Residents reject $10M school spending plan
BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer

WEST LONG BRANCH - Borough voters have struck down the $10 million school district spending plan at polls last week for the second consecutive year.

Residents defeated the budget by a margin of 11 votes, with 457 residents voting against the spending plan and 446 residents voting in favor of it.

West Long Branch School BusinessAdministrator Dominic Carrea said that part of the blame for the failed budget is that unlike the municipal budget, which is voted on by council members, the school budget lies in the hands of borough voters.

"Maybe it is because this was the only vote or the only election that the voters can actually vote on," Carrea said.

"Residents don't vote on the municipal budget but they do on the school budget," Carrea added.

Borough taxpayers were asked to vote on the 2008-09 budget on April 15 that called for residents to raise an $8.8million tax levy.

The budget was calling for a 2.4-cent tax rate increase.

If approved, residents would have seen an increase fromlast year's 69.34 cents per $100 of assessed property value to 71.84 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

With the average borough residence valued at $473,200, taxpayers would have paid an additional $114 in taxes to the district annually.

Carrea noted that the slowing economy might have also played a roll in taxpayers voting against the school budget.

The budget will now be turned over to the Borough Council for review, in order to determine where spending cuts can be made. The council is not obligated tomake any changes to the budget, although, if it chooses, the council can lower, or even increase the budget.

If the Borough Council does modify the budget and the Board of Education believes the changes would prove harmful to the education of borough students, the board has the right to appeal the council's decision to the state commissioner of education, who would have the final say on any revisions to the budget.

Carrea said he is optimistic that the Borough Council will make only slight changes to the budget.

"We lost by 11 votes," Carrea said. "I'm hoping that we can work out an amicable solution fromthe Borough Council and the board."

In addition to voting on the budget, borough voters also elected newcomers Richard Santangelo and Paul Christopher fill two of the three open seats on the ninemember board of education.

Santangelo and Christopher received 471 and 368 votes respectively.

Incumbent candidate Kerry Kennedy was also re-elected to continue serving on the board, receiving 398 votes at the polls.

Incumbent candidates Gregory Aikins and Edwin Hunter were defeated in the election, garnering 298 and 279 votes respectively.