Council Will Recommend School Budget Cuts

A potentially lengthy process will soon begin to approve the school district’s 2011-2012 budget.

Voters rejected the Wayne Board of Education’s proposed $126.6 million tax levy Wednesday. The tax levy is the portion of the budget funded by local taxes.

The vote was close: 2,997 to 2,928; those tallies do not include provisional and absentee ballots.

The town council will examine the budget and recommend the district cut a specific amount and specific programs from the budget.

The budget was also not passed in 2009 and 2006. Members of the council and members of the board of education met in 2009 and, together with an auditor, examined the budget and determined how much money to cut.

Some town officials said that the school district is one of the factors that make Wayne such a desirable place to live. They also acknowledged that some of the potential factors that determine what the tax levy will be need to be examined and, possibly, curbed.

“Residents do not want to pay more taxes. We are being taxed to death,” said Lonni Miller Ryan, an at-large councilwoman. “These are tough financial times for everyone, especially for school budgets that are being cut and face an uncertain amount of aid. We are going to have to make sure we work together to protect the quality of education for our students, our staff, our teachers, and our town.”

Other officials said that taxpayers are being asked to support too many employees who retire with high-paying pensions.

“My concern is not with the average teacher, it’s with the high salaries on the top end of the spectrum,” said Councilman Joseph Scuralli, who represents Wayne’s Fourth Ward. “It’s impossible for the taxpayers to support that level of compensation, especially because these people receive big pension payments. Taxpayers are not in a position to support that. In this economy, there’s no reason to be paying these people these kinds of salaries.”

The cuts cannot undermine the district’s ability to provide basic education or take away the district’s financial stability.

The board does not have to adhere to the specific cuts, but must adhere to the proposed dollar amount.

The board can appeal the cuts to the state board of education.