The township schools will lay off 39 district employees under a $138 million budget approved by the Board of Education on Wednesday, the app reports. The budget carries a $72.4 million tax levy. It is expected to pay for such technology infrastructure improvements as broadband cable and new telephones as well as boost tuition funding by more than 26 percent, school officials said. The tax levy would raise the tax rate 4 percent, or 3.4 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a house valued at $350,000 would pay $119 more in school tax. Voters will decide on the budget's tax levy April 21. The layoffs for next school year are expected to affect elementary, foreign language and special education teachers, administrators said. They are not expected to involve core departments such as literacy or math, Assistant Superintendent William Andersen said. Superintendent Eugenia Lawson said the reductions would not hurt the district's efforts to meet state standards. "We had to look at cost-saving measures," Lawson said. "We had to give a budget that the county would approve."
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Lakewood Board Ok's Budget 39 Face Layoffs Including Special Ed
The township schools will lay off 39 district employees under a $138 million budget approved by the Board of Education on Wednesday, the app reports. The budget carries a $72.4 million tax levy. It is expected to pay for such technology infrastructure improvements as broadband cable and new telephones as well as boost tuition funding by more than 26 percent, school officials said. The tax levy would raise the tax rate 4 percent, or 3.4 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The owner of a house valued at $350,000 would pay $119 more in school tax. Voters will decide on the budget's tax levy April 21. The layoffs for next school year are expected to affect elementary, foreign language and special education teachers, administrators said. They are not expected to involve core departments such as literacy or math, Assistant Superintendent William Andersen said. Superintendent Eugenia Lawson said the reductions would not hurt the district's efforts to meet state standards. "We had to look at cost-saving measures," Lawson said. "We had to give a budget that the county would approve."
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6 comments:
The problem is that every year we vote the budget down. But then it goes to the Township Committee, where all the representatives, including (perhaps especially) the frum ones, make minuscule cuts, and taxes skyrocket.
Perhaps we should organize an email and phone campaign, asking everyone to call and/or email our "representatives" to make major cuts.
If M. Miller and M. Lichtenstein had their phones ringing off the hook all Pesach, they would take us more seriously.
This is how Democracy works all over, yet here in Lakewood, no one seems to realize this is the most efficient way to get things done.
You are taken VERY seriously.
Maybe you have ideas where they should cut? Perhaps SCHI? Maybe busing YOUR kids?
That's where virtually ALL the increase is going (except for 4% in teacher raises which were already in contracts).
To comment # 2 stop the VAAD party line of SCHI blaming, Look into how many tax free properties in the community and who ownes them.
Shai & bussing are $25+ Million.
How much are the taxes cheated? Do you know? Or are you just blowing steam?
The facts are the tax base is increasing by more than 4% a year due to hundreds of new families moving to Lakewood every year.
This natural increase is more than enough to keep taxes steady, if not lower them.
True. And without Stimulus monies and the natural growth tax base increases the budget would be considerably higher.
That does not negate the fact the the skyrocketing costs of busing and special ed, along with the 4% teacher salary increases are by far the largest determining factors in the budget increase.
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