Proposed School Budget Would Raise Taxes Over 2%

Preliminary news regarding the proposed 2012-13 schools budget made its debut at during Thursday night's Parsippany Board of Education meeting.

In his report, Superintendent of Schools LeRoy Seitz announced that board members are in the process of reviewing a preliminary $127.5 million spending plan. The spending plan proposes an increase of nearly $3.5 million over last year.

The budget blueprint, assembled prior to Thursday's late afternoon announcement of , would mean a tax levy increase of 2.9 percent.

The state-mandated 2 percent property tax cap is actually a cap of 4.75 percent this year, because Parsippany schools only imposed a 0.8 percent tax hike last year, allowing a larger increase for 2012-13, Seitz explained. (Which means that while the hike is over 2 percent, voters will not get a say on the approval of this spending plan.)

With the addition of the state's contribution, the superintendent said the tax levy boost could be reduced to 2.1 percent.

"This [the state aid offered for the next school year] will get us to about half of where we were three years ago," he noted.

The spending plan, Seitz said, will permit the district to work toward fulfilling its stated mission to provide students with a safe and open environment, to inspire high student achievement, to produce the highest performing workforce and to meet or exceed state standards.

The superintendent said much of the proposed budget is driven by the high cost of employee wages and benefits. This year, for the first time, teachers and staff will contribute to their health-insurance costs. Health benefits, he said, are projected to increase by 6.3 percent after employee contributions are deducted.

"This year, employee contributions will be minimal, but they will increase over the next four years," he said.

Additionally, Seitz said the district plans to bring on new staffers for special education programs at Central Middle School, and . 

Contractual obligations are also a part of the budget mix. Seitz reminded meeting attendees that the BOE currently is negotiating with all of its employee associations and unions.

Vickie Walsh of the New Jersey Educational Association, which represents Parsippany teachers, told Patch that the union may have issues with the plan. She said the school board is not honoring all of the provisions of an last July.

While all current instructional and co-curricular programs, reading and media specialists and school counselors would be retained under the plan, Seitz said that because of state accountability regulations, the district can no longer have kindergarten paraprofessionals unless class size exceeds 25 students.

Seitz said the budget plan includes the purchase of new textbooks, Catch Up Math software (to help students improve their standardized test scores), two school buses, wellness equipment for physical education, business and personnel software, computers and iPads. 

He added that opportunities for in-district professional development for staff will continue, as well as partnerships with Kean and Montclair State Universities.

Also proposed are capital improvement projects:

• —roof replacement, $860,000
• —synthetic gym floor replacement, $50,000
• —synthetic gym floor replacement, $50,000
• —stadium bleacher retrofit, $100,000
• —brick and masonry re-pointing, $55,000
• Lake Parsippany School—brick and masonry re-pointing, $55,000
• Lake Hiawatha School—clock system upgrade, $20,000

The school board will consider the preliminary budget for approval at a special BOE meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 29. A week later, if okayed by the board, the plan goes to the executive county superintendent. If that goes through, the matter goes to a public hearing in Parsippany on March 29.

Once the board gives the spending plan its final approval, ithe budget cannot be increased, Seitz said, though it can be adjusted or reduced.

"This will help the district bring it program in alignment with the state's Common Core Standards," he said.

PTHSD Revenue Comparison - 2011-12 v. 2012-13

* Does not include