Council to be credited for bold move on budget The East Brunswick Board of Education had come through with the smallest tax increase in about a decade. For its proposed 2008-09 school budget, the board was asking voters to approve a tax rate hike of 6.9 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, which would have most homeowners paying $75 to $100 more in school taxes. But even with a very low tax increase by East Brunswick standards, the budget didn't win voters' approval in the April 15 school election. Residents defeated the tax hike in a very small margin, with 31 votes making the difference. It was a small tax hike and small majority against it, which made it a bold move on Monday when the Township Council decided to slash the school budget by about $1 million, knocking out most of the tax increase (though residents still face a debt service tax increase for previously approved school construction projects, and a potential 10- to 14-cent municipal tax rate hike). Monday's council vote knocked the school tax increase down to about 2 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. After years of increases above 20 and 30 cents in some cases, this year's is extremely minimal. But it should be that slight, and that is not just because East Brunswick taxpayers endure huge increases in school and municipal taxes every year. Due to large boosts in state aid for local school districts, this was the year for boards of education to do something that's virtually impossible most years - give the taxpayers a real break. Many school districts, including Milltown, South River and Spotswood, proposed a zero tax increase and saw their budgets approved at the polls. East Brunswick received nearly $1.5 million more in state aid for this budget, or about a 4.67 percent increase. Granted, it is the first aid increase in many years, and comes at a time when the district is increasing staffing in part because of the expanded Hammarskjold Middle School, slated to open in September. But with the windfall in aid, and the current economy and the struggles of moneystrapped residents, this would be a good time to ease the tax burden, however possible. Teachers, parents and others strongly urged the council against making the cuts, saying the budget was tight and the money needed. In light of the public opposition to their move, the council deserves a great deal of credit for sticking to its guns. This was no token cut either. As the council knows, it takes more than a couple hundred thousand dollars in the budget to make a difference on the property tax bill, and they found enough areas to accomplish a real savings for homeowners. The Board of Education obviously faces a difficult challenge as it finds ways to achieve the savings ordered by the council without affecting educational quality, but its members can do so knowing that the governing body listened to the word of the voters. It may have been a small majority at the polls, but the voting public has to be seen as a microcosm of the community as a whole. We believe that the Township Council's unanimous decision Monday is a job well done on its part, as most residents will likely read the news with a sense of relief.