Library gives money to township

[confused]

Which of you determined that last years roof repairs were unneeded?

[Guest]

Someone posted that the roof repair never occurred and that the school put the money into a general fund for other purposes. If true, that would imply the school decided the repair wasn't necessary.

[confused]

Thanks for the clarification. They are incorrect. There were workers on the school roof over the summer extending into the fall school year.

[Guest]

[Guest]

2008 school budget
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.

Basically, the roof replacement was a line item in the overall school budget from last year. The school asked for an increase in their budget for 2008 for around 1 million. The cranbury voters said "YES".

For the last 2 years running (2007 & 2008), the school has asked the Cranbury voters for an increase of 1 million per year (over 2 million total over the last 2 years).

So, if you think about it, the school has increased their budget 2 million EACH year over the last 2 years. Each year they take the voted approval from the previous year (which increased the budget 1 million) and just add more expenses that will carry a dollar amount that will be used for the next year's budget.

So, for instance the 360 thousand that was in last years budget was indeed used for the roof - However, since Cranbury residents voted to increase the School budget last year, that $360,000 remains in their budget projections for 2009 but is earmarked for other uses.

This 360 thousand should not be allowed to pay for other services when it was clear that the taxpayers wanted it to be used for the roof repair (a one time only event). This is a dishonest practice and I will be voting "NO" for any school increases.

[confused]

Thanks that really did clear it up. I have one quibble. Your statement that this is a dishonest practice. Your complaint seems to be they paid for a roof repair out of there budget while applying for some sort of grant to pay for the repair. I don't see that as dishonest. In fact as you led me through the budget it seems rather straightforward. If your complaint is their budget keeps going up, I think your complaint is well founded. I don't think there is any dishonesty involved.

[Guest]

[Guest]

[parent]

The reason that occurs is because the 360,000 was not a bond. It was a tax increase that was put into the budget. The voters passed the budget last year. So this year, they have the same revenue number, but just allocate it differently.

That's the problem with school budgets, we're not approving line items we're approving totals. Hopefully, people will vote it down. The BOE is used to a blank check like the TC. It's for the children, don't make the children suffer....I miss the old days of Argento where he understood it was a small town public school and not the upper elite private school. Haney seems to think he can ask for and get whatever he wants. Look at the library issue he started up with trying to evict them.

[NotaGuest]

You didnt miss anything at all, it is dishonest budgeting. At some point our local employees including those in the school need to hold or ideally reduce expenses like all the rest of us are doing. The DOW is at 6606 down 268 pts as I write this note, and that's a 17yr low, 1/4 of the mortgages in the past 5yrs are now underwater and tomorrow’s unemployment numbers are expected to be the worst posted to date. Both the town budget and school budget are increased this year both over a million, I guess they are not viewing the same news about the crisis that I am????

[ISee]

"That's the problem with school budgets, we're not approving line items we're approving totals. Hopefully, people will vote it down."

Thanks. I got it now.

The school should NOT include last year's $360K roof-repair in 2009's budget. Voters approved the $360K expense because it was for repairing the roof (a need not a want), not a blank check for future years!

This year, if the school does not need another roof-repair, it should NOT include this expense item. Doing so is abusing voters' trust.

[Frugality in Cranbury]

I'm proud that the Crabury TC pushed the Public Library to be fiscally responsible. Even though 18K is very small in comparision as to the their yearly surplus, at least it is something.

I hope that the TC keeps up the pressure and gets the school to take the 360K it recieved for a specific completed roof project out of there 2009 budget. I know it is not illegal to take the dollar amount and keep it in their budget and use it for other line items (whether needed or not); but it shakes my faith of the Cranbury School of their unethical behavior.

[Guest]

Did I miss something? The school budget isn't even out yet. I think calling people dishonest is premature at best. I think you are arguing a particularly virulent form of semantics. When the budget comes out, look at it line be line. If something seems amiss bring it up.

The main complaint seems to be that they made up a roofing project to inflate the budget. I don't find this argument credible. I think a better argument to make is that the budget is too large and identify what you believe should be cut.

By referring to the school board as dishonest, you do nothing to further your argument.

[Guest]

[Guest]

Did anyone attend the School Board meeting on March 3?

If you look at their web site, the budget was on the agenda. While I am not sure if I am reading this right and we should wait until the final proposed budget is presented, the preliminary information is revealing.

The total spending proposed was $18,679,392 compared to $16,599,188 last year, an increase over $2 Million. This included a $652,000 capital project for the roof.

The proposed school tax rate increased from 85.46 to 91.72.

There is a public hearing on the school budget on March 31 at 7:00.

All of this information is available on the Board of Ed web site - http://portal.cranburyschool.org/boe/default.aspx

[Guest]