By: KATHY CHANG, Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE — The worst case scenario for the school district this year is to cut more than $10 million from the tentative $185 million budget, which includes eliminating Ford Avenue Elementary School no. 14.

School officials say they do not want the worst case scenario to happen, but did stress and preface the committee budget workshop meeting on Feb. 1 stating that they are “not going to make anybody happy here tonight.”

The Board of Education and school officials laid out worst case scenarios to get ready for potential cuts if Gov. Chris Christie decides to roll back state aid given to school districts and limit a property tax increase to just 2.5 percent from the current 4 percent cap during the three hour meeting at Avenel Middle School in front of a crowd of parents, school employees, and residents. The potential cuts brought shock and disbelief among the crowd.

The governor and his administration have not released its budget and school officials said they do not expect to receive the state aid figures until March 18.

“We faced a perfect storm last year and this year the storm has put holes in our boat,” said Schools Superintendent Dr. John Crowe.

Even the laundry list of preliminary cuts from courtesy busing and the Gifted & Talented arts program to high school and middle school security and middle school athletics that the financial committee agreed to would fall $1 million short of what would be needed for what the school district says is their best case scenario of a $185 million spending plan.

During a straw poll vote to close the elementary school no. 14, which accommodates 220 students in the school district and would save the school district about $1.5 million if closed, board members voted in favor of closing the school “only if it was absolutely the last resort” that the district had.

School officials said that may be the case due to the rumor that state aid to all public schools will be reduced by 10 percent, which they said would affect a district like Woodbridge because it has been underfunded for the last 30 years.

“The [district] receives less than 20 percent of its funding from state aid while other comparable districts like Old Bridge and Hamilton receive 30 to 50 percent of their funds from the state,” said Crowe.

Because of this, school officials said they urge everyone to flood the offices of local state officials with phone calls stating the district’s dire need of state aid and to ask why a township as large as Woodbridge has been underfunded for all these years.  

“Call everyday to the point where the officials need to address the issue,” said Crowe, who said Assemblyman Craig Coughlin and state Sen. Joseph F. Vitale have already reached out to them.

The school district has even provided a sample letter on the school’s website — http://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us that residents can send to state officials.

Finance committee members also suggested the Woodbridge Township Education Association reopen their contracts and Crowe said he would also be willing to open his contract for negotiations.  

Below are the items that the committee tentatively agreed to make cuts amounting to about $4 million in savings:

·         Courtesy busing for the middle schools and high schools - $496,000

·         Closure of school buildings 2 and 16, which do not have students - $133,957

·         Gifted and Talented arts - $168,000

·         Family Evening - $65,000

·         PALS reading - $20,000

·         Middle school athletics -$45,000

·         Elementary extracurricular - $32,000

·         Middle school and high school extracurricular programs will be cut by 10 percent.

The committee also tentatively agreed to cut staff, which includes:

·         Outsourcing trades - $607,000

·         Two non tenured vice principals – $274,000

·         One child study team - $253,000

·         High School security - $234,000

·         Six assistant secretaries totaling - $234,000

·         Five custodians - $230,000

·         Two social workers - $195,000

·         Two middle school librarians - $173,000

·         One attendance officer - $70,000

·         Sixteen clerical aides - $160,000

·         Middle School security - $126,000

·         One plumber - $106,000

·         One adaptive physical education teacher - $56,000

·         One purchasing specialist - $55,000

·         Two health aides - $47,000

 The items that the committee tabled their vote on were elementary school busing and cafeteria services, which amount to $800,000 to $900,000. If the district also decided to make these additional cuts, it would amount to about $6.4 million in savings.

School officials said if it came down to cutting out middle school and elementary school sports, private sponsors could come in and fund the programs.