The Borough Council may siphon as much as $50,000 from the defeated Northvale Public Schools’ budget, despite reservations from schools officials.
Local leaders now face the gargantuan task to trim the $8 million school budget, which failed April 15 by more than 100 votes. Except that they promised, like Councilman Scott Furletti said, "Whatever we cut out doesn’t affect the kids."
Mayor John Hogan proposed at a May 6 meeting to streamline the rejected $8 million school budget in the following ways: hiring local developers to complete renovations and cleanup at no cost, as well as consolidating the role of superintendent of public works with the school’s superintendent of grounds.
The proposed cuts, said the mayor, represent roughly 17 percent of the 2008-2009 budget.
District Superintendent Sylvan Hershey told the mayor that he liked the approach.
"I like [what] I’m hearing and that is that the cuts in the budget do not have a direct impact on the kids," he said. "So I’m thrilled with that."
The superintendent linked the school budget failure to a low voter turnout and a total 13.25 percent teacher salary increase for the next three years, which school board members settled in March. He did not elaborate whether voters used school elections as a response to the 21.6 tax increase introduced by the municipality.
"Of all of the people that I’ve spoken to since [April 15], not one of them says they’ve voted against the budget, but they did vote because they had an opportunity to be heard," said Hershey.
School board members said that they feared cuts because of state cap mandates that would again limit budget increases in upcoming years.
"This is a bare bones budget, I’ve been going over it like crazy," said school board member Paul Bazela. "Compared to the rest of the district, we’re $1.2 million less funded as some districts in the same valley."
Cuts proved difficult because school officials said they could not eliminate enrichment and after-school programs to reduce costs. School board member Jennifer England said that a second question approved by voters in last year’s budget forbade the move.
Council member Roy Sokoloski said that he would try to help in whichever way possible. "Again, if we can cut deeper on our side maybe you don’t have to cut as deep," he said.
The next council meeting on the school budget is scheduled for May 14 at 7:30 p.m.
E-mail: gonzalezso@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6711
