>BOE Announces New School Budget and No Layoffs
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
The BOE announced that it is not planning to eliminate any staff positions for the 2011-2012 school year and at its Monday meeting it unanimously approved an $86,775,809 budget. which will now be sent to the county Executive Schools Superintendent for review.
The district also received word that the state would be returning a small but significant portion of its state aid.The $850,000 in state aid has been allocated to cover budget shortfall of a reported $650,000 that could have resulted in staff cuts. The finalized version of the School budget must be approved by the voters .
The Board of Education had previously announced there will be no raises for teachers and secretaries represented by the Ridgewood Education Association, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.
Last years budget was defeated by voters , as residents expressed frustration at what they saw as teachers unwilling to make sacrifices like everyone else in a tough economy. The district had proposed an $84.9 million budget.
The Ridgewood Education Association ,the local teachers’ union is currently in the second year of a three year contract. The current contract ends at the close of the 2010-2011 school year, on June 30, 2011.
The BOE will have two vacancies in the April 27 Annual School Election. A full term on the school board runs for three years. Candidate kits are still available in the Board Secretary’s office at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, or online from the New Jersey School Boards Association. The deadline for filing candidate petitions is Tuesday, March 8, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, is the deadline for registering to vote in the Annual School Election.
