Board, Committee to Work Together on Budget Cuts

Staff and programs within the Wyckoff school district could possibly be further impacted after the Township Committee reviews the rejected 2010-11 spending plan.

A subcommittee of the governing body likely consisting of Finance Committee members Chris DePhillips and David Connolly will soon start vetting the district's line-by-line spending plan with the Township Committee empowered to cut from the $33.3 million budget's rejected $31.8 million tax levy. The Board of Education would then have to decide what areas would see less funding over the next school year.

"We will do our due diligence," said Connolly, who chairs the governing body's Finance Committee. "I've been doing my research... I think we'll deal with this fairly quickly."

While the governing body could choose to maintain the entire tax levy, members will likely recommend at least some cuts, said DePhillips, the Township Committee's liaison to the school board.

"It's fair to say that the majority of people want the township to take another look at the budget... the only reasonable action is to make cuts," DePhillips said.

The depth of those cuts will determine what line items are impacted, said former board President Daniel Moynihan. Should the township choose to chop even $300,000 from the $31.8 million tax levy, cuts will "probably mean staff or programs."

However, DePhillips cautions that the governing body "can't do anything that will affect the district's ability to provide a thorough and efficient education for the children.

"I'm confident there's ways to find efficiencies without bringing unnecessary pain to the schools."

With 30 percent voter turnout, residents rejected the budget's tax levy and its accompanying average $290 tax hike by just 22 votes at the polls Tuesday. Some residents said they could not support such a tax increase during increasingly tough times for many.

Moynihan, who did not seek re-election to his board seat this year, knows that "everyone is concerned about their taxes" but feels that the vote could have been impacted by the long lines found at the four polling locations: Eisenhower, Coolidge, Lincoln and Sicomac schools.

"There were significant polling location issues," said Moynihan, who speculates that the wait may have caused some who may have been in favor of the spending plan to simply go home. Some residents said Tuesday that they waited in line up to 30 minutes to cast their vote.

Gov. Chris Christie's ongoing war of words with the New Jersey Education Association likely didn't help matters, Moynihan said. "There was probably some union animosity" at the polls, he said.

While Moynihan no longer holds a board seat, he expects to be informally involved in the review process over the coming weeks, as he had the lead role among board members in terms of drafting and presenting the budget. Additionally, the incoming board will feature only one member among seven with finance committee experience: Thomas Giamanco. Three of the seven (Catherine Runge, Jill Mortimer and Diane Sobin) will take their seats for the first time on Monday, while two other members (Lisa Martone, Anthony Robert Francin) have only been on the board for several weeks.

"It's a tough learning curve," Moynihan said. "I've offered my support to both parties (board, township committee)."

Both DePhillips and Connolly said they expect both sides to work together for the best possible outcome.

"I have every reason to believe that the two bodies will work together in the best interests of the children," DePhillips said.

The election results will be certified by the county on Monday, and the school board has until April 28 to submit its budget information to the governing body, which has 30 days to complete its work.