Schools Cuts Will Include Co-Curricular Stipends

Superintendent Dr. Nathan Parker detailed the specific budget cuts that will be voted upon Wednesday by the Board of School Estimate.

Among the $1.6 million in cuts to the school budget are faculty stipends for co-curricular activities at Summit High School and the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School and the elimination of the district's art supervisor.

"That was the goal: not to cut people," Parker said. "By cutting people you basically jack up class sizes. My attempt was not to cut people for people's sake."

A budget that would have raised taxes by 5.8 percent was submitted to the county and was rejected. The board had to cut an addition $119,342. The budget to budget increase is 2.67 percent and the tax levy increase falls at 5.6 percent, or $346.39 increase for a home assessed at $410,000.

Several issues were discussed at the standing-room-only afternoon budget presentation session including the possibility of delaying the board of school estimate vote to give the public more time to digest and respond to the proposed budget, negotiations with the Summit Educational Association over teacher salaries and benefit contributions, and the possibility of using surplus to help offset the 100 percent loss in state aid the district is dealing with.

In regards to the stipends, a question was raised as to whether or not the school drama departments could raise ticket prices for performances in order to pay for the faculty stipends.

Parker said on that example specifically he was not sure but that the board would be looking at "all sorts of revenue enhancements."

But the overriding concern is the need for a majority vote Wednesday at the board of school estimate meeting.

Some residents fear that councilmembers Tom Getzendanner and Rich Madden will vote "No" to the proposed budget.

While Parker and Board President Tom O'Rourke both said the board could have trimmed at least $300,000 to $400,000 more out of the budget, they prefer not to do so because it's important to preserve the budget base, especially with a constitutional amendment proposed by Gov. Chris Christie to limit the budget increase to 2.5 percent.

"That's why when you look from a budgeting perspective it's fiscally irresponsible to drive your budget base down so much at this point knowing what the potential of different caps are out there at two and a half percent," said Business Administrator Lou Pepe.

If the Board of School estimate does not approve the proposed budget on Wednesday, Pepe said the Board of Education would have to produce a lot of documentation and work closely with the Board of School Estimate members to reach a number both parties would be willing to support. The Board of School Estimate would have until April 8 to finalize the budget.

"I think it will change the fabric of the way instruction is given in the district," Parker said, of having to make additional cuts if the budget is not approved Wednesday.

But Councilman Madden said in a statement that while he opposed teacher layoffs, he would like to see the school budget cut an additional $350,000.

"In good faith, I cannot support a tax waiver close to 6% if all options have not been explored or implemented," he wrote in a statement. "Can we sit down to find another $350K that gets the tax increase under 5%? I think so."

Councilwoman Ellen Dickson was in attendance Monday afternoon and while she does not get a vote on the Board of School Estimate, she said she will be voicing her opinion to her council colleagues that do. The city is committed to trying to keep their portion of the tax levy at a 2 percent increase and Dickson said that may come at the cost of unpaid furlough days for police officers and fire fighters.

"I'm afraid that if we keep treating teachers as this protected class our city hall employees fall further and further behind," she said. "I'm afraid the disconnect it's going to cause within the community.

Parker said the board has had discussions with the SEA about freezing salaries and asking teachers to contribute 1.5 percent into their health benefits but no agreement has been reached at this time. Currently Summit teachers pay roughly $300 a year toward their health benefits.

"I will agree with you that that sounds laughable but in the state of New Jersey where the New Jersey Education Association has been probably one of the strongest unions in the country, getting that little opening of the door was a major event that took us almost eight months to accomplish," Operations Committee Chair Eleanor Doyle said. "Getting that break in the dam, if you will, we believe would set us up for much more rigorous negotiations which will be occurring next year in the final year of the contract."

Administrators, principals and supervisors already contribute 10 percent, 7.5 percent and 7.5 percent respectively to their benefits, Doyle said.

Several parents asked whether or not the district can petition for a deadline extension since Summit is a Type 1 district which does not have a public vote on the budget. Parker said he would look into applying for it although he thought he was too late and wouldn't change the board's proposal.

"People are questioning line items that at this stage of the game are non-negotiable, such as teachers' raises, such as health care, such as pensions," said President of Speak Up Summit Melanie Wilson. "There are certain things that the powerful unions locked us into."

Wilson has initiated a call to action to reach out to all of the council members to ask for their support of the budget on Wednesday.

"The point is that if we set the bar too low and then the state comes back with a 2.5 constitutional amendment, we're going to be in a lot of trouble because if we reduce our base where do we go from there?" Wilson said.

The Board of Education will meet Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School gymnasium. The Board of School Estimate meeting will follow at 8 p.m.

Board of School Estimate members are Mayor Jordan Glatt, Councilman Tom Getzendanner, Councilman Rich Madden, School board president Tom O'Rourke and Board Members Eleanor Doyle.