Voters reject city school budget for fourth year Taxpayers still must ante up $30.3M for schools BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer Although Long Branch voters rejected the school budget by a margin of more than 100 votes last week, the $84.1 million school spending plan could still stand, according to the district superintendent. The budget, which calls for a 5.17-cent tax rate increase, was voted down April 17, with 452 city residents opposing it and 339 votes in favor of it, Superintendent Joseph M. Ferraina said in an interview last week. The rejected budget called for residents to raise a tax levy of $30.3 million for the 2007-2008 school year. But Ferraina explained that the amount required to be raised in taxes by city residents is a non-negotiable figure. "The tax increase came from the state," Ferraina said. "It was not determined by us. It is the number of dollars we are required to raise. I am pretty sure this budget will be the budget," he added. Once a budget is voted down, the City Council reviews the spending plan. The council is not required to make any changes to the budget, though it can, if it chooses, reduce or even increase the amount of money the district plans to spend and raise through taxes. If the school board believes the changes the council has made would severely affect district operations, it may appeal the council's decision to the state Commissioner of Education, who would have the last word on any revisions. "Our [school] business administrator will talk to the city administrator, but there really is not much to discuss," Ferraina said. "We are required to collect a certain amount in property taxes and that is what is [represented] in the budget." In March, the Department of Education (DOE) released its state aid figures, which called for a $1.16 million decrease in state aid to Long Branch. According to School Business Administrator Peter Genovese, the decrease in aid was a determination by the DOE that the city is in a position to contribute a greater amount of money to the local school budget. Due to the 2.7 percent decrease in funding from the state for the 2007-2008 school year, the school district is required to raise the $1.16 million through taxes, according to Genovese. The school budget in Long Branch has failed to receive the approval of city residents for the past four years, according to Ferraina, who said there are several reasons that could contribute to the lack of support.. "For one," he said, "the largest part of the [city] population no longer have children in the schools. "Another reason could be that we are building new schools with air-conditioning and when people went to school years ago there was no air-conditioning," Ferraina continued. "So many people could say they do not want to pay for it, but you cannot build a new school today without it." With the rise in property taxes across the state, Ferraina said he does understand that people want to get a handle on how they are spending their money. "There are two budgets in the city," he said, "the school and municipal. They do not vote on the municipal budget, they only vote on one budget, the school budget." Of the 13,059 registered voters in Long Branch, the 791 residents who voted on the budget is a small, but expected, turnout, Ferraina said. "We had no [board of education] candidates running, so the interest does not peak," he said. "Very often, when there are no candidates, the numbers are very low." Three incumbents were running unchallenged for the three open seats on the board. Avery W. Grant, Atlantic Avenue, received 539 votes at the polls, with Michele Critelli, Westwood Avenue, drawing 529 votes and Armand R. Zambrano receiving 506 votes. The overall budget is a reasonable budget, Ferraina said. "We know for every dollar we spend in the schools, we save hundreds of dollars. "But people do not see that. What people pick up is one item in the total budget and do not consider much else," he said. If the budget remains as is, city taxpayers will see an increase in the tax rate from last year's 53.53 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 58.70 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For the average homeowner whose home is assessed at $467,000, the budget calls for an additional $20 to be paid each month in taxes. The Long Branch School District is one of the original 28 districts in the state to be designated in 1990 as an Abbott district. The 11-school district remains one of the current 31 Abbott districts that qualify to receive additional funds from the state. Abbott Districts were mandated by the New Jersey Supreme Court to provide students in poorer urban school districts with "a thorough and efficient education." But the dwindling Abbott fund has resulted in a decrease in state funds for Long Branch and other Abbott districts for the past two years, Ferraina said. "We are not getting as much money from the state either," Ferraina said. "Based on what we have, we cannot reduce the tax rate."