With no state aid coming from Trenton this year, the Rumson school district will eliminate 16 jobs and still ask voters to approve a 4-percent increase in taxes this month, according to today’s Asbury Park Press.
The district is faced with closing a $1.34 million budget gap that results from the loss of $666,000 in aid, increases in health insurance and benefit costs, and other, contractual obligations, the Press reports.
From the Press:
The district made $875,000 worth of cuts, including 16 full-time positions and reducing three full-time jobs to part time, said Scott Feder, superintendent of schools.
“The things we were looking to maintain were class size, which ranges from 20 to 26 (students per class),” Feder said.
More staff cuts would increase class size numbers at a rate of five additional students per teacher cut. Job reductions came from special education teachers and aides and from world language, from eliminating drama and technology education, and cutting instructional assistants and an administrator. Some faculty reassignments kept programs intact.
The proposed 2010-11 school year budget is $14,335,089 — $643,254 less than the current school year budget. Voters will be asked to decide on a $12,851,721 tax levy on April 20, up 4 percent, or $494,297.
The estimated 2010-11 local school tax rate will increase 1.52 cents to 43.3 cents per $100 of assessed value. That rate doesn’t include municipal, regional high school or county taxes.
