Dear Editor:
When the mayor and council first cut the school budget, it called for $1499,725.00, reduction in roughly a $32 million dollar budget, I questioned the wisdom of their cuts in a letter to this column. Question being: Had the mayor and council cut wisely?
The reaction of displeasure that came from our Superintendent and staff that had worked so diligently in preparing this 2011-2012 School Budget, coupled with Board trustees immediately making their feelings known got the mayor and councils attention.
In an effort I label, damage control, the mayor and council, by way of an eleventh hour resolution agreed to reinstate $303,658,00, providing we reinstate programs they perceive to be programs that using their words “if eliminated, would effect the quality of educational services provided by our school district”. What were they implying? That our, Superintendent, Staff and Trustees would deliberately cut programs that would, “effect the quality of educational services provided in our school system.” That was/is downright insulting to all involved in preparing this budget.
Now, for the record let us look at the reductions some of the towns made in North Bergen, Garfield, Lodi,
Bogota and Lyndhurst.
In North Bergen, a $113 million budget was cut $50,000. A 0.04 percent cut
In Lodi, a $55.000 million budget was cut $220.000. A 0.40 percent cut
In Bogota, a $19 million budget was cut $100,000. A 0.53 percent cut
In Garfield, a $32, budget (amount identical to the Secaucus) the budget was cut $75.000. A 0.24 percent cut.
Secaucus a $32 million budget was cut $1,100,000. A whopping 3.44 percent
In Lyndhurst, a $32 million budget (amount identical to the Secaucus budget,) the town refused to cut one penny from their defeated budget.
This in my opinion answers the questions I raised when the mayor and council first announced their drastic, I repeat drastic, cutting of the School Budget. Looking now at the reductions other towns where their school budget was defeated. Compare them to Secaucus drastic reduction. Was Troyer right when he stated, “they didn’t cut wisely?” “they cut too much?”
Tom Troyer