Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 4, 2011 FLOW Area Ramapo student suspended for drug sale by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education has approved a resolution to suspend an unnamed Ramapo High School senior from that school for the remainder of the 2010-11 academic year. That action was based on uncontested allegations that, on March 17, the student conspired with another student to sell a controlled dangerous substance that he represented as LSD while at Ramapo High School. It is also alleged that, thereafter, the student conspired with another student to destroy evidence and otherwise obstruct the investigation into this incident, in violation of school board policies and regulations. During the period of suspension, the student will be provided with an alternative educational program that meets the core curriculum content standards in accordance with the state’s administrative code. But the cost of that home instruction must be borne by the adult student who will have to remit that cost to the school board’s business office on a weekly basis until the balance of his tuition is paid in full. The student will not be allowed to be present on any of the school district’s campuses outside of or during the regularly scheduled school day during the suspension, unless expressly authorized by the superintendent. The student will not be permitted to participate in any athletic, co-curricular, or extracurricular activities sponsored by the district, and will not be permitted to be present for or attend any school board sponsored activities either on campus or in any school district where the school is participating in the activities during the period of his suspension. In addition, the student will not be permitted to participate in any senior class activities, including the senior prom and Project Graduation, and the student will not be permitted to participate in or attend the 2011 commencement ceremonies of Ramapo High School. The student’s name will be stricken from the roll call. The resolution states that the student must not have any further involvement with district students in activities that are of an illegal or improper nature and, should the student violate any of the terms and conditions of the resolution or be charged with any infraction by the school board or any law enforcement agency, the school board reserves the right to reconvene and evaluate whether expulsion or other disciplinary action would be warranted. The student and his parent were provided with notice of a disciplinary hearing that was held before the school board on April 7 and of their right to be represented by counsel, to present evidence and witnesses on behalf of the student, to cross-examine any and all witnesses presented by the school board, and to have a translator present at the school board’s expense. The student, the student’s parent, and the student’s attorney appeared before the school board at the hearing. After conferring with his parent and attorney, and with full knowledge of his rights, the student did not contest the charges as alleged and waived his right to a full hearing, including the right to hear testimony from and/or cross-examine the witnesses presented by the district. The school board then considered all of the evidence; the student’s academic, attendance, and disciplinary records; and board policies and regulations before deciding to suspend the student. In January 2010, two other Ramapo High School students were suspended for the remainder of the 2009-10 school year for engaging in the sale and distribution of controlled dangerous substances to students in the school district which led to a medical crisis requiring hospitalization after a high school student ingested the controlled dangerous substance. In June 2010, three other Ramapo students were suspended for the remainder of the 2009-10 school year and through the first marking period of 2010-11 for the sale and distribution of Xanax, a controlled dangerous substance, to other Ramapo High School students. The suspension of one of those students was extended in September 2010 when that student was found to be in possession of Xanax while in a motor vehicle accident in Oakland. Homeowners in Franklin Lakes whose properties have the average assessed value will realize a decrease in the municipal-purpose property tax they will have to pay in 2011. The borough council recently adopted a $15,706,403 budget that is $53,127, or 0.0034 percent, higher than the 2010 budget and will require a $10,610,260 tax levy for municipal purposes. That tax represents a $191,814, or 0.0184 percent, increase over the 2010 tax, but is $360,698 under the state-imposed levy cap of two percent. The budget will increase the borough’s municipal tax rate from 21 to 26 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, but the average assessed value of a residential property in the borough dropped from $1,280,901 to $1,032,000. Therefore, the tax impact on the property owner with the average assessed value will be a $58 decrease annually. That decrease resulted from the recent reassessment, according to Franklin Lakes Borough Administrator Gregory Hart. He explained that, although residential values dropped significantly, the non-residential property Average homeowner to get tax break Car Stereo - Alarm Systems Hands-Free Kits 201-445-5151 Audio & Video REPORT CARD We can tutor for class grades in English, Math, and U.S. and 2-23-11 janine World History along with SAT Verbal, ReedAudio2x2(2-23-11) Writing, and Math. 2 x 2” Many students go up 100-plus points. A+ WANT THE A? 201-445-1343 values in the borough remained about the same, so there was some shift in the tax burden from residential to nonresidential properties. Last year, the borough’s budget raised the borough’s tax rate by 1.8 cents to 21 cents and that increased the municipal portion of the property taxes of the owner of a home in the borough with last year’s average assessed value of $1,280,901 by $231 per year. In a budget presentation, Hart pointed out that 16.9 percent of the borough’s total property tax is the result of the borough’s budget, while 68.2 percent is the result of the local and regional school budgets, and 14.9 percent is the result of the Bergen County property tax. He also emphasized that the borough’s tax rate is the second lowest in Bergen County behind Alpine. The total tax rate is established by the county after all the town budgets have been completed and certified. It is that total tax rate that must be used to determine the total amount of property taxes that a property owner in the borough must pay. Hart explained that the appropriations side of the budget consists of $5.2 million in salaries and wages, $6.8 million in other expenses, $1,261,400 in deferred charges, $1.4 million in debt service, and $1,035,000 in a reserve to cover uncollected taxes. The $15.7 million in appropriations also includes “non-discretionary” items such as a state mandated contribution of $1.5 million to the municipal library, a medical insurance cost of $1.4 million, a state mandated pension contribution of $1 million, and a garbage/recycling collection and disposal cost of $900,000. The mandated costs in the budget, Hart said, total $7.2 million, or 46 percent, of the proposed appropriations, while the $5.1 million in salaries and wages constitute 33 percent of those costs. According to Hart, the major increases included $143,000 more in pension contributions, $84,000 more in salaries, $69,000 in additional debt service, $52,000 more in medical insurance, and $37,000 more in the reserve for uncollected taxes. Hart advised that the police and other employee union contracts will expire at the end of 2011 and new contracts will have to be negotiated this year. In addition, Hart said the borough will assess medical insurance alternatives and increased revenue from the use of the borough’s cell tower behind the police station, consider a county dispatch facility for all dispatching services, continue to participate with surrounding towns to search for shared services opportunities, remain active in seeking grants for road projects and drainage improvements, and seek efficiencies through the use of technology. F.J. McMAHON