Hopatcong Schools Superintendent: We're Preparing For Worst-Case Budget Scenario

About 20 people visited cafeteria Thursday night to listen to school district Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano speak about the challenges the district faces in fashioning the next budget and to talk to school officials and Board of Education members.

Vicky Taesler and Christina Munoz each said they were curious heading into the meeting and left feeling a little more assured.

"There were no surprises, no surprises at all," said Munoz, a Hopatcong Middle School teacher who said she attended the meeting as a parent. "It was nice to have an informal type of meeting, nice to get together and have a chance to talk, to share ideas."

Maranzano gave a 20-minute speech during which he spoke out against Gov. Chris Christie's continued pressure on public schools and trumpeted Hopatcong's recent accolades—a high Quality Single Accountability Continuum score and a "flawless" comprehensive annual financial report.

But he said the district must deal with reduced state funding, increased expenses, a history of failed budgets, high expectations and unfunded state mandates.

Maranzano also said the district was surprised when it learned it would get about $350,000 more in state aid than it did last year, when Hopatcong was given $1.7 million less than in 2009-10.

"We were so blindsided last year that it hurt," Maranzano told Patch. "It was a devastating blow to have 1.7 million of your money taken away from you in the 11th hour."

"What we're doing is preparing for the worst-case scenario. We don't know for sure what the net bottom line is. If it turns out to be better than we expected, you won't have to cut 12 or 15 people. You'll have to cut 8 or 10 people."

Maranzano also told Patch he'd been talking to school officials about the budget and how the district could cut back.

"We've been asking, 'What can you do without?'" he said. "And those are heart-wrenching, difficult discussions."

School board members Frank Farrigguia Jr. and Sue Madar attended the meeting, as did each school's principal, Business Administrator Theresa Sierchio and Director of Guidance Gina Cinotti.

Farrigguia said he was glad to take ideas from parents, who were handed a sheet asking them to identify a positive aspect of Hopatcong schools, what they wanted and didn't want cut and suggestions to the board.

"I see it as very productive to get feedback from them," Farrigguia said. "[Parents were] pretty straightforward. I think that realistically you're limited on what areas people want to cut back and pretty much everybody wants the same things. We want to protect. It's difficult because I think every district faces the same thing.

"They were all pretty much based around the same feelings, that … they're happy with what we have to offer right now and they don't want to see things getting cut back or taken away."

Taesler and Munoz agreed.

"Everyone does appreciate the school system here and what' s done for the children," Taesler said. "It's difficult to come up with ideas and ways to cut things instead of staff. We've all agreed we won't want to cut more stuff."