Villadom Times Weekly Local Newspaper

Mahwah May 26, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 3 Council trims school budget by Frank J. McMahon Mahwah’s governing body has passed a resolution approving a township council subcommittee’s recommendation to cut $250,000 from the Mahwah Board of Education budget. The school’s spending plan was defeated at the polls in April. The subcommittee, consisting of Council President John DaPuzzo and Councilmen John Roth and Harry Williams, was formed by the council after the school budget defeat in order to review that budget and make a recommendation to the council that would address the concerns expressed by the township’s voters. At a joint meeting of the council and representatives of the board of education last week, Roth explained that the objectives of the subcommittee were to minimize the impact of any recommended modifications to the budget on curriculum and academic programs, and to allow the board of education flexibility in managing the impact of the recommended adjustments by providing broad direction and not line item specifics. Roth said it was also the objective of the subcommittee that the impact of the recommended adjustments be shared across multiple operational areas and groups. Along with the recommended reduction of $250,000, the subcommittee provided the school board with guidance that $171,000 of that amount, which is equivalent to one percent of the school district’s salaries, be put toward the reduction of health care benefits to reflect the community’s desire that salaried employees participate in offsetting escalating costs of maintaining health care benefits, and that $79,000 be put towards the reduction of plant services operation and maintenance. The budget reduction will reduce the 4.7 cent school tax Third grade students at the Lenape Meadows School in Mahwah recently visited the Museum of Natural History in New York City. They were later asked to answer questions about many of the exhibits. Pictured are Victoria Petroni and Valerie Bognar gathering information from an exhibit. A day at the museum increase, which would have resulted from the $52.2 million tax levy required by the original $58.2 million budget, to 4.1 cents. That will reduce the annual school related property tax increase on the owner of a home with the average assessed value of $358,230 from $168 to $147 on an annualized basis. Prior to Roth’s presentation, Edward Deptula, the school district’s business administrator, informed the council about the steps the school district has taken over the past few years to reduce costs. Deptula spoke about the reduction in staff positions and the reduction of the district’s paraprofessionals from full time to part time positions to eliminate the cost of their health benefits. He also predicted a 2.5 percent cap on the district’s budget next year, even though health benefit costs will rise more than that amount. “I speak for the board when I say we want to continue the excellent education programs in Mahwah that draws families to Mahwah, and graduate students who are prepared for college and employment,” Deptula said. “They also have a strong desire to continue the athletic programs and extracurricular offerings and to continue the activities that contribute to the physical and mental health of our children. We are hoping to have a small impact on both of these.” Following Roth’s presentation, Councilman Samuel Alderisio emphasized that the cost reduction should be shared by all employees from the superintendent on down. (continued on page 26) Serving ty oun Bergen C ears for 25 Y Additions • Renovations Kitchen, Bathroom & Basement Remodeling Windows • Doors • Siding • Rooﬁng Interior & Exterior Carpentry Licensed & Insured • Free Estimates Irish LLC Home Remodeling All work performed by owner Hillsdale, NJ • 201-965-5281 Now Open! 396 Franklin Ave Wyckoff, NJ 201-891-5500 Across from Aldo’s Restaurant �� ✤ �� Wyckoff Cycle �� ✤ �� ✤ �� ✤ �� ✤ �� We Repair ALL Bicycle Brands Bikes for the Whole Family and �� the Pros �� LLC �� Women’s Sandals ��