Letter To The Editor: School Board Elections April 27

Dear Franklin Lakes Community,

On April 27, 2011 you will have the opportunity to exercise your right to vote on our 2011-2012 School Budget. The Board of Education faced a mandate to create a budget that falls within the state imposed 2% tax increase cap. We met this challenge head on and are proud to have achieved a budget that is fiscally responsible and maintains the excellent programs in our schools.

In numerous presentations given to the community, our complete budget reflects an overall net tax decrease ($350 on an average assessed home value of $1,032,252). While our operational spending increased slightly, we have completed debt payments on the remodel of Franklin Avenue Middle School, which results in a net tax decrease.

The Franklin Lakes School District was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the top 10 school districts in the country in value for dollars spent on education. This past year, the Board of Education continued our quest for excellence while balancing the current economic realities, including but not limited to:

* Negotiating an Administrators contract, which establishes all district Administrators contributing up to 25% of the cost of their medical premium;
* Negotiating a year-to-year salary savings of $35K in the new Superintendent's contract;
* Expanding revenue-generating programs such as our Bright Horizons Pre-K program;
* Implementing our new math curriculum in Grades K-2 with extensive professional development to prepare for next year's Grades 3-5 implementation; and
* Replacing a 40-year-old heating system to achieve significant operating efficiencies.

We encourage you to reach out to our Superintendent or any Board of Education member with any questions about our budget. The comprehensive budget presentation can be found at http://districtweb.franklinlakes.k12.nj.us/budget_info. We thank you for the trust you have placed in us to represent you, and we remain committed to serving all of our constituents.

The Franklin Lakes K-8 Board of Education