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Guest
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 Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 6:58 pm EST Post subject: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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REPOSTED from Library Thread
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 |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:02 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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Total Appropriations All Funds
$18,679,392 = School Budget
$16,652,016 = Funding from taxes
$ 2,027,376 = Shortfall
WOW this is way over the top. Did the school board really approve this? This will be presented to the public on 3/31. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:12 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| we're yelling at the TC, but at least they are spending at the same rate. This increase is ridiculous and the BOE justifies it because, IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN. We'll if I go broke paying for their over spending are they going to keep me in my house for my children? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:31 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Quote: | In Cranbury, three, three-year terms are expiring.
Candidates include incumbent board members Lynne Shwarz and Austin Schraudenbach and newcomer Nicole Pormilli, said Joyce Picariello, the school’s business administrator.
Current school board President Joan Rue, who has dedicated more than two decades to the board, will be stepping down this year, she said.
”She will be sorely missed,” Ms. Picariello said.
With three seats open and three candidates running, Ms. Picariello said residents can guess the conclusion of this year’s election. |
If there are 3 seats open and only 3 people running, then why vote?
I hope a few people would step-up and run for these BOE seats - perhaps as a write-in . I hate to see any election go unopposed. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:36 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| The School Board is usually this way because of the time committment required and work involved. It's a tough position. The scary thing to me is people not voting because we still have the budget. That to me is the main reason for voting. I firmly believe the BOE candidates all have the school at heart. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 7:53 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Guest wrote: | | I firmly believe the BOE candidates all have the school at heart. |
That is the problem - the BOE has only the school at heart and their heads in the sand. Every school, governmental agency, for-profit and nonprofit business is finding ways to cut their budgets due to our down economy.
You think this year is bad; wait to next year - it will be even worse. If you were around the the 80's, you know what I am talking about. It took many years for the east coast to bounce back from the recession.
The BOE needs to find ways to cut expenses without harming the childrens education. Be creative and if they need ideas just ask the public and don't hide behide "IT's For the Kids".
It's for the community which the school and every man, woman, and child is apart of. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 8:06 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| True, but the problem is no BOE will ever run on the platform of lowering school taxes because people will scream about the needs of children. The teacher's union is out of control and a large part of our budget goes to salary increases. We're complaining over town employees and teachers get guaranteed jobs for life and salary increases and they make more than most township employees. Not to sound like I don't appreciate them, it's just the schools operate outside of the norms of common business sense from the BOE, to wages, to staff, to supplies...the BOE members typically have kids in the school and parents who are the most BOE election voters are focused on wants and not needs. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sat, Mar 7 2009, 8:16 pm EST Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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Well, this is a new year and a new economy. It is time to push for common sense approaches and stop the excesses. Our children can still get a fantastic education without the exhorbidant price tag.
IMO every contract that the township and the school has should be reviewed and renegotiated. This happens all the time in every industry and even in every household. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 10:11 am EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Quote: | | teachers get guaranteed jobs for life |
No, they don't 
| Quote: | | they make more than most township employees |
No problem there. Teaching requires a college degree, most township employment positions do not 
The school budget is too high, even when you account for capital expenditures. imo |
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Guest
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 10:43 am EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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Have you ever heard of tenure? That gives teacher's jobs for life. And don't say removing them is easily done. We had a gym teacher in Cranbury who physically abused students and the BOE had a hard time with the union and teacher getting him removed.
In terms of salaries. The point is not that they should be paid equally. It is that residents complain over a 1% raise for low salary people, yet seem to have no issues with teachers and automatic raises regardless of how they perform. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 12:40 pm EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Guest wrote: | | In terms of salaries. The point is not that they should be paid equally. It is that residents complain over a 1% raise for low salary people, yet seem to have no issues with teachers and automatic raises regardless of how they perform. |
You are confusing tow different issues. To another posters point, they shouldn't automatically be paid equally rgeardless of job requirements or education required. That truly would be pure socialism.
