Council recommends $1 million reduction of N.B. school budget
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK - A $1 million reduction in the township school budget is being proposed by a township council subcommittee.

The number was released at Monday night's workshop meeting. Because the 4.6-cent budget was defeated by 51 votes during elections on April 15, the council had to decide how to reflect the voice of the voters, although only 11 percent of the registered voters in town went to the polls.

Last week, Council members Cathy Nicola, Carlo Socio and Ralph Andrews met with representatives from the Board of Education to discuss their direction. Nicola said the discussions were "amicable" and that although there were some tough decisions to be made, it was important to find some reductions because of the voice of the voters.

"It is a win-win situation for the voters and the students," she said, noting that education should not be affected.

In New Jersey, when a school budget is voted down, the township must make a recommendation of an amount of money to cut, if they so choose to reduce the tax levy. It is then the school district's responsibility to go line by line and remove the items they feel are not absolutely necessary for the time being.

The district originally wanted to fund a new high school engineering course, academic support, an ROTC program, an SAT review course, technology resources, roof projects, the summer academy, additional classroom teachers and nurses and fullday Kindergarten.

Superintendent of Schools Brian Zychowski said the school board will meet this week to discuss the impacts at a committee level.