By JACKIE HANUSEY
Staff Writer

LINWOOD – Mainland Regional High School will need to cut $175,000 from its $24 million proposed budget for the 2008-2009 school year. As of now it is still unclear what programs would be eliminated or downsized and what kind of relief that will spell for the taxpayers in the three municipalities affected.

Representatives from the Northfield, Linwood and Somers Point city councils arrived at the figure at a special meeting Monday, May 5 after the budget for the regional district was defeated in all three towns by a vote of 1,172-971.

This year’s budget included $600,000 more for mandated special education placements and additional staff. The school received about $1.4 million more in state funding.

On the first vote, the proposal failed, with four of seven board members rejecting the cut proposed by the councils.

But the board went into private session and addressed the motion again after reconvening, and it passed 6-1.
Board member Tom Ritter was the only board member who voted against reducing the budget. Board members Richard Woolston and Tom Oliver were absent from the meeting.

“I could have accepted something reasonable in the lower 100,000s,” Ritter said.   

He pointed out that the budget had already been reduced during finance committee meetings and that with rising fuel costs, it might be hard to operate the school year. 

“You have asked us to do too much. …You have pushed the envelope too far,” he told the council representatives.
Board President John Medica of Somers Point voted for the cut both times.

“If we didn’t have the vote it would have been a moot issue, and we would have had to have another meeting,” he said.

Northfield Mayor Vince Mazzeo served as a spokesman for the councils after they convened for more than an hour in caucus.

“We were looking at a higher number,” Mazzeo said while the Board of Education discussed the proposal in executive session.

“We came to $350,000 to $225,000; then everyone said they could agree with $175,000,” he said.

The final figure represents about a half cent on the tax rate.

Mazzeo said they pulled the figure from new hires and cut a portion of the $100,000 set aside for new technology.

One matter that is still unsettled is what will become of the proposed language lab, which called for a lease purchase on equipment of about $40,000.  It was said that several options are being explored for the lab, some which could come in under the figure allotted.

Supervisor of the world language department Regina Sukonik and Spanish teacher Lynn Coates attended the meeting to see what would happen to the proposal.

And the language lab did come up in many of the council members’ preliminary questions. They said constituents were unhappy about it being placed in the budget after being voted down in a referendum last year.

Other topics discussed included new hires, whether noneducational programs should be examined, and if there was any way to reduce the costs for special education.

Both Sukonik and Coates said they also had the advanced placement test scheduled for the following day on their minds. In order to meet requirements, about 20 students were expected to take the test in the gymnasium of a local church with tape recorders. Next year, Sukonik said, the College Boards will no longer accept tapes, only digital recordings.

After the vote, Superintendent Russell Dever, who earlier in the evening said he felt like a losing coach – having lost five of the six budgets in his tenure – said he could see the councils’ perspective.

Principal Robert Blake said it is unfortunate that there will be less available for the students with the cut.

One parent from Northfield who supported making the budget cuts also wanted to see parents have access to their students’ grades throughout the school year and not just at interims or report card time.

Jacob Reses, 16, of Linwood who was one of about 20 students who called taxpayers to ask them to support the budget April 15, said it was sad the budget failed.

“There are so many things we cannot do because of money,” said the junior who attended the meeting.

The proposed tax rate increase was 1.4 cents in Linwood, 3.4 cents in Northfield and 1.5 cents in Somers Point. 

That would have brought MRHS taxes to $837 in Northfield, $624 in Linwood and $867 in Somers Point, for each $100,000 of assessed value.

The board has its next agenda meeting 8 p.m. Monday, May 12 in the school’s vocal music room.

When cuts have been finalized totaling $175,000, the resolution, along with the line items cut, will be sent to the municipalities.