Schools readjust budget numbers after state aid stays flat

BYRAM - Sussex County education officials are making sure there are plenty of erasers on hand as number crunching continues on local school budgets. Gov. Jon Corzine sent area administrators to the pencil sharpeners last week after announcing that state funding for most school districts in his $30.9 billion budget proposal would be frozen again this year. Sussex County would see nominal changes or none at all in state aid for a seventh consecutive year, despite increases in inflation and expenses including salaries, insurance, and other fixed expenditures such as fuel. “Realistically, flat state aid is a cut because prices go up,” said Byram Schools Superintendent Joseph Pezak. “But, it could have been worse.” Byram would receive the same $3,280,733 from Trenton as it did last year if state lawmakers approve the governor’s budget. Under Corzine’s proposal, direct aid to districts would remain around $7 billion. About half of the state’s districts would have no change at all, while others would get a slight boost or cut based on new enrollment figures. Even the state’s neediest districts - or so-called Abbott schools - would have to rely more on local taxes to support their budgets under the new Corzine administration strategy. “This is a shared statewide problem, and it means everybody’s got to work to meet what’s really before us, and that is a very, very severe fiscal crisis that needs to be attended to in short order for the long-term economic future of our state,” said acting education commissioner Lucille E. Davy. While direct aid remained in large part flat, Corzine proposed a $1 billion increase in education spending, largely from a $743 million boost in what the state contributes to the teachers’ pension fund. Even that doesn’t fully fund what’s required. This year, Lenape Valley Regional High School expects fixed costs in terms of salaries and benefits to increase by $692,000, far more that the $284,000 school officials hope to cut in expenditures. “The state is putting the squeeze on us in many areas - there’s no doubt about it,” said Robert Klinck, assistant superintendent for business at Lenape Valley. “They are well aware that property taxpayers will have to pay more money to support the schools -- they have to. It’s just simple math.” Klinck said enrollment has increased at Lenape Valley by 150 students in the past five years, while the percentage of funding from Trenton has remained level. He said the district has adopted a “zero-based budget” philosophy, which often delays purchases for items such as supplies or textbooks until they become absolutely necessary. Lenape Valley would actually have its state aid increased by 0.1 percent, from $3,781,830 in 2005-2006 to $3,799,251 next year. Klinck said the district would continue to slash employee benefits by moving school aides from full-time to part-time status, bring special education students back into the district, and take steps to cut transportation costs involved with students in athletic and co-curricular programs. Pezak said Byram is also looking to keep special education students “at home” and share costs wherever possible with nearby districts in Lenape Valley, Netcong, and Stanhope. He said the Byram school district plans to save some funds following the expected retirement of upwards of six teachers this year. “Let’s see how it pans out; we’ve been frugal historically,” said Pezak, whose budget has represented the lowest cost-per-student ratios in both Sussex and Morris counties. “Our numbers look very reasonable. We’re underwriting what we feel is important -- our educational programs.” The proposed budget will go to the voters April 18.