt service and insurance costs.