GEHR Budget Meeting Is Thursday Night

As a result of voters rejecting the Greater Egg Harbor Regional's 2011-12 budget during the April 27 school board election, members of the Board of Education will meet with municipal leaders to discuss possible budget cuts to the spending plan.

A meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, will consist of only a handful of school board members, along with representatives from the four towns that send students to the district's three high schools.

Superintendent of Schools Steven Cicciarello said he realized that it is rather short notice; however, he was dealing with not only the board members' schedules but also those representatives who will be attending the meeting from the four towns that send students to the district's three high schools.

The towns are Galloway, Egg Harbor City, Hamilton and Mullica townships. Municipal leaders from these four towns are faced with the decision to either accept the defeated budget as it was presented to the voters or agree with a dollar amount that the school board should cut from the budget, district officials explained during Monday night's meeting.

Some board members were unhappy with the short notice given about Thursday night's meeting.

"Some of you may not care," board Vice President Margaret Guenther said about being able to attend the meeting. "I care."

Guenther is one of at least two of the board's nine members who are not able to attend Thursday night's meeting because of a scheduling conflict. She indicated that she had another meeting that she had agreed to attend already.

Board President John Houck said that a committee representing the board will meet with the towns' representatives and they would report back to the board during next Monday night's meeting.

He said the towns ultimately will have the say as how much, if any, they'd liked to see cut from the defeated budget. They could recommend a line item or items where the money could be cut. The board that the board doesn't necessarily have to make the cuts from the line items the towns suggest, Houck explained. But it must cut the total dollar amount recommended.

The only other option the board has is to appeal to the state Department of Education.

On Monday night, the board also reorganized.

Board members John Houck and Margaret Guenther resumed the positions of school board president and vice president, respectively. Both were reappointed to their respective positions unanimously.

The following appointments were also made:

Solicitor: Louis Greco, Esq.

Auditor: Ford Scott & Associates

Treasurer: Kimberly Howells

Labor Negotiator: Capehart Scatchard

Bond Counsel: McManimon & Sctoland, LLC

Health Insurance Broker: Management Benefit Solutions

Employee School Physicians: AtlantiCare Occupational Medicine

Student School Physicians: AtlantiCare Health Services

Orthopedic Physicians/Football: Rothman Institute

Athletic Trainers: AthlantiCare Health Services

The school board will meet at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted, on the first and third Monday of the month, which is a slight change from previous years. The board had, up to now, met the first and second Mondays of the month. Location varied between the district's three high schools.

For more information, go to the school district's website: gehrhsd.com.