w I h INDEPENDENT Appropriations for 1984-85 now set at $19.5 million Board rejects Hesse's budget plan By David Thaler And it eliminated an assistant principal’s Broaa sireei, ne saia, would result in a class MATAWAN position at the Matawan Avenue Middle size of 27.6 students. A 22-part proposal to slash more than $1 School, saving $40,000. At Lloyd Road, he said, cutting one million from the proposed 1984-85 school The vote on the assistant principal was teacher would boost the average sixth-grade budget was rejected by the Board of Educa­ 5-3. Voting for the proposal were Ms. Bren­ class to 25.5 students. Eliminating a sev­ tion last night. ner, Douglas Scott, Ardis Kisenwether, enth-grade teacher would yield a class size In a meeting which lasted more than five Hesse, and Kidzus. of 27.8 hours, the board rejected 18 of 22 budget A proposal to put a moratorium on the The largest average class under his pro­ cuts proposed by board member Robert purchase of computers also was defeated by posal, Hesse said, would be 28.3 students. Hesse. a 5-3 vote. But Carl Kosiminas, vice president of the The board accepted Hesse’s proposal Hesse and Kidzus were the only members Matawan Regional Teachers Assn., pointed preventing the use of an additional $6,974 in who supported the other proposals: out that some classes would be larger than surplus in the budget. At that point, the • Require students who attend the the average. board had agreed to use $309,625 in surplus. Marine Academy of Science and Technology “You’re looking at 35-40 students in some Later in the meetirig, it voted to use only to take their academic classes at Matawan classes,” he said. $178,599. Regional High School. The requirement Commented Marie Panos, MRTA presi­ The action will leave $163,230 in the would have saved $35,000. dent: “If I were a parent with a child going surplus account, according to Dr. Richard • Eliminate an assistant superintendent through the school system, I would be fright­ Brown, the board’s finance commitee chair­ of schools or the deputy superintendent, sav­ ened.” man. ing $50,000. Bernard Starr, 27 Drexel Lane, a can­ After nearly two months of debate and • Eliminate one custodian in each didate for the school board, said, “As much changes, the board agreed to a $19.5 million school. Laying off a total of seven custo­ as I am for cutting the budget, I do not see current expense budget—$300,000 less than dians would save $126,000, Hesse estimated. this drastic a cut by any standard. I don’t • Eliminate all busing beyond the state’s cut children. I don’t see my kids in this kind ROBERT HESSE the total it had approved Feb. 2. The vote on the $19.5 budget total was 5-2. minimum requirements, saving $80,000. of a school system.” The two dissenting votes were cast by • Close the older of the two buildings Hall predicted that class sizes at Broad Hazlet board okays Michael Kidzus and Marilyn Brenner. Kid- which comprise the Cliffwood Avenue Ele­ Street and Cliffwood Avenue would average zus said the budget was too high; Ms. Bren­ mentary School, saving $37,000. more than 30 students if Hesse’s proposal ner argued that it was inadequate. In urging the board to slash its tentative were accepted. spending freeze Hesse did not vote on the budget total. He budget by nearly $1 million, Hesse said “the “That would be tragic for those young­ board’s job doesn’t include provision of an sters,” he said. HAZLET left immediately after the board finished voting on his 22-point proposal. employment service for people in the educa­ The classrooms at the elementary schools The Board of Education last night voted to tional field.” are not large enough to accommodate 30 freeze spending except in emergencies. Board member Alphonse DeRosa was ab­ sent. Increasing class sizes, he argued, would students, Ms. Brenner said. Board President Edward O’Brien pro­ not have a significant effect on academic “They’re hanging out the window with 25 posed the freeze, noting that the board must Hesse last night urged the board to adopt an $18.9 million budget, retaining all of its achievement. Research indicates, he said, kids in a room,” she said. trim its proposed budget by $100,000. that there is only a “six percent decrease in Asking the board to reject the proposal, The board will also have to find an addi­ $341,000 surplus. The board rejected his request to retain the achievement level when you increase Ms. Brenner said, “I beg you not to destroy tional $200,000 in its 1983-84 and 1984-85 class sizes.” this school system.” budgets if a March busing referendum is the entire surplus by a 6-2 vote. Only Hesse 6 and