Wildwood Crest Cuts Over $600,000 From Proposed School Budget

WILDWOOD CREST – During the last week since the Wildwood Crest Board of Education budget hearing, the Board has cut over $600,000 from its proposed budget for 2010-2011.
According to Superintendent Dennis J. Anderson the reduction is in response to certain cuts the New Jersey Department of Education required and to cuts local taxpayers requested.
“At our March 30 Budget Hearing it was very clear that the taxpayers of our town wanted us to review the budget and look for any area were we could reasonably cut,” said Anderson. “Then the Department of Education declined our request to ask the taxpayer for funds to offset the State’s substantial and unprecedented cuts in state aid. The District lost over $333,000 in state aid for the 2010- 2011 school year as a result of cuts by the Department of Education,” he explained.
“The messages were loud and clear,” Anderson continued. “Therefore, the administration and the Board have made additional cuts that we are not totally comfortable making, but we will do all within our power to maintain the outstanding academic program that our community expects from our school,” he stated.
“There is not a single program that has not had their budget reduced,” he stated. “We are trying to maintain the programs in this school that make a difference in the academic readiness of our children and that have produced our outstanding State test score performance,” said Anderson, “but at the same time we have to respect the wishes of the taxpayers during these difficult economic times.”
According to Anderson the District will be asking the public to approve a budget with a local tax levy of $6,123,533. “As a result, only a modest increase in the local levy of $235,519 is required. That will mean approximately a 1.03 cent increase in the tax rate. A limited increase, by any measure.”
To accommodate this lower mount the District will cut staff, activities, and restructure certain remaining programs. “We’re looking at staff cuts, eliminating some clubs and sports, and combining certain grades where enrollment will permit, so at some grade levels where we have two classrooms now, next year we will have one,” Anderson explained.
“Hopefully,” he added, “a good portion of our staff cuts will come through attrition resulting from retirements versus direct lay-offs”
The Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 to review and discuss the revised budget. The meeting will be held at 5:30 pm in the Media Center of the Crest Memorial School.