Busing Decision, State Aid Total Leave School Budget Uncertain

Voters will be asked to approve a roughly $85.8 million school budget and to decide whether or not courtesy busing is worth the cost, according to the district's preliminary budget.

While the preliminary budget has been released, the amount of state aid to the district and decision of whether or not students closer than two miles for elementary schools and 2.5 miles for high school will still be bused needs to be factored in. State aid amounts to $3 million while the cost of courtesy busing - including bus aides - is $550,256, said school district Business Administrator Robert S. Finger.

The busing cost will appear as a separate question on the ballot.

The preliminary budget for 2011-12 is $85,877,868 up from $84,399,246 in 2010-11. 

According to officials, the impact of the preliminary budget is a projected $53.93 increase to the tax bill for a homeowner with an average assessed value of $465,300. Should the courtesy busing question be approved by the voters, there will be an additional projected tax increase of $42.20, bringing the total to $96.13.

“This is less than the projected increase by the Township of $111.00,” Finger said.

Finger said no decisions could be made until Feb. 24 when the school officials will learn how much state aid the district will get.

“Should there be a reduction to our state aid the Board will have to make decisions on additional reductions to the budget, which could involve staffing and program cuts,” said Finger.

Interim Superintendent Barbara Pinsak said she is concerned for the safety of students if residents don’t vote in favor of continuing courtesy busing.  It would mean any high school student up to 2.5 miles away from the school and elementary students two miles or more from the school would have to walk or be driven to school (the legal requirements for transporting students). Currently students in grades kindergarten through four within .9 miles or greater are bused.

“The idea of them walking two miles or greater is not pretty,” said Pinsak. “There are areas with no sidewalks in Teaneck.”

Other concerns include dealing with language arts test scores and class size, Pinsak said.

The school district is also looking at companies to provide outsourced custodial services in a potential cost saving measure.

School officials said about $4.5 million in state aid has been lost in the past couple of years and last year’s budget was defeated. Voters rejected last year's budget and the district was forced to make $6.1 million in cuts .

“We’re still dealing with the effects of that. What I hope is we present a budget that looks like we spent time and voters respect that,” said Pinsak, adding that the potential loss in state aid could create serious issues. “I don’t know what the devastation will be if we lose more money.”

Editor's note: The cost of courtesy busing has been corrected based on new information from the school district.