Wayne Preakness Library Fate Sealed With School Budget Approval

WAYNE, NJ — The Preakness annex of the public library will close and full-day kindergarten will, officially, come to town following the Board of Education's approval of the public school district's $167.2 million budget Thursday.

The school district is taking the annex back from the township after more than 40 years. The $2.4 million full-day kindergarten plan involves renovating the Preakness School to accommodate preschool classrooms beginning with the 2020-21 academic year. Full-day kindergarten would begin with the 2021-22 school year at the district's elementary schools.

"We're using the school for a school, which is its intended use. The annex has everything you need for modern elementary classrooms, including sinks and toilets," said Superintendent Mark Toback. "After really thoroughly thinking about how we could bring full-day kindergarten to the district, after considering all the budgetary implications, it got voted down twice. The community believes that full-day kindergarten is important, but they don't want to go beyond the 2 percent cap."

The Board of Education in March 2015 moved forward with a plan to bring it to Wayne for the 2016-17 school year, but residents voted down a referendum question that November. (See related: Wayne Board of Ed Moves to Bring Full-Day Kindergarten)

Residents again voted 'no' via a referendum in November 2016 to the question of raising nearly $2.1 million to implement the program. (See related: Wayne Votes Down Full-Day Kindergarten — Again)

Both plans required the district to go beyond the state-mandated 2 percent budget cap increase.

Roberta Loniewski, president of the Library Board of Trustees, told NorthJersey.com she was "very surprised" by the district's decision.

She said in the NorthJersey.com report the board got a certified letter March 29 notifying trustees of the district's plan, two weeks after the Board of Education adopted its preliminary budget.

Mayor Chris Vergano said he was "very sorry" to hear of the annex's closing.

"The library is a vital part of the community, especially for our many seniors who utilized the facility," Vergano previously said.

Ensuring the township has a second library location is not up to the Board of Education or the school district, officials said.

"You have, within a mile of the Preakness School, a very large public library that can house all the things in the Preakness branch," Toback said.

Board trustees agreed.

"That's the township's responsibility. If they want to have a second library, they have to find another building or rent another building," said trustee Cathy Kazan. "It is our building, and we're going to put it to good use for our young learners."

The $167.2 million budget includes a $152.1 million tax levy. The tax levy, the portion of the budget funded by local taxes, is nearly $3 million more than last year's, a 2 percent increase. The average homeowner will pay $157 more in school taxes this year than last year.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com