Council to Review Defeated School Budget
The City Council will meet with school board members and officials Friday night to discuss possible changes to the 2010-11 school budget rejected by voters on April 20.
The meeting is 6 p.m. at Emerson School, Councl President Annie McWilliams announced Monday.
Notice of the meeting has been posted in City Hall. Notice was also sent to the Courier News and the Star-Ledger, but may or may not be published, Deputy Clerk Abubakar Jalloh said Wednesday. The meeting is also posted on the city web site.
McWilliams said the governing body cannot cut the school tax levy, but might be able to make changes within the budget.
Plainfield has had state-mandated increases to the local school tax levy for the past three years due to the School Funding Reform Act of 2008. Previously, the local portion was $17,683,906, unchanged since 1992. For the 2008-09 school year, the levy was increased by 4 percent to $18,391,262. In 2009-10, it was $19,862,563.
This year, a 10 percent increase was mandated, to $21,848,819.
Plainfield had been contributing only about 20 percent of school costs in local taxes, with the bulk of the budget made up in state and federal aid. But in many suburban districts, the ratio is the opposite. The School Funding Reform Act of 2008 recognizes that needy students exist in many districts, not just in the 30 poorest districts in the state (formerly known as Abbott districts), and seeks to adjust funding proportionately.
--Bernice Paglia
The meeting is 6 p.m. at Emerson School, Councl President Annie McWilliams announced Monday.
Notice of the meeting has been posted in City Hall. Notice was also sent to the Courier News and the Star-Ledger, but may or may not be published, Deputy Clerk Abubakar Jalloh said Wednesday. The meeting is also posted on the city web site.
McWilliams said the governing body cannot cut the school tax levy, but might be able to make changes within the budget.
Plainfield has had state-mandated increases to the local school tax levy for the past three years due to the School Funding Reform Act of 2008. Previously, the local portion was $17,683,906, unchanged since 1992. For the 2008-09 school year, the levy was increased by 4 percent to $18,391,262. In 2009-10, it was $19,862,563.
This year, a 10 percent increase was mandated, to $21,848,819.
Plainfield had been contributing only about 20 percent of school costs in local taxes, with the bulk of the budget made up in state and federal aid. But in many suburban districts, the ratio is the opposite. The School Funding Reform Act of 2008 recognizes that needy students exist in many districts, not just in the 30 poorest districts in the state (formerly known as Abbott districts), and seeks to adjust funding proportionately.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 3:23 AM
2 Comments:
Can someone help me to understand how modifying the BOE budget helps the tax payers in Plainfield?
I'm much more interested if the City of Plainfield has any plans to, and then how it will decrease the municipal budget by this $2Million to ameliorate the tax levy to the (property tax paying) citizens of Plainfield.
The schools in Plainfield have a poor achievement record overall, and things do not seem to be getting any better. Rejection of the budget is a message of "ENOUGH!".
The tax burden to value ratio in Plainfield is too high.
Will the municipal government take note and act in the best interests of the people?
No longer silent in the center.....
Then add the PMUA tax and we really don't get much for our tax dollar. Hopefully the council will realize we are overtaxed in this city with not much to show for it.
These are areas they can do something about immediately - of course only if they want to. If not, we'll get the same old storyline about how their hands are tied.
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