Massive School Budget Cuts Urged • Wellington Owners Lose by David Thaler • Replace the Four Elementary School Art Dr
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You ought THE ■ BAYSHORE ^ ^ to know Prosecutor planning crackdown on drugs? HAZLET THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OF n d epen d en t I ☆ The Weekly Newspaper FICE is planning a new drug enforce ment program. Prosecutor Alexander Lehrer met last 20 Cents night with the Township Committee, Vol. 13 No. 15 Wednesday, Feb. 10, 1982 Police Chief Holmes Gormerley and other policemen to discuss the township’s participation in the program. According to a statement issued by Board's finance committee wants to slash $775,000 Mayor Carmine Coppola, “because of the extreme confidentiality of the subject matter,” the meeting was held in closed session. Township officials declined to com ment on the meeting or the drug enforce ment program. • Massive school budget cuts urged • Wellington owners lose By David Thaler • Replace the four elementary school art Dr. Kenneth Hall, superintendent of schools, bid for garbage service MATAWAN teachers with one resource instructor and two on the educational impact of the proposed cuts. ABERDEEN A recommendation to cut $775,000 from the aides. Art would be taught in regular classes WELLINGTON PLACE CON proposed 1982-83 school budget was presented instead of separate rooms. The cut: $34,160. “ Do we know’ that these things are expend able from an educational point of view?” she DOMINIUM OWNERS WILL PAY the Monday night to the Board of Education. • Eliminate two school nurses. The re garbage tax but still will not receive asked. “The kids are the bottom line.” The recommendation, made by the board’s maining nurses would travel from one school scavenger service from the township, the Hall, who agreed to prepare a written re finance committee, would eliminate the jobs to the other. The cut: $33,700. Township Council decided Monday night. port, said it is “not going to be easy to operate of 14 teachers, five secretaries, and two Residents of the complex had petition • Eliminate five secretaries, a $42,000 cut. with those kinds of cuts. We’re going to have school nurses. ed the council in October for trash collec • Cancel plans to purchase two buses and to really struggle together to come up with the hire drivers for them. The cut: $75,500. kind of a program that the community wants.’ tion and maintenance of their road. The proposal will be discussed at a meeting • Consolidate the purchasing of materials Because they pay both the garbage tax to be held 8 p.m. Tuesday. and supplies, saving an estimated $50,000. Several board members said they felt that and a fee for trash collection at the com The board last month introduced a $19.2 voters would not support the budget unless it plex, they said, the township should million budget and said it probably would be Eliminating 21 jobs, the committee esti were cut before it is placed on the ballot. either exempt them from the tax or pro revised before it is submitted to voters in mates, would save $24,409 in fringe benefits. vide trash pick-up. April. “If this budget passes,” said Michael Kid- Councilman John Scalamonti cast the The committee also recommended elimi zus, “ I’ll eat it." only vote in favor of providing the ser In its present form, the budget would result nating the Learning Experience Centers for vice. The township should provide the in a 46-cent tax increase in the township and a communications, ffcath, and science if grants The key word in trying to determine the fin complex with dumpster pickup, 27-cent hike in the borough’s levy. to finance them are cancelled. The savings al budget total, said Robert Fenske, finance Scalamonti maintained, and let the Well The township’s school tax now is $4.01; the would total $59,444. committee chairman, is “affordability.” borough’s is $2.43. Also recommended is a $300,000 cut from ington residents pay the extra cost. “Like it or not,” he said, “I don't think we To the owner of a home assessed at $40,000, the capital outlays budget, reducing the total Wellington residents would be glad to can ignore it. It’s going to be part of the the tax increase would be $184 in the township from $864,100 to $564,100. pay the extra cost, according to John decision-making process. In addition to the, and $108 in the borough. Several board members expressed surprise Mott, a representative of the group. impact (of the budget) on the school system, According to Bruce Quinn, educational sys when they were handed the list of recom “We’re not trying to get something for we have to consider the impact on the com "Affordability