Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 31, 2010 FLOW Area Regional school district faces 100% loss of state aid by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District has lost all of its state aid this year and, as a result, the board of education has reduced its capital budget for facilities projects by almost $1.2 million and its operating budget by $600,000. The board has also added $314,094 to the tax levy that voters will be asked to approve in the school board and budget election on April 20. In a letter to parents and guardians, Superintendent Lauren Schoen advised of the state aid cut and how the regional school district would be addressing the loss. She explained that the budget has been reduced by $2,102,944. “This represents a 100 percent loss of state aid. But after conferring with FLOW superintendents and business administrators struggling with similar losses in state aid, as well as discussions with members of the regional board of education’s Finance Committee, a decision was made by our district to absorb the impact of the loss of state aid as much as possible by budget reductions rather than have the entire amount presented to the taxpayers in our communities as a tax levy increase. “We have spent the past few days working with district administrators to develop a budget reduction plan that would minimize the effect on our students’ programs while maintaining the quality educational opportunities for our students which parents and community members have become familiar with over the years,” Schoen continued, explaining that the budget is still a work in progress. “In order to meet the challenges presented by the 100 percent cut in state aid we have developed a budget reduction plan that has two primary components,” Schoen wrote. “The first contemplates decreasing previously budgeted capital expenditures for the maintenance and improvement Helpful Hints Helpful Hints from of our facilities by $1,188,850. The second provides for budget reductions in the operations of both schools by a combined $600,000. “Under the circumstances, we believe it is acceptable to defer the capital expenditures, though the projects deferred must be addressed in the future,” Schoen emphasized. “As for the reduction in our operating budget, we believe that the changes to be made will not have a materially adverse effect on our educational programs. As a result of these reductions, the impact of the loss of $2,102,944 of state aid will be reduced to a $314,094 tax levy impact.” A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for March 31 at 7 p.m. The session will be held in the Ramapo High School auditorium and details of how the loss in state aid has affected the school district will be discussed. At that time, the board will also explain the impact of the proposed budget on the property taxes the residents of each town in the regional school district will have to pay. Those towns include Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff. Pete Says... ome “Brew your coffee with bottled spring water; you will have better tasting coffee with no mineral deposits.” 27 Franklin Tpk, Waldwick Open Sundays 9-3 201-652-5666 High Mountain Road School invites the community to a fifth grade band concert and strings serenade on Thursday, April 1. The band and strings students from Woodside Avenue, Colonial Road, and High Mountain Road schools will perform under the direction of Cindy Bradley and James Finnen. This event will also feature Breakfast serenade set for April 1 a special performance from the Franklin Lakes Senior Chorus. Breakfast will be provided by the local PTAs and served by the Franklin Avenue Middle School Peer Leadership Corps. Audience members will be served breakfast at 9:30 a.m. and the performance will begin at 10 a.m. Culvert project (continued from page 3) director of the 767-acre Unexpected Wildlife Refuge, Inc. in Newfield, and The Humane Society of the United States both recommended that humane ways be used to end the beaver problem in the borough. According to Summerfield, the state will not trap and relocate beavers since that relocation just moves the problem onto someone else’s land or water. She advised that the best way to manage the beavers and the problems they may bring is to install flow devices that will maintain the water level that humans need to mitigate flooding, and to educate the public about the benefits of the beavers. This culvert replacement project does not address the beaver damming issue in the area, although Borough Administrator Gregory Hart has advised that the borough is pursuing various alternate solutions to that problem. 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