By Rebecca Shalomoff
Although the May 21 school budget vote results will officially reveal if the majority of District 14 and 15 residents accept the hefty tax burden for supporting local public schools, many apparently are not pleased with the way their school administrators and board members have handled the budgetary process leaving the budget vote outcome teetering on the brink of pass or fail.
Residents across both communities have complained that cuts could and should be made in areas which do not impact instruction, particularly administrative costs.
While Lawrence has already made more than $5 million in cuts to bring the proposed 2002-03 budget to $82.6 million an overall spending increase of 5.63 percent school board candidates and residents argue that more savings are possible if current board members look more closely at district finances.
Members of the district's finance sub-committee even voted not to endorse the budget because they felt there was room for more reductions. And trustee Kathy Raquet-Barry admitted at a May 7 meeting that she was disappointed with the way the entire school board managed the budget process.
Even still, the financial crisis in District 15, which came to light last summer when board members discovered millions of dollars were overspent, forced the new superintendent of schools, Dr. Mark Rosenbaum, and board members to take a hard look at how funds are allocated and accounted for.
Difficult decisions have been made at every turn, Rosenbaum said. While fair-minded individuals may disagree as to the advisability of one decision or another, the fact remains that we faced a crisis and dealt with it, putting the district on a new course.'
On the other hand, in the neighboring Hewlett-Woodmere School District, which has had a good financial history, some school board candidates and residents have been raising awareness about the need for better fiscal management to be implemented in that district as well.
With a proposed 11.4 percent increase in spending next year for the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools, which translates into a 13 percent increase in the tax levy, district residents would like to see school officials and board members look for ways to save taxpayers' money, especially since state aid has been reduced and a multi-million dollar bond for a new middle school may be on its way.
If, however, the budget in either school district fails in the May 21 vote, each school board has two options: to put it up for a revote or to institute an austerity budget, which would mandate certain budget cuts without requiring public approval.
