Morgan Wants No School Tax Increase in 2013-2014

Ridgewood school board members are pressing administrators to investigate the feasibility of maintaining the quality of the school system without raising taxes in the 2013-2014 school year.

During the continued hearing on board goals for the upcoming school year, trustee Jim Morgan said the notion that an assumed 2 percent increase in taxes is one the district should avoid.

"I do think that the way for this board to move forward and to set the goal for the administration, [and] for the staff is to say 'OK, zero tax increase is our goal and we're going to try very hard to reach that not hurting our educational quality,'" said Morgan. "It may not be possible to reach, but we're going to try to reach it...all too often the assumption is the 2 percent is an automatic given and one way to make the 2 percent not an automatic given is to justify, to start off with zero and go from there."

Although largely on the same page as Morgan, Finance Chair head Vince Loncto was somewhat more cautious in his goal approach. There was no dispute from Loncto that reaching a zero-percent tax increase would be appealing, but there are other factors, he said.

Escalating costs year-to-year can total more than even the 2 percent mandated cap (an allowed increase of $1.65 million in the 2013-2014 budget) and hitting such a lofty goal may not be possible without jeopardizing some of the educational components, Loncto said.

Member Michele Lenhard said she was uncomfortable targeting any specific number – whether it be zero percent or a 2 percent tax increase – but stressed there lies a fine balance in preserving Ridgewood's well-regarded educational system while being sensitive to the tax base.

Superintendent Dan Fishbein appeared apprehensive with Morgan's proposal, stating that a potential "cut" of $1.65 million would result in staffing losses.

Morgan, in reply, said that although staff reduction might be a possibility, it was just that, a possibility. Other mechanisms could be in phasing out services, or in "finding alternative" ways of reducing costs, Morgan said.

District staff will be developing scenarios as to how to potentially meet a zero percent tax increase, with deliberations by the board expected in October, board president Sheila Brogan said. 

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