Woodbridge taxes would rise $110 under 2011-12 school budget
WOODBRIDGE, NJ -- The school district's proposed budget would raise the average school tax bill by $110.
Taxpayers can vote on the proposed tax levy goes in the annual school board elections on April 27.
Students and parents would see little changes next year under the $192.4 million spending plan, which cuts ancillary items and adds about a dozen new employees and curriculum revisions.
This year's budget was less dire than last year's process, in which school officials slashed more than $12 million in programs, privatized the cafeteria workers, placed school janitors on the municipal payroll and at one point eliminated courtesy busing before restoring the service once more money became available.
School officials this year were helped by an additional $1.7 million in state aid, $876,000 in federal stimulus money awarded last year and $4 million from the budget surplus, which is now down to $400,000, district Business Administrator Dennis DeMarino said.
Last year the district proposed raising taxes by 4 percent, or $156 for a home with the average assessed price of $75,000. That budget question failed at the polls by a 3-to-1 margin.
Among the $5 million in savings and reductions this year are the elimination of seven bus drivers ($180,000), substitute teachers ($1.5 million) and computer supplies ($54,500).
Among the additions are middle school athletics ($43,000), the Gifted and Talented Arts program ($154,305), both of which were eliminated last year, and four literacy and technology coaches ($201,452), who will integrate technology into the curriculum.
The district will have a public hearing on the budget 7 p.m. March 24 at Avenel Middle School on Woodbine Avenue.
BUDGET INFO ONLINE:
2011 - 2012 Line Item Budget
Budget Line Item School Location Codes
Budget New Line Descriptions
2011 - 2012 Budget Increases
2011 - 2012 Budget Decreases
osodemonick, 
olefart13, and 
dpinkowitz are discussing.
David Pinkowitz 10:42 pm on March 6, 2011 Permalink
The fact that some school bus drivers being added back to the budget changed the savings significantly led me to do some further analysis as to what those drivers are being paid. What I found was shocking. My full analysis is here: http://on.fb.me/eiVpPj Although I felt the academic priorities in the budget were a step in the right direction, I believe that the taxpayers of Woodbridge should not have increased taxes when some of the money spent appears to be excessive. Should the tentative budget remain as is, I cannot currently support it.
Jack Blake 9:05 am on March 7, 2011 Permalink
When will it stop? Once again the WBOE shows that they are living in Fantasyland and refuse to watch there spending and refuse to look for and cut out the waste they are spending our tax dollars on. No they want business as usual and they want what they want with total wanton disregard to the tax payers of which many are struggling to keep their houses. Many people in Woodbridge have lost there jobs and some have found less paying jobs just to keep food on the table and hang onto their house. Yet the greedy SOB’s that run the BOE and the township will not give up nothing and will continue to get their raises every year and spend our money in reckless abandon. Where will this insanity end or will it continue until our tax bill is half our wages. Maybe we should have our pay checks sent to our power hungry Mayor Big Mac and he then could give us our allowance every week. You laugh, that’s what it’s coming to. The WBOE want’s what it want’s, Mayor Big Mac want’s his Country Club and now a Miniature Golf course and the most asinine thing, did we really need a Snow Melter?? How about our own Electric company which is coming down the road and Solar Panels on every school to save tax payer money? You can’t be serious Mr. Big Mac, anyone who believes that taxes will ever go down is living in that same fantasyland. Wake up, cause it ain’t ever happening. We need to vote down this ridiculous budget and if the town council lets the BOE raise taxes even one dollar, then we need to take action make them pay for their total disregard for the good people of Woodbridge. WAKE UP, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AND IT’S TIME WE REPLACED THE ENTIRE TOWN COUNCIL AND IT’S POWER HUNGRY LEADER, MR. BIG MAC AND TAKE ON THE WBOE TOE TO TOE.
osodemonick 1:13 pm on March 25, 2011 Permalink
The budget needs to pass for the kids!!! Enough with taking down big government. Its funny that when election times comes around no one seems to say the same things. Im tired of the school budget being shot down because people dont understand how things work. The Board of Ed needs to look into getting rid of dead weight and people who do not deserve the jobs they have. The union seems to protect those who dont deserve it! They talk about getting rid of bus drivers, but do they say that they will be from the bottom of the senority list. Those are the ones that show up and do their jobs. They need to not renew contracts for those who are always absent and those who are dicipline problems. Why do the new people have to suffer when there are people who deserve to be let go? Its because of the WTEA!! They need to stop protecting people who do not deserve protection. They need to stop costing the board money in arbitration costs. When people get suspended for discipline issues that should be it! the Board is also eliminating the driver safety coordinator in the transportation office. Well I say its about time. When other employees are training new employees on how to do the jobs they are hired for, who needs a trainer. From what I hear she just started training the past 2 years because of the last supervisor and the threat of her job being eliminated. Most in that department have nothing nice to say about her unless she is near them. She uses intimidation and a nasty attitude to try to keep people thinking her way. She needs to go back to being a driver. I have even heard that she thinks she is better than the bus drivers. What kind of trainer acts like that? Getting rid of her might be able to save another driver’s job. Think about it! No one in position should be mean and downgrading.