is the tems analyst, every $100,000 cut from the mended cuts. "W h a t’s the educational nothing,” Mott said. munity.” The council felt, however, that if it budget would reduce the tax levy by 2.3 cents “I’m speechless,” said Marilyn Brenner. impact o f these cuts? key word- we can’t granted the Wellington residents’ re in the township and 1.4 cents in the borough. Later, Ms. Brenner asked, “Who agreed we "The board,” said Board President John quest, other groups who pay the garbage The finance committee’s recommendation wanted to cut $475,000? Who made that the Comerford, “has to say, ‘what's best for the The kids are the bottom ignore it." would save the owner of a $40,00 house $71 in magic number?" schools and what can people afford?’ In the tax but do not receive the service—apart -Robert Fenske ment dwellers and owners of vacant and the township and $43 in the borough. “The finance committee,” answered Mich seven years I’ve been on the board, we’ve lost line." -Marilyn Brenner commercial property—would make To save that money, the board would: ael Klavon, director of vocational education. one-third of our students and the budget has • Eliminate the Performing Arts Learning similar requests. The committee asked administrators to gone from $11 million to $20 million. People in eliminating them,” she said, "I don’t-know Closing the Cliffwood building, which con "It’s just not financially feasible,” Experience Center at Ravine Drive School, a propose the cuts, said Alphonse DeRosa, be this town are paying a lot of money for educa how in good conscience I can vote to eliminate tains 13 rooms, would save $89,000, according Councilman Theodore Fitch said. “We $16,322 cut. cause the district may lose $300,000 in state tion.” them .” to the board. can’t make special cases, or it would go • Eliminate the home economics and in aid under the budget being prepared by Gov. Judith Hurley noted that the board had pro The board also revealed that it had cut The board’s meeting Tuesday will be open on forever.” . dustrial arts programs at the Lloyd Road Kean. posed reducing the number of school teachers $843,000 from the proposed budget before it to the public. The board said it may also hold Councilman Burton Morachnick Middle School, a total cut of $59,465. “We thought this would be a good starting several times in recent years. Every year, was introduced last month. The casualties of other meetings on the budget next week. estimated there was a 90 percent chance • Consolidate the elective courses at the point for discussion by the board,” DeRosa she said, the board had withdrawn the pro the first cut included the driver’s education A public hearing on the budget is scheduled high school and M atawan Avenue Junior High the Wellington group will take the said. “It has to be discussed intelligently, posal after parents had objected to it program, six teachers, and the older of the for March 15. The budget could be amended School. Four teachers would be eliminated. without emotion.” township to court. strenuously. two buildings at the Cliffwood Avenue Ele before the hearing—and after it. The board “Whatever decision we make tonight, The cut: $80,000. Ms. Brenner said she wanted a report from “I’ve heard so many arguments against mentary School. will not adopt a final budget until March 22. it won’t be the end of it,” Scalamonti said. • Compensation denied School-closing report now due next week for shooting injury By David Thaler turned over to a second group, which will under-utilized rooms, according to the report. Comerioru nas said that a decision on clos is on the perimeter of the school district. KEYPORT MATAWAN recommend whether a school should be The Strathmore School has six; Cambridge ing a school may be made in time to have an Transferring Ravine Drive students to other STANLEY STONE, who was pai'&lyzed A fact-finding committee’s report on the closed—and which one. Park, 5*£; Ravine Drive, four; and Broad impact on the proposed 1982-83 school budget. schools probably would require more busing when a Keyport policeman shot him four possible closing of an elementary school will Administrators have estimated that as Street, three. The board will adopt the budget March 22. than would be needed if Cambridge were years ago was denied compensation from not be made public until Feb. 18, according to much as $400,000 a year could be saved by closed, the sources say. the patrolman or the borough by a Su Robert Fenske, vice president of the Board of An under-utilized room is defined by the ad Speculation on which school might be closing an elementary school. Sharply declin Board member Michael Kidzus has re perior Court jury.