Cranbury school budget goes to voters

[news]

Cranbury school budget goes to voters

By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
Posted: Friday, April 11, 2008 12:42 PM EDT

CRANBURY — Voters will have the say on Cranbury’s school budget and Board of Education candidates at the Municipal Building, 23A N. Main St., on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The candidates running for three open three-year seats on the Board of Education include Kevin Fox, Jennifer Cooke and Evelyn Spann.

The candidates have run uncontested after all three incumbent school board members Elizabeth Silverman, Frank Ransegnola, Kenneth Griffen decided not to run for re-election.

Voters also will decide the fate of $16.6 million school budget for 2008-09, which has an increase in spending of $956,178.

Under the proposed budget, the school tax rate will increase 4.13 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 85.46 cents.

At that rate, the owner of a home assessed at $668,923, the township average, would pay $5,716 in school taxes, a $276 increase.

According to school officials the increase is driven by continued enrollment growth and additional staff, contractual obligations for salaries, wages and health benefits and a capital project that consists of a roof replacement.
...
http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/04/11/cranbury_press/news/doc47ff949b86ce1713496921.prt

[Guest]

" Voters also will decide the fate of $16.6 million school budget for 2008-09, which has an increase in spending of $956,178."

Let's calculate the increase in percentage term since the reporter is too busy to do:

1. Assume previous year's budget is P and current year's C.

2. (C - P) = 956178

3. C is 16600000.

So, P is (C - 956178), which is 15643822.

The increase in percentage is: 100 x 956178/P. That is 100 x
956178/15643822 = 6.11%.

[Guest]

a million dollar increase for a school system our size is too high. The overall budget with this increase is inefficient.

[??]

The numbers do not add up:

Salaries, wages and benefits (increase): $279,408
Transportation (increase): $34,116
Replacing the roofs (increase): $363,422
Pay to Princeton High School (increase): $593,858
-----------------------------------------------------
Total increase is $1,270,804.

Not the $956,178 as reported. What did I miss?

[Guest]

wow that's too expensive for a roof replacement. Didn't the school budget increase 1 million last year? Cranbury school needs to go back to the drawing board.

[Guest]

The roof is a one time hit. Do we really believe that the money for the roof is one time or will it be used for something else the following year? I never see the one time payments disappearing in any budget, school, town or business. Once a budget is increased it stays increased.

[??]

This is in the news article about the cost of replacing the roofs:

[Guest]

[Guest]

Not sure, but perhaps the difference is the state aid. The money shown is just what is proposed as a tax payer expense.

[Michael]

Another increase in taxes. I'd vote no just to make a point. STOP!

[Guest]

I accepted last years increase in the school budget - but another million this year is very disappointing. I have to vote "No". Not only does the school want more money but our 2008 budget for the town is increasing too. When will it stop?!

[Guest]

I agree that Cranbury's overall spending is going up too much but none of these items seem discretionary. Salaries are a state-wide union issue for the most part, the tuition to Princeton is whatever they can negotiate or agreed to by contrart (it is not clear if the rate is going up or it is just more students) and if the roof needs repair, it needs repair...

Cranbury has a short list of critical things it should be spending on which are sacred to the Township and everything else should be looked at as discretionary. The non-discretionaries are:

1) School
2) Police (within reason)
3) Whatever minimally is required by COAH to keep new builders out
4) Preserving farmland to prevent more development

Things like the Babe Ruth Ballfield and new library, those I don't understand.

[agree]

I agree that the items are discretionary.

Can someone speculate what kind of roof job requires that kind of budget??

[Michael]

Too bad we didn't follow Monroe and Jamesburg in rejecting the school budget. 287 to 146. Too bad indeed.

[Guest]

It was a smart move for them to schedule the science fair on the same day as the vote. Easy for parents to drop by and vote before or after attending the fair.