The Alternative Press

LIVINGSTON, NJ—A draft 2012-2013 school year budget totaling $104,298, 927 to operate the Livingston public schools was presented by school administrative officials to the board of education at its meeting on Monday.

The school board, utilizing and option on a newly-enacted state law, has moved this year’s education body election from April to November to coincide with the General Election.

As a result, residents of Livingston will not vote on the budget.

During the budget presentation, School Business Administrator Steven Robinson noted the tax impact of general fund expenditures on the average Livingston home, assessed at $608,720, would be $124. This is based on a general fund tax levy of $91,551,858.

Robinson added that township ratables declined by $154,296,500, or 2.1 percent for 2011-2012. This will produce a tax impact of $164 on the average home.

School debt service, based on previously issued bonds, produces a tax impact of about $52 on the average home, he noted.

The budget, as it currently stands, would mean an increase in the school tax rate from $1.27 for the 2011-2012 school year to $1.33 for 2012-2013, the business administrator noted.

As proposed, the spending plan will come in $319,296 below the state-mandated 2 percent cap on spending increases, Robinson said.

However, the district still has not received its state aid figures for this year, and a decrease in state aid could result in a number of cuts in planned school programs, according to Superintendent of Schools Brad Draeger.

As currently formulated, the budget calls for about $500,000 more for capital improvements throughout the school district, $120,000 more for curriculum improvements and $280,000 more for special education.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Student Services and Instruction Lawrence Russell noted although there would be increases in expenditures for some special education programs in the proposed budget, some of this cost will be offset by savings in tuition because some of these programs now will be conducted in the Livingston schools rather than in Bergen County.

There now will be a kindergarten-to-first-grade transitional program for autistic children, requiring the addition of two aides each working 30 hours.

Also to be added are an elementary school and a middle school autism program. This will require hiring of a behaviorist along with teachers for each of the programs, a total of four occupational therapists and a total of four speech therapists.

Draeger also noted the budget calls for four facilities coordinators to supervise school buildings during non-school times when fee-paying community groups use the facilities.

Projected increases in enrollment at Livingston High School will mean five more faculty members, he said, and two world language teachers will be added at the elementary level.

Additionally, full time custodians will be brought in to reduce the need for substitute custodians.

In response to the proposal for additional custodians, resident Bernard Searle suggested that the board consider hiring custodians as independent contractors rather than as fulltime employees in order to save money.

School officials said they would consider this option.

Proposed curriculum initiatives for 2012-2013 were outlined by Mary Oates, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

She noted there would be a new course in community leadership and the advanced placement English Language and Composition course will be structured so that high school juniors will take advanced placement tests in the two disciplines upon completion of the course.

Oates added there will be ongoing curriculum development in art, business, English, gifted and talented course, guidance, health and physical education, mathematics, media, music, science, social studies and a number of other areas.

Initiatives in technology, according to Draeger, will include a secondary disaster recovery plan, work on student email accounts, steaming of the media library to students and staff, a dedicated laboratory for world language in the high school and additional smart boards and laptop carts.

Additional course initiatives also will include restoration of world language to the kindergarten through third grades and expansion of keyboarding instruction from the second to the third grade.

Board member Barry Funt, while mindful of the need to maintain the high quality of the district schools, also said, if possible, school officials should look for areas for additional savings due to the severe impact of the economic downturn on Livingston residents.

The superintendent replied Livingston has been able to deliver a top education while maintaining fiscal stability much better than many surrounding districts but further cuts might endanger some of the progress the district has made.

He agreed, however, to prepare a priority list of programmatic and other proposals to give the school body guidelines to follow in the event of large reductions in state aid.

In other business, the board recognized Doug Jay of Mount Pleasant Middle School as the district’s Teacher of the Year.

Also chosen Teachers of the Year for their schools were:

• Nora Lichtenstein of Burnet Hill
• Richard Darst of Collins
• Robin Smith West of Harrison
• Deborah Van Dusen of Hillside
• Beth Alterman of Mount Pleasant Elementary
• Michele Jacobsen of Riker Hill
• Clare Klee of Heritage
• Davie Cohen of the high school.