By KAREN RICE
Dr. Mark Rosenbaum, superintendent of schools, was delighted over the budget revote results and looked forward to positive plans for the upcoming school year. I couldn't be happier, he said. This is a very positive sign for the future. This will start the year on a positive note.
Pat Pizzarelli, supervisor of physical education, health and athletics and president of the Association of Lawrence Administrators, also shared a positive outlook, saying although the revote was close, all that matters is that the budget passed. I feel great, he said. As long as there was one more [vote] on our side and not the other side. Now we just have to move forward.
The budget plan, a 4-percent budget-to-budget hike, will increase the average tax rate by 5.99 percent, reduced by 1.92 percent from the plan presented to voters on May 21, which failed by a more than two-to-one margin at $82.6 million.
The budget will set aside $211,408 for custodial overtime, which is $25,000 less than the proposed budget on the May 21 ballot. The $25,000 savings in overtime for the use of buildings would come from the proposed reassignment of custodian/cleaners to a.m. and p.m. tours at the middle school and high school.
The budget will not fund the school lunch program because Chartwells, the company which runs the program, assured the board it can operate it without the $50,000 subsidy. Chartwells wants to take over the privately-owned vending machines and perhaps slightly raise some lunch prices to increase income.
If the budget had been shot down by voters on June 27, the district would have been forced onto austerity or a contingency budget, where $1.5 million in cuts would have automatically been made, including a reduction in school supplies and equipment.
Residents' opinions were as divided as the votes that filtered in throughout the day on June 27, from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., at the Lawrence Middle School.
Dr. Eric Nussbaum of Lawrence, who has four children in the school system, felt that the funds were not managed well and that even on an austerity budget, the children would be better off than children were in the past.
No, I did not vote in favor [of the budget], Nussbaum said. There was too much mismanagement of funds and I feel the kids today get much more than I ever had.
Avi Losice of Lawrence, who has a daughter in private school, said the budget could have been more practical if the board exercised cuts more wisely. I think more cuts should be made, he said. I don't think the board has made the right decisions. It is not really a responsible budget.
Dennis of Cedarhurst, who asked that his last name not be used because he is a teacher in New York City, agreed that the money could have been handled better. I voted against the budget, he said. I feel that the cuts that they made from the first time were not meaningful. They should have cut from administration. They always say that a large amount of money is fixed because of salaries but they should look at the contracts. They may be able to get seven people to do the work of 10.
He added that austerity is not as bad as the school board makes it out to be and that it is used as a poor reason to get people to vote in favor of the budget. They always use the threat of austerity to get a budget passed, he said. I think it's unfortunate to use that as a reason to pass any budget.
Harris Brandt of Woodmere, who has three children attending Lawrence Public Schools, disagreed, saying that austerity would be an injustice to the children. I think that it is important to avoid austerity at any cost, Brandt said. We owe it to the kids. We deserve better. This is a super community.
Dr. David Sussman, school board trustee, said he was disappointed that more residents did not come out to vote like they did for the recent school board elections. The revote drew 2,406 voters compared to about 10,700 voters for the May 21 elections.
I feel uncomfortable with the turnout, Sussman said. The board wants to see the entire community participate the way it did in the previous election. I would be happy with any decision the entire community makes. You always worry in a very small turnout if the will of the community is being served.
Madeline Friedenthal of Cedarhurst, who has a daughter in the school system, felt that the school board did not effectively advertise the revote. They didn't publicize it at all, she said. I didn't get a [revote-reminder] card [in the mail]. I only got a letter today [June 27] from the PTA.
Friedenthal added that the poor advertising was bothersome considering what was at stake. They need to keep all the services for the kids, she said. I don't want the kids losing out on anything. Austerity is very upsetting because the kids would lose out a lot.
I think if it [didn't] pass, the community [would have] done a terrible disservice, said Karen Brenner of Cedarhurst. It's a wonderful district. I don't want my taxes high either but without the budget the children will be losing out. It's the kids who really lose out. My children are into this [the school's art and music programs] and I can't afford to send them to private art and music schools. That's what makes it sad.
Marilyn Geisser of Cedarhurst felt the children's education would suffer without a voter-approved budget. I am voting for the budget because the students should have a decent education, Geisser said.
