Fishbein: It’s budget season
March 28, 2014 Last updated: Friday, March 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
By Daniel Fishbein
As is historically done at this time of year, last week the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) approved the district’s 2014-2015 preliminary proposed budget for submission to the executive county superintendent. The total budget for next year, which was developed with detailed input from administrators and principals in combination with figures from existing labor agreements, insurance estimates, General Fund revenues plus state aid and debt service, comes in at just under $100 million, at $99,405,376.
These dollars will provide an education for more than 5,800 Ridgewood Public Schools students, which constitute 25 percent of the village’s residents. This proposed budget, as always, is largely supported by the local tax levy, which I am happy to report is the lowest increase in a decade, 1.908 percent.
I use the term proposed budget because until the executive superintendent approves it and a public hearing is held at our regular public meeting on April 28, the budget cannot be formally adopted by the board. Please note that this year the BOE voted to move the annual school board elections from April to November, thereby eliminating the annual voter referendum on the proposed general tax levy that is at or below the statutory tax levy cap (currently 2 percent).
Each year it is an ongoing challenge to create a fiscally responsible budget while upholding the district’s mission of excellence. Excellence requires:
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