Despite the wintry conditions that closed schools for the day, the West Windsor Plainsboro school district Board of Education meeting, which featured a budget presentation, went forward as scheduled on February 17.
Assistant Superintendent Larry Shanok gave the second in a series of presentations designed to keep the Board and the public apprised of the budget process.
“The proposed budget for the 2015-’16 school year envisions an increase of 2.1 percent, or approximately $3.4 million, over last year’s budget, which is within the state-mandated budget cap,” said Shanok.
Through a series of slides, Shanok demonstrated that while many of the district’s spending categories were remaining relatively flat, or are even decreasing, next year’s budget envisions increases in certain key spending areas. For instance, the amount spent on special education is expected to increase by $1.2 million; operating expenditures will increase by nearly $1 million; and employee benefits are estimated to increase by $700,000.
“There has been a significant increase in the state benefits premiums, which needs to be accounted for in our budget,” explained Shanok. “As for the operating expenses, some of that increase is due to our expansion of the Eyes on the Door school security program, and some is due to the increase in our utility bills, especially natural gas, which has increased 26 percent over last year.”
“And while we are estimating that special education costs will increase significantly, the increase for regular education spending will only be $200,000, and the cost of co-curricular education programs will remain flat, at $2.4 million.” In addition, the cost for student support services will decrease by $100,000, Shanok said.
Board member Louisa Ho, chair of the finance committee, advised that the budget numbers could not be completely finalized because the district had not yet received from the state the amount of aid that could be expected, although she noted that those figures should be available very soon.
In addition to presenting the proposed expenditure numbers, Shanok also highlighted the expected capital projects to be funded in the 2015-’16 budget. The proposed projects will cost an estimated $6.5 million, of which $2.2 million is included in the 2015-16 budget. The state is estimated to be providing approximately $1.3 million towards capital projects, and the remainder will be taken from the 2014-’15 and 2015-’16 capital reserve funds.
“I have cautioned for many years, and will continue to do so, that our capital expenditures number should be closer to $6 million than $2 million, as the costs for maintenance and upkeep of our facilities will continue to increase,” said Shanok. “For instance, one of this year’s capital expenditures is the replacement of the metal roof atop High School South. This is a project that cannot be delayed but must be completed this year. We don’t ever want to get to a point, as some districts have, of running short of capital funds and not being able to fund an emergency project.”
Board member Scott Powell thanked the administration for utilizing a budget process that allowed all of the Board members to get to a budget that was reasonable and could be supported.
The meeting also featured a presentation by high school students from across the district who had taken human anatomy and physiology courses as part of an interactive public program known as the “Happy Museum.” Several students addressed the Board, explaining that this program allowed the students to explore areas of human anatomy that are not necessarily available in the classroom. The students explained that such programs allow students to experience the 21st century competencies in a meaningful way, and asked the district to expand these types of programs across disciplines, recommending that such innovative programs would be especially valuable as part of the Language Arts curriculum.
Board President Tony Fleres complimented the program, stating, “I attended the ‘Happy Museum’ and it was great—a testament to not only what our teachers have done, but also what our students can do.”
In other news, Board Vice President Michele Kaish discussed two district policies that had their first reading at the meeting.
Said Kaish: “Policy 2412 has been revised to allow for greater flexibility in servicing those students who are in need of homebound instruction. The revision will allow the district to utilize certified teachers of online courses and programs to provide instruction when subject-specific teaching staff is not available.”
In addition, Kaish advised that the committee had updated the attendance policy, as a result of the state’s decision earlier in the school year to modify the state attendance requirements. Both policies will be scheduled for a second reading at a future board meeting.
The Board unanimously approved several middle school and high school field trips. In addition, the Board unanimously approved a contract with Genesis Educational Services for an educational software system in the amount of $188,350. The Genesis system, a student information system, will replace the Infinite Campus system currently used by the district.
Finally, Fleres thanked two retiring staff members, High School North Spanish teacher Carmen Benitez-Morales, and Dutch Neck elementary school teacher Wanda McGuinness, for their 25 years of service to the district.
