Facilities In Distress: Brick Schools' Needs Far Outstrip Budget Realities

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township School District approved a preliminary budget Thursday night for the 2017-18 school year that represents a 2 percent increase in the total tax levy.

But district officials, in presenting the budget, said the needs in the district go far, far deeper.

The initial budget figures approved by the board include a total budget of $152,524,469, and an anticipated total tax levy of $105,528,441. The tax levy includes debt service of $2,366,063. The tentative figures must be submitted to Ocean County Executive Superintendent Todd C. Flora for approval.

The proposed tax levy represents an increase of $2,017,056 from the 2016-17 budget, an increase of 1.9486 percent.

But interim Superintendent Thomas Gialanella said there is a great deal more that the district needs to address across the board, from broken-down facilities and classroom furniture to tattered textbooks.

This year, Gialanella has representatives of the various departments making presentations to the board and the public on the needs of the district. Thursday's presentation began with a presentation on the facilities needs.

"This is just a drop in the bucket," William Kolibas, the director of facilities, after presenting a host of issues that pose both safety and security risks. "We need to start having the discussion" about addressing issues that have been neglected, in many cases, for more than 20 years.

In addition to facilities issues, principals from throughout the district detailed needs at every level, from science tables and culinary arts equipment at Brick Memorial that date back to the school's opening in 1980 to a lack of stools in the art classes. They listed staffing needs in response to growing interest in the district's STEM courses, humanities requirements, and world language requirements.

And the technology director, Robert Bao, said the district needs to begin the process of replacing outdated computer servers and systems that support the district's various technology needs.

The facilities issues presentation, however, was the most stark. A list of items that Kolibas said were immediate needs, included on the Powerpoint presentation shown at the meeting, is estimated to cost roughly $7 million, but that only scratches the surface of the needs and did not include items such as classroom furniture, cafeteria tables and textbooks that are worn out.

Among the items listed:

• Second-floor classrooms at Lake Riviera Middle School that lack ventilation and heat up to unbearable temperatures
• The roof at Warren H. Wolf School, which needs to be replaced
• Blinds for classroom windows to reduce glare that disrupts the usage of whiteboards
• Broken bifold doors at Emma Havens Young School that are in danger of falling down
• Water fountains in the district that date back to when the various schools opened
• Reconstruction of the parking lot at the Veterans Memorial Middle and Elementary School complex to address a multitude of safety issues
• Holes and serious cracks in the track at Brick Township High School, which has to be coned off for use during physical education classes and hasn't hosted a meet in 10 years.

"This isn't about athletics," said Brick Township High School principal William Kleissler, in discussing the condition of the high school track. "This track is used for physical education. This is about instruction, not afterschool activities."

George Scott, a township resident, said the fact that so many issues have not been addressed "is totally wrong."

"We are talking over a 37-year period," Scott said. "These should have been in budgets."

The board's next meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 6 at Brick Memorial High School, will include further presentations from various departments, Gialanella said.

A full hearing on the budget is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 27, also at Brick Memorial High School.

The broken bifold door at Emma Havens Young Elementary School. Photo via Brick Township School District