What is Cranbury School planning for a budget this year?

[Guest]

The Kansas City school board narrowly approved a plan Wednesday night to close nearly half the district's schools in a desperate bid to avoid a potential bankruptcy, wonder what budget Cranbury school will be submitting this year?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35806883/ns/us_news-education/

[Guest]

School Taxes Will Be Going Up Up Up

[Guest]

As someone who served on a School Board- vote no. There is always fluff put in just in case the voters say no. A no vote does not mean the school has to face major cuts. All it means is that it goes before the TC for a second look. If the TC says yes, then it gets approved anyway. There is no worry about increased class size, sports cuts, or other issues if you say no. All that happens is a second review.

[Guest]

I agree. I have three kids in the school and I voted no, which doesn't mean I didn't value their education. But most parents just reflexively vote yes as if it means exactly that -- it's the same dumb logic that you are not "supporting the troops" if you ask questions about whether we should put them in harms way.

I believe the school budget typically passes by a wide margin. You'll have to convince a lot of people -- far more than read this sitre -- to make any difference.

[Guest]

[vote NO]

Lets see if the day we vote for the school budget coincides with the science fair or some other feel good event at the school like it has the last several years. It stacks the deck in favor of the school budget getting passed and its not fair play by the school and board of Education.

[Guest]

[Guest]

[Guest]

Tuesday March 30 Budget Hearing, 7:00 PM (TBD)

School Budget and Board Election Date
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
(3rd Tuesday in April)
Annual school election in all districts. (19:60-1) Polls shall be open between the hours of 5 and 9 p.m. and during any additional time which the school board may designate between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. (19:15-2)


Board of Education Certification of Results
Within two days following certification of election results
Last day for board of education to certify to the county board of taxation the amount approved by voters

[Guest]

[Guest]

Take a look at how many computers they are slotted to buy (or smart boards), look to see if there are staff expenses for travel, over time work, etc...or new staff hires, look to see what happens with the money from prior projects such as the Pole Barn, Roof over the gym those are funded projects from a tax increase that are one time projects so where did that money go this year, look at the budgets major projects did they get the bids already or are they assuming a cost.

You put in the margin so in the event the budget is voted down it can be cut without major impact items (unless you want to make a statement). If you don't have the margin and the budget is voted down you end up in a problem.

I have kids in Cranbury now. Vote no and at least get a second review if the taxes are increased. If they don't increase the taxes then vote yes. The school budget is by far our largest expense.

There is a fear over voting No. If you vote no it only means a secondary review.

[Guest]

I completely agree. I have kids there and voted no last year. I’ll wait to review it this year but unless they have changed their ways I will likely vote no again. I manage over $30MM in annual operating budgets for my company and have managed another $350MM in capital budgets. From my even cursory review it was clear they have room to conserve without a hit to the educational quality. Granted the largest expense by far was the teacher compensation (including benefits) which are locked by contract and state rules. So we’re not talking radically double-digit percentage reductions, nor as a parent would I want them to. But the idea that they consistently need incremental percentage increases every year even in years where inflation is flat makes no sense. It comes from an expectation that they don’t need to roll up their sleeves and do the work of making every dollar count. I bet they didn’t, for example, aggressively re-bid and negotiate their supply vendor costs during the downturn. Yet every company I know that did got substantial reductions in costs.

They can easily turn it flat to slightly down budgets with no reduction in education quality. If they, as usual, as for increases, you know they aren’t prioritizing making our tax dollars count. And they will inevitably wave their Blue Ribbon around as “proof” that every dollar paid off when it isn’t linear like that.

[Guest]

[Guest]

When is the teachers contract due to expire?

[Guest]

[Guest]

What has been the annual % increase the teachers and administration have been seeing for pay increases during this current contract?

Not the 3 or 5 year avg but year by year 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.

Most likely these numbers will not be reflective of what is really happening in our economy.