Additionally, the Board of Education approved a 2 percent tax levy increase.
By Krista Cerminaro
The Monroe Township Board of Education held a special budget meeting on Monday, March 26. Board secretary and business administrator Lisa Schulz outlined two scenarios, and the board approved scenario one to submit to the executive county superintendent of schools.
Schulz explained this won’t be a final budget, and the public hearing will be held on May 3.
“The approximate amount of revenues is $95 million in sum,” Schulz said. “That amount will not change from now until then, for the ‘18-’19 budget. But, we can reallocate within that time and at the public hearing it will be detailed exactly.”
For scenarios one and two, Schulz said the total additional amount allocated was $1.4 million.
Scenario one, which was approved, would eliminate a human resources position, use $95,000 for Williamstown Middle School security, $14,000 for additional tech support and $100,000 for additional Holly Glen buses if the board goes with Superintendent Charles Earling’s plan A discussed at the previous board meeting. This leaves the remaining amount of $1.2 million, which would go into an account specifically for HVAC renovations at Holly Glen, according to Schulz.
Scenario two would have included adding staff, thus leaving $737,000 for Holly Glen renovations.
“It was the board’s decision to go along to submit the budget with scenario one, which would mean there would be $1.2 million in the Holly Glen HVAC replacement,” Schulz said.
Board member Jeffrey Simpler reiterated the board can still make changes and reallocate funds between now and May.
“The only thing this board is doing this evening is giving her and the administration the authorization to send this up to the county superintendent,” Simpler said.
Schulz also mentioned the board approved the 2 percent tax levy increase.
“In the end, your 2 percent tax levy amounts to about $991,000. Your discretionary contract, about $2.2 million,” Schulz said.
Schulz also noted no programs have been eliminated.
The total state aid increase for the Monroe Township school district was $1,787,029.
At the last Board of Education meeting, Schulz noted the 2 percent tax levy increase amounts to roughly 3.8 cents, which equals an increase of about $77 per year on the average home valued at $203,096.
Monroe Township residents took their budget concerns and questions to the board of education on Monday evening.
Resident Rick Jankowski voiced his opinion on the board’s idea to potentially move Holly Glen students to Open Bible Baptist Church.
“This Open Bible [idea] is us spending money to fix someone else’s building. You have to truck in food to students, it is a waste of money,” Jankowksi said. “The fastest way to get [those] kids back into Holly Glen, is to not waste money somewhere else.”
Earling explained moving the students is not yet set in stone, but there was a visitation to the site.
“We will have some type of plan in place in April,” Earling said. “But, that’s not a go.”
Earling restated the option to move kindergarten and first grade to Whitehall classrooms for the next school year, second and third grade to Radix, keep fourth grade at Williamstown High School and special services at Oak Knoll. The final decision will be voted on in April, according to Earling.
“We still would love to be in Holly Glen, that’s our №1 goal,” Earling said.
As far as HVAC repairs at Holly Glen, Caruso said the problem is the drainage and HVAC.
“Once that’s repaired, and channeled a different way because it’s just horrible, and the HVAC is in, that should alleviate the problem. That’s what we’re being told from the engineers,” Caruso explained.
Earling stated the school will be tested every six months.
“If we learned anything from this, we have to test more than we have been, on all the schools,” Caruso said.
Earling also said a meeting would be held next Tuesday with Holly Glen teachers and administrators at Radix to discuss the plan for reimbursement of supplies.
Resident Jennifer Lewis-Gallagher inquired about 2018–2019 budget goals, which Schulz said would be addressed at the presentation on May 3.
The board also noted the track repairs, which amounted to $300,000 and were budgeted for last year, will have a contract in place this summer.
“It doesn’t have to be done at the end of the budget year, just as long as a contract that shows that that money is allocated,” Simpler explained.
“It needs to be up and running for September,” president George Caruso stated.
