Proposed Galloway School Budget Introduced

This year’s school budget news was more positive than last year’s following a boost of $566,943 in state aid last week.

Galloway Township Superintendent of Schools Annette Giaquinto and Business Administrator Vickie Tomasco introduced a proposed budget for the 2011-12 school year Monday night of $53,729,135, with $28,338,078 to be raised by taxes.

The individual taxpayer will see an average increase of eight-tenths of a cent.

The total budget comes to $57,289,166, with a local tax levy total of $29,535,866. The total general fund comes to $53,729,135, with the tax levy of $28,338,078.

Total special revenue fund is $1,600,818, with no tax levy, and the total debt service fund is $1,959,213, with a tax levy of $1,197,788.

The budget was unanimously approved by the Galloway Township Board of Education. The next step is the presentation to the Atlantic County Superintendent on Wednesday morning, followed by another discussion at the Workshop/Action meeting on March 21 and the public hearing on March 28.

The public will vote on the budget during the school board elections on April 27.

Positives in the budget, as highlighted during Giaquinto’s presentation, were the increase in state aid, the reservation of federal funding for next year and negotiations that led to wage freezes for the GTEA.

Giaquinto believes these positives strongly outweighed the negatives, which included a decrease in ratables, an increase in charter school tuition, an increase in insurance costs and an increase in the transportation consortium administration fee.

“What a difference a year makes,” Giaquinto said. “Last year, we discussed significant reductions. This year’s presentation is much more positive.”

Some of those reductions may even be reversed, including the addition of two buses for Arthur Rann Elementary School. Prior to the school year, courtesy busing for all Galloway elementary schools was cut.

The two buses were returned to Arthur Rann only because of the configuration of the school, meaning there is less parking, just one loop for parents and buses, as opposed to two at the other schools, and it is located along a main road, Eighth Avenue.

“If we brought all busing back, it would be about $38,000 a bus and it would be a total of $350,000,” Tomasco said.

“That would be three-quarters of the additional state aid,” Giaquinto said.

Board member Richard Dase put the increase in perspective, however.

“We’re still $2 million behind where we were two years ago,” he said.

There was an expectation that this year’s budget would have to see further cuts, prior to last week’s budget address by Gov. Chris Christie. The governor stated there would be an increase in school aid on Tuesday, and released specific school district numbers the following day.

During the preparation process, Giaquinto and Tomasco expected a decrease in funding. The increase allows for support of the district’s goals, which includes new language arts materials, new math materials, professional development, carpeting for one classroom in every school and greater parent communication, including e-boards/blog licenses and constant contact, as Giaquinto stated it in the presentation.

It also allowed for increases in staffing, after-school middle school busing, ancillary costs to restore all sports and viable club activities, and HVAC and hot water heater replacements, among other benefits.

As far as personnel is concerned, classroom assistants would be reviewed and teacher reassignments would be done based on enrollments. The middle school’s enrollment has decreased, while some elementary grades have increased. The goal is for no one to lose their job.

Some staff members who retire may not be replaced.

There is three-quarters of a million dollars in federal funding the school district chose not to use in this year’s budget that it will apply to next year’s budget, which should help in reaching all these goals, according to Giaquinto.

She did caution that everything is only possible as long as the public votes to pass the budget on April 27.

A projection of class sizes was also included in the presentation, and it read as follows:

Kindergarten: 17 students per class

First Grade: 17 students per class

Second Grade: 21-24 students per class

Third Grade: 19-23 students per class

Fourth Grade: 20-25 students per class

Fifth Grade: 19-23 students per class

Sixth Grade: 21-25 students per class