I recently saw a copy of a 10-month budget by the school district, which is a good estimate of what the final budget will look like. The partial budget has $17.3 million in capital reserves. This is not counting the $2.5 million that the members of the board of education approved in the meeting on June 14 to move to capital reserves. That means the capital reserves would be about $19.8 million.
A member of the school board told me there are capital projects planned for the summer at an approximate cost of $10 million.
It’s understandable that maintenance would need to be carried out on district buildings, but I would like to see more transparency from the board and the administration. I’d like to know how much they’re spending on projects at the different schools. I have been asking for the Long Range Facility Plan for over three weeks now. Every school district is supposed to have one. WW-P does not.
The finance committee has been discussing a plan which goes six to eight years out, and everybody knows that things will change when one plans so far ahead. We all understand that unforeseen problems can emerge in a school district. But when the finance committee says they are considering a $40-million investment plan for the next 6 to 8 years, as a taxpayer I would like to see where my money is going.
WW-P did not have tax increases for years; this administration has done it nonstop. Taxpayers are not happy. That members of the board have not stopped these hikes will certainly be a factor in the upcoming election. The community is watching.
Veronica Mehno
West Windsor