Unrelated to that is the fact that the school budget is too high and that historically it has gotten a free ride with local, parent-dominated voters. On that I completely agree. As other have said, trying to resist that is a very uphill battle. But we should at least give it a try. I am a parent with several kids in the school and unless I change my mind when they finally share the details, I plan to vote no and aggresisvely communicate to others why they should at least examine the details and consider doing the same.
Isn't this election historically a low turn out? If so, if there is an aggressive compaign against the budget perhaps there is a chance it won't get approved. That would send a powerful and positive message to the school administrators that the costs are closely being watched by the voters. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 1:55 pm EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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The poster is not saying the two should be paid equally. What I think he/she is saying and I agree with is how people on this board and elsewhere look at one population of employees and complain they are getting 1% raises when that is a small amount and then look at another group of employees in the town and say they deserve the raises when that amount is much larger. One of the largest items in a school budget is the salary and wages.
I agree that the budget needs to be voted down because there are plenty of excesses. I also think the salary and wage discussion was picked up by a second poster where that was not the original intent of the first post. Similar to how the roof took on a thread of it's own. |
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Dan Mulligan
Joined: Fri, Sep 19 2008, 5:41 pm EDT
Posts: 172
Location: Old Cranbury Road
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 2:40 pm EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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Hello,
Below are some numbers I found which may help in this conversation...
2008-2009 budget breakdown
50% Salaries, Wages & Benefits ($8.2 million)
27% High School Tuition ($3.8 million)
5% Transportation ($700K)
5% Operations & Maint ($900K)
4% Special Education ($800k)
2% Capital Budget
2% Other purchases
1% Other Expenses
2007-2008 tax levy increase was 5.77% over the prior year
2008-2009 tax levy increase was 3.99% over the prior year
I hope this helps the discussion. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 2:53 pm EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Guest wrote: | | The poster is not saying the two should be paid equally. What I think he/she is saying and I agree with is how people on this board and elsewhere look at one population of employees and complain they are getting 1% raises when that is a small amount and then look at another group of employees in the town and say they deserve the raises when that amount is much larger. One of the largest items in a school budget is the salary and wages. . |
Nobody should be getting a raise - period. A small 1 1/2% pay raise to Cranbury township employees is costing us over 60K more this year alone. That is not a small amount. When you increase pay you also increase money needed to fund the township retirement fund.
I do agree that the Salaries make up 50% of the school budget. To decrease this amount there needs to be a focus on decreasing overtime pay and canceling or adjusting anything that is a nicety and not a necessity. Also, renegotiations must be the prime initiative.
Did you know that the school pays over 600K for textbooks per year? May schools have reduced that budget amount by requiring the parents to either pay for some or all of the textbooks needed or run classroom fundraisers. I'm sure the "Friends of the Cranbury Library" would be a helpful resource or could help in the fundraising effort.
Cranbury parents also must keep in mind this is a public school funded by ALL taxpayers. This includes residents that do not utilize the Cranbury school system - ie Private School participants, senior citizens, residents with college aged children, etc.
We need to cut the fat and focus only on needs for a quality education. The recession is not over.
If we don't trim it now - what will be instore for 2010 when it is projected to be worse than this year?
Will we be making our town unaffordable even for us? |
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Guest
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| Posted: Mon, Mar 9 2009, 7:17 pm EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Who has the facts on exactly what is outside of the School's control in terms of salaries, overtime, teacher ratio, etc.? Since that is half the budget, it is critical that they look long and hard and how they can creatively cut in this area. If they really are mandated by State-wide contracts to give raises, that is incredibly inappropriate and an indictment of why public unions are a terrible force. Why should tax payers who in most cases are facing complete salary freezes or even smaller income be forced to artificial subsidize public workers against the direction of the economy? They stop being service providers for us and we start existing for the purpose of supporting them, which is backwards. |
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neighbor
Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Mar 10 2009, 1:02 pm EDT Post subject: Re: 2009 Cranbury School Budget |
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| Where can I find the proposed budget with last year's actuals? Line by line...? |
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