Why only a minimal increase for teachers in a maximal Millburn school budget?

Why only a minimal increase for teachers in a maximal Millburn school budget?

Millburn Board of Education voted for a 2% property tax increase on a preliminary school budget vote on March 6, 2013 in a special meeting.  The vote was 5-2 in favor, with one member abstaining. The dissenting members challenged the budgetary assumptions, noted their concerns about lack of investment in education and teachers, and called for a thorough review and reallocation of the $88 million budget.

The school budget as it stands has the following:

New hiring of 4.8 full time equivalent teachers for high school, with scope for additional 1.2 full time equivalent teachers on a 2% property tax increase again centered on high school. Where do middle school and elementary schools fit in all of this? Good luck on that!

However, there is more money set aside for equipment and construction/repair of facilities – to the tune of $4 million! Dumb founded now? Good luck again!

Teachers or facilities? No that is a wrong question to ask because it is about both. But where are the new teachers in the budget of $88 million to offset overcrowding, and increase in class sizes? Good luck with that too!

Where is the money you ask? Good question! Millburn schools have a cumulative budget surplus of $12.9 million at last count. For 2012, on a 0.65% property tax increase an additional $3 million surplus is expected to come through by 6/30/13. With roughly $16 million in the surplus kitty, a decent chunk is being spent on facilities but there is no money for more teachers? Shocked yet? Welcome to the party!

So a 2% property tax hike must be too low? Not so fast. Money is hidden everywhere and the two board members who exposed it on March 6, 2013 special meeting got a lot of vitriol for telling the truth.  Check it out for yourself at: http://hometownetv.org/pro/node/7 and click for Millburn on the playlist from the screen.

The primary concern that emerges from the proposed budget is that money is being thrown in the wrong direction and is being hidden all over the place – for what purpose nobody knows yet.  Remember the $1.6 million in suddenly found surplus that made a cameo appearance a couple of years ago?  With such financial laxity, one has to wonder where it will lead the town. But for now, just keeping asking why?

The question that one needs to focus on relates fiscal mismanagement - of people in charge being out of depth on budgeting, and on issues of investing in education for a better future for our children. It is about over budgeting and under spending, year after year – how else can one explain the $16 million in expected budget surplus by 6/30/13? The two dissenting board members and the public who opposed the 2% property tax hike were articulate in their views and cited the reasons why. Not because of the money – mind you the increase is about $150 on a $1M of assessed value, small change in the bigger scheme of things but because of misallocation and mismanagement of the budget. The board members who voted in support also need to come forth and explain with similar clarity why there is no room in the budget for more teachers and smaller class sizes.

After all the public has a right to know.