Michael Kidzus supported the proposal. But Ms. Brenner called Hesse’s proposal Large class sizes would “push more passed, O’Brien said. “educational vandalism” and said it would children into private schools,” Hall said. The board will meet Tuesday to cut pro­ The board also rejected Hesse’s proposal to eliminate eight additional teaching posi­ be “destructive to our school system.” Every child who leaves the district for a posed expenses for next year by $100,000. “I’ve never seen a single paper with so private school, he added, costs the district The cuts are necessary, O’Brien said, tions to save an estimated $160,000. The pro­ posal would have increased class sizes in the many destructive items on it,” she said. $2,500 to $3,000 in state aid. because an additional $100,000 was an­ Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Defending the size of the central office ad­ ticipated as income in the budget. district’s four elementary school and the Lloyd Road Middle School. Hall said “it would be tragic” if the board ministrative staff, Hall said that Hesse’s The $100,000 in state compensation aid had authorized class sizes of more than 25 stu­ proposal to eliminate one of the top positions been listed twice in different budget areas, Only Hesse and Kidzus voted to eliminate the eight positions. dents in the elementary grades. “demonstrated ai complete lack of under­ he said. Hesse said the elimination of a first-grade standing of what they do.” So, although the cuts will reduce the pro­ The board, however, agreed to eliminate the industrial arts and home economics pro­ teacher at Broad Stieet would boost the The administrative staff has been reduced posed $14.8 million budget by $100,000, they average class to 27.3 students. by 40 percent in the past five years, he said. will not affect the proposed school tax rate gram s at the Lloyd Road School, saving $38,000. Eliminating a second-grade teacher at “I know full well we’ve tightened up as of $2.51 per $100 of assessed valuation. much as we can,” Hall said. The board will have to shift money from ★ ★★★ ★★★★ Kidzus argued that the district had three other budget areas to transporation if the top administrators when the district had busing referendum passes, O’Brien said. more than 6,000 students. Now, he said, the Under the spending freeze, Superinten­ district has less than 4,500 students and dent of Schools Joseph Dispenziere must ap­ Board revamps budget; there are four top administrators—Hall, a prove any expenditure of more than $500, deputy superintendent, and two assistant board members said. superintendents. Before enacting the freeze, the board ap­ tax rate may rise 9 cents The bid to lay off seven custodians, Hall proved spending $18,907 for materials to said, would be “counter-productive.” create office space at the Middle Road By David Thaler (saving $23,600), $40,000 in athletic equip­ “It demonstrates a lack of understanding Elementary School. MATAWAN ment and supplies, and $9,000 from its sub­ of what it takes to maintain our facilities,” District employees are building offices at After taking nearly four hours to reject sidy of student field trips. he said. the school for the superintendent, board most of a proposal to slash $1 million from Hall also attacked the proposal to cut bus­ secretary, and other central office staff. the tentative 1984-85 school budget, the But the board restored the driver’s educa­ tion program and reversed its decision to in­ ing. The approval had been postponed several Board of Education last night approved “Over the past five years, we’ve worked times when board members questioned the changes which placed the total appropria­ crease class sizes at the high school and the Matawan Avenue Junior High School. very hard to develop a transportation sys­ project’s cost. tions for current expenses at $19.5 million. tem that is economically run and is effi­ Dispenziere had previously estimated the The board had adopted a $19.8 million cur­ It also restored two school nurses’ posi­ cient,” he said. cost of materials for the project at $15,400. rent expense budget Feb. 1 . tions. The state reimburses the district for bus­ Funds were included in this year’s budget The $300,000 reduction will save an esti­ ing only those students who live more than for the construction, which will enable the To compensate for the cuts it restored, the mated three cents per $100 of assessed board eliminated two clerical positions in two miles from an elementary school or 2 ¥2 board to sell its present office building on valuation on the school portion of the prop­ miles from a secondary school.