At the beginning of the meeting schools superintendent Jose Negron talked about the possibility of changing health insurance carriers, which could save the board about $200,000. He also pointed out that state legislation requiring teachers to contribute 1.5% of their salaries toward healthcare costs could save another $400,000. At this point, however, how that recent legislation would affect the budget is unclear.
Given the district's fiscal crisis, Board member Debbie Boyle invited each of the unions to discuss with her the possibility of renegotiating their contracts and possibly agreeing to a wage freeze. Negron added that Governor Christie has asked all unions to agree to a salary freeze for the 2010-11 school year. In addition, the Governor has asked that all employees contribute to their health costs voluntarily, even though the new state requirement only kicks in when current contracts expire.
Several members of the public asked the board to look closely at teacher cuts, pointing out that they could hurt education. One member of the public, however, disagreed and asked the board to look out for the taxpayers. Local activist Ginny O'Brien said a tax increase would be unacceptable in this economy, especially given the recent Board's recent budget surpluses. When Board President Jim Giannakis responded by saying the Board had actually cut taxes slightly over the past two years, she reminded him that taxes unnecessarily skyrocketed a few years earlier, which led to recent surpluses.
During the meeting, Board member Steve Bohn suggested cutting all-day kindergarten as an option, and he said he'd like to see parents who want to send their kids all day pay for it as a separate charge. The board attorney, however, said this was not legal.
The Board is looking to meet next Tuesday to consider the budget further and is expected to vote on the final proposal on Wednesday at its regularly scheduled meeting.
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Boyle is right. The teachers should agree to a wage freeze.
ReplyDeleteI think there should be a pay freeze plus teachers need to pay into their benefits. I also think that all the school districts and not just South Plainfield should get rid of the superintendents which save alot and just have one to oversee the entire County. Mr. Bohn's idea to get rid of a program that has already been established is ludicrous. He was against the all day program to begin with so of course he would suggest getting rid of it. There are plenty of ways to cut the budget without laying off the teachers. Reducing the amount of administrative positions would be a good place to start. Also, why do we need to have 3 assistant principals in the high school. That just seems ridiculous and they in turn have admins that are unneccessary. If this were run as a private organization there wouldn't be as many in administrative positions. Lets cut the fat where it really needs to be and not hurt the education that our kids are receiving.
ReplyDeleteIf the board of ed is so concerned about cutting costs, why don't they cut out their paid dinners for meetings. Although it may not be alot of money but at this point every little bit helps.
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