School Board 'Disappointed' in Twp. Budget Cuts

Editor's note: The following letter was addressed to the "Wyckoff school community" and posted on the district's Web site: http://www.wyckoffps.org/.

The school budget was defeated at the April 20th School Board Election. As a result, the Wyckoff Township Committee was charged with reviewing the 2010-2011 School Budget. Since that time, members of the Township Committee, the Board of Education, as well as the Acting Superintendent met on numerous occasions to discuss and clarify hundreds of line items in the defeated budget. It is the Board of Education's opinion that the budget was a sound and fiscally responsible plan for the 2010-2011 school year.

On May 10, 2010, the Township Committee and the Board of Education held a Joint Public Hearing for members of the Wyckoff community to offer their input on the fate of the budget. The majority of the comments at the hearing were in support of maintaining the budget as it was presented by the Board of Education. Unfortunately, we have just been informed that the Township Committee passed a resolution cutting $478,135 from the 2010-2011 budget. The cumulative effect of the Township Committee's cuts and the 100% loss of state aid has resulted in a $1.4 million dollar cut in next year's budget.

The Board of Education is dismayed and disappointed by such a large cut from the Township, especially considering that budget failed by a mere 22 votes. Moreover, there was never any fat in this budget. The Township Committee identified programs that, if reduced, will impact both education and the responsible maintenance of our school buildings. While the budget for normal repairs and maintenance to our school buildings may be delayed to future years, they will be at a greater expense. This is a dangerous precedent. The Township Committee also identified significant cuts to the budget that affect our ability to effectively provide staff training for our multi-year, Balanced Literacy initiative. We have already invested thousands of dollars in this program, and the Board remains committed to the program's effective implementation.

An appeal of these cuts to the Commissioner of Education would be futile due to the budgetary definitions used by the Department of Education that already put Wyckoff and many other excellent districts above the amount determined by the State to provide a "thorough and efficient" education to our students. By state law, we do not need to accept the actual line items that were identified by the Township Committee, just the total dollar amount.

The Board of Education will work tirelessly with our school administrators to mitigate the effect of the cuts to the school budget and maintain the high quality, Blue Ribbon educational program provided to our children. In the short term, we are committed to maintaining all educational programs and services. However, the long-term effect of these cuts will necessitate a thorough review of all programs and services in the district. Without the restoration of state aid and/or considerable changes to state mandates for next year, the delivery of educational services to our children will need to change in the years ahead.

The Board of Education thanks all the parents, community activists, citizens and staff for their support on this issue.

Anthony Robert Francin

Wyckoff Board of Education president