School Board Members Approve $50 Million Preliminary Budget for 2011-2012

Members of the unanimously approved a $50 million preliminary budget for the 2011-2012 school year during the board meeting Thursday night.

According to Business Administrator Keith Rosado, the overall tax levy increase from the last budget is about 1.48 percent, bringing the total tax levy to $46,555,200. The total base budget in the preliminary spending plan is $50,124,950.

Superintendent Geoffrey Zoeller said education officials had little time to prepare the preliminary budget since the state aid numbers were released last week and the proposed spending plans are due to the county executive superintendent of schools Friday.

In order to have the preliminary spending plan ready Thursday, Zoeller said the administration came up with a worst case scenario budget and one that kept state aid flat.

"Not really in our wildest dreams did we think we were going to get a restitution of 1 percent," Zoeller said. The district received $906,178 in total aid for the next school year, an increase of $455,099.

He said that while the additional funding is welcome, it is by no means a "windfall" for the district. He pointed out that the state has restored 1 percent of the 5 percent taken away the previous year.

"It doesn't dramatically impact on the taxes of the community," Zoeller said.

After the district submits the budget to the county, Zoeller explained that the county business administrator will review the spending plan and come back to the district with edits, which he said usually aren't major. The finance committee will meet next Thursday and then there will be a public hearing on the budget March 24.

Zoeller said the public hearing will reveal the budget details. "Right now I'm a little reticent to divulge specifics simply because the state can change those at any time and the board members have a right to look at the budget and request modifications before they bring it to the final vote," he said.

"This is a preliminary budget and it's simply to submit it to the Bergen County superintendent of schools office," Zoeller said.

The public hearing is scheduled for March 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Campbell Auditorium of Westwood Jr./Sr. High School, 701 Ridgewood Road, Washington Township.