Brick BOE To Hold Budget Meeting Today; More Cuts Could Be In Store

The Brick Township Board of Education will kick off its budgeting process for the 2011-12 school year Tuesday at a special board meeting. The 4 p.m. meeting will be held at the library and will serve as a preliminary budget discussion in anticipation of state aid figures being released Feb. 22.

The board received 24 percent of its revenue from the state during the 2010-11 school year, according to Business Administrator James Edwards, but cuts could be on the way as state officials continue to grapple with their own fiscal woes.

"We've been through so many years of flat state aid and decreased state aid that we'd now be happy to hear that state aid would be flat," said Edwards.

Edwards said school districts recently received a memorandum from the state indicating that communities statewide should prepare for additional cuts. Last year, Gov. Chris Christie imposed across-the-board state aid cuts to virtually every school district in the state. There's no telling how much, if any, aid Brick stands to lose this year, as Edwards said the district has received no guidance from the state as of yet.

After the state aid figures are delivered to school districts, boards of education have 48 hours to adopt a tentative budget. From that point forward, the budget is fine-tuned before the tax levy to support the proposed budget is put to the voters. If voters turn down the proposed tax levy during the April 27 school election, it is sent to the township council which can let the budget stand or reduce the levy by a specific amount. The school district budget is separate from the municipal operating budget.

According to an announcement by the school district Monday, the public will have the opportunity to comment at Tuesday's meeting.