Millstone voters say no, no, no and no
School budget and three additional questions fail
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

Millstone Township voters turned down the school district's proposed $30.3 million budget on April 17, as well as additional funding for kindergarten, a technology teacher and books.

The budget would have amounted to a 6.6 percent increase over the 2006-07 budget and relied on a tax levy of $24.8 million. If the budget had passed, the tax rate would have amounted to $1.98 per $100 of assessed value, which is about 20 cents more than what taxpayers paid last year. Had they passed, the additional questions would have further increased the tax rate.

Board of Education President Mary Ann Friedman said that while approximately 1,600 residents voted in the election, the general budget failed by 88 votes. She said 883 residents voted the budget down and 795 supported it.

There is a total of 6,428 registered voters in Millstone, according to Township Clerk Maria Dellasala.

In line with the state's mandated 4 percent cap on the tax levy, the school district presented a budget that took into account additional costs of high school tuition (since the district does not have its own high school), educating special-needs students out of district and opening the new middle school, according to Superintendent Mary Anne Donahue.

The district did receive an additional $141,000 in state aid this year, but the extra money was no match for its fixed costs, Donahue said.

The three other questions on the ballot also failed with the voters. A question to approve a full-day kindergarten program for the district, at a cost of $399,989, was voted down by 543 votes, with 1,105 voters against it and 562 in favor.

The second question would have added 2.8 cents to the tax rate but would have allowed the school district to provide salaries and benefits for three teachers and four instructional aides and to purchase furniture for three classrooms and instructional materials for full-day kindergarten.

The addition of an applied technology teacher to the district at a cost of $69,781 lost by 209 votes, with 938 people voting against it and 729 voting for it.

This question would have added .49 cent to the tax rate but would have paid the salary and benefits for a middle school applied technology teacher. In building the new middle school, the school district incorporated a second applied-technology laboratory. The previous referendum paid for the room, the furniture, and the hardware, software and curriculum, but no teacher.

The fourth question asking voters to approve the purchase of language arts textbooks at a cost of $78,700 failed by 19 votes, with 843 voting against it and 824 in favor.

The question would have added .56 cent to the tax rate but would have replaced current textbooks that are between 10 and 12 years old and are no longer in print.

At the April 18 Township Committee meeting, Friedman thanked the committee for its support of the school budget and Donahue for her "tireless efforts."

Friedman said many people have asked her why the school district could not use some of the money in the budget for the creation of the new middle school, since that project has come in under budget. She said the law clearly states that any money approved for a building referendum must be used for that purpose and cannot go into an operating budget.

"Any money left over from the middle school will go back to taxpayers," she said.

Committeeman Steven Sico, the liaison to the Board of Education, said, "I don't know what else you could have done to get the message out. The voters spoke, but you got the message out."

The Township Committee will hold a public hearing on the failed budget at its May 2 meeting.

Donahue said the defeat of the budget could mean a reduction in staff and the loss of some excellent programs.