Clark Board of Education Approves 2011-2012 School Budget

A proposed 2011-2012 school budget was approved unanimously by the Board of Education Tuesday night during a public hearing at the Clark Council Chambers. The spending plan would allocate just over $33.2 million, an increase of $225,000 over the previous year. The budget, if approved by voters, will mean a tax hike of three tax points, which translates into approximately $33 for the average taxpayer. 

Tax increases to fund schools is nothing new. In 2010, Clark residents saw a $36 rise in their tax bills following a loss of more than $671,000 in state aid. For the 2011-2012 school year, the budget includes $414,448 in funding from the state, an increase of $325,460 over last year's spending plan. Overall, the budget yields a 0.83 percent increase over the 2010-2011 plan, well below the state-mandated 2 percent cap.

Considering the economic climate and rising costs, Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Knops noted that the school board took on a daunting task -- maintaining classroom quality while minimizing tax impact -- and largely succeeded.

"While you're reading in the papers about other districts experiencing major cuts in their budgets and having to make major adjustments, you are going to find that we really are in relatively good shape with our budget," Knops said. "That's thanks to the foresight of the Board of Education in past years."

The 2011-2012 spending plan calls for no cutbacks in programs of instruction, sports teams, clubs, or co-curricular programs. Additionally, all students in grades 9 through 11 will be permitted to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) with the school system picking up the tab. Class sizes will remain the same. (Answering a citizen question, Knops said staffing levels for next year are still "being fine-tuned.")

The budget also features several measures to contain costs. Among them: sharing Business Administrator John Bolil with the Garwood school district, employing an outside food service program, and partnering with Clark Township and Union County to handle functions including snow removal, gasoline purchases, and transportation. 

The spending plan now goes to the taxpayers, who will vote on whether to accept the budget during the township's annual school election on Wednesday, April 27. Clark residents are invited to a public presentation of the budget at Frank K. Hehnly Elementary School on Wednesday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m. The plan can be viewed on the Board of Education website at http://www.clarkschools.org.

During the April 27 school election, in addition to voting on the budget and its resulting tax levy of $27,283,102, citizens will vote to fill three school board seats. Current board members Michael Bonaccorso, Carmen Brocato, and Laura Caliguire are running unopposed. The polls will be open from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Township of Clark Firehouse and at the Frank K. Hehnly, Charles H. Brewer, Valley Road, and Carl H. Kumpf schools.