RW Takes First Chomp at Upcoming Budget

The formation of the upcoming budget and after some number crunching, the Ridgewood district is starting to peel back layers of the budget onion.

Last Monday, Assistant Superintendent for Business Angelo DeSimone presented the salary status of employees under contract and the individual supply budgets of the various building heads.

There are some striking numbers to be seen, and school board members were perplexed by the figures related to building budgets though at this point in the budget process, it's merely a draft.

"This is the first pass, this is where we're at," DeSimone said. "This is today's staff through tomorrow without any adjustments up or down [based on enrollment]."

That discussion on additional staff possibly needed will take place at a later date, Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said.

According to DeSimone, a total of $48.3 million has been set aside in 2012-2013 to cover salaries of 477 classroom teachers, 40.5 administrators and secretaries, 110.8 student services employees and 49 unaffiliated employees.

"This does not include any additional pay the teachers or anybody can earn doing curriculum work, this is just the contractual salaries," DeSimone said. "The basic assumption here is everybody on this list with the exception of the administrators union – because they have a contract – everybody on this list got 2 percent on this budget."

The numbers are based on the 2 percent budget cap, not the ongoing teacher negotiations ().

Individual school budgets

In addition to a look at district salaries, the administrators also spoke of the individual school budgets.

Those budgets discounted salaries and instead included textbooks, supplies, technology and other similar needs, officials said. But the budgets themselves were met with confusion by board members, with figures from schools with similar enrollment jumping by as much as $50,000.

Though all have about 500 students, and hover around the $90,000 to $100,000 mark. Yet Willard's budget is $147,000.

"Detail here would be helpful because this is a quantum leap – $50,000 over another school that is similar in size. So what's the rationale?" asked board member Sheila Brogan.

' proposed 2012-2013 supply budget checked in at $94,000. s principal requested roughly $79,000. has requeted about $85,000.

's budget for next year is at $167,000, higher than its counterpart , at about $142,000.

"This tells me there's something substantially different going on," Vince Loncto said. "It means we need a lot more detail," Brogan added.

The 's budget is $423,500, very similar to past years.

Building heads largely have full discretion over the budgets, which Cottage Place administrators said should be budgeted for zero percent increases.

Members requested further information regarding any large changes from one year to the next and per student allotment differentiation.

Similar budget presentations will be made over the next four-to-five board meetings, with a budget vote in late March. Taxpayers get their say in April at the polls.