Villadom Times Weekly Local Newspaper

Mahwah April 28, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Defeated school budget will go to council for review by Frank J. McMahon The majority of the Mahwah voters who came to the polls last week voted against the $52,151,030 tax levy that was required to fund the K-12 school district’s $58,205,633 total budget for 2010-11. The 3,170 registered voters who went to the polls represent 20.4 percent of the total number of registered voters. Those who cast ballots submitted 1,714 votes against the budget and 1,530 for the budget, with 10 of the 14 voting districts in the township voting “no.” By law, the township council must review the school’s spending plan and decide what additional cuts, if any, should be made. The tax levy represented an increase of $2,005,809, or four percent, over last year’s $50,145,221 tax levy, while the school district’s $58.2 million total budget represented a decrease of $916,570, or 1.6 percent, below the previous year’s budget of $59,122,203. The total budget included the reduction of six teaching positions, two custodial positions, one administrator’s position, and the reduction of 32 full time paraprofessionals to part time status with the resulting loss of benefits, plus some program changes in an effort to address the loss of $2,668,603 in state aid. The four percent tax levy increase would have raised the 2010 school tax rate by 4.7 cents over the current rate of $1.25 to $1.30, and the associated annual property tax increase on a Mahwah home with the average assessed value of $358,230 would have been $168 annually. Superintendent Charles Montesano said he was disappointed that the school district’s budget was defeated, but that he was not surprised because times are tough in the state. “I think we have wonderful schools,” Montesano said, “and I am disappointed that the public opted not to support the school district’s budget, but it was with understandable reasons.” He pointed out that the school district’s budget for last year was higher than the budget that was just defeated, but added, “The governor has clearly shifted the burden for schools onto local property taxes. It’s all on us now. I think the governor has successfully made it a single issue: (continued on page 20) �� 201-934-7755 119 Interstate Shopping Center, Ramsey, New Jersey Intersection of Route 17 & Franklin Turnpike ADVANCED HEARING SERVICES, INC. Thomas J. Higgins, BC-HIS*, ACA** www.HearNJ.com Supervising Licence. NJ Hearing Aid Dispenser * Licence # 743 Member International Hearing Society *Board Certiﬁed by the National Board for Certiﬁcation in Hearing Instrument Sciences. **American Conference of Audioprosthology