A school district budget battle may be brewing as at least some of
Maplewood's township officials, who serve on the Board of School Estimate,
are set to consider the spending plan Wednesday.

Although the $112.3 million 2009-2010 school budget includes the lowest tax
hike in 20 years, at 3.98%, some Maplewood officials -- who have just
hammered out a budget with a 3% tax hike and a handful of layoffs and
furloughs -- believe the South Orange-Maplewood School District budget
remains too high a burden for taxpayers.

"I have questions that need to be answered before I can make anything
final," said Maplewood Vice Mayor Kathy Leventhal, who also serves on the
BOSE. "I like that it addresses the achievement gap and keeps class sizes
the same, but if they are at a 4% increase, Maplewoodians would have to be
at a 4% increase."

TC member Fred Profeta, a BOSE alternate and previous member, agreed: "When
Maplewood is being particularly frugal in keeping our taxes down, it is
important that the school budget reflect the same or it won¹t be apparent
to the tax payers."

But some PTA leaders are gearing up to fight possible cuts. A letter is making the e-mail rounds from one PTA leader, urging folks to show up Wednesday night . Read it here

The Board of School Estimate is an unusual creation in New Jersey, where
most school district budgets are voted on by voters at the same time they
vote for the school board in April. Because our school district is a joint
entity of the two towns, the voters do not vote on the spending plan at all.
That is because, with Maplewood having nearly 10,000 more registered voters,
it has an advantage.

The Board of School Estimate is comprised of three South Orange Board of
Trustee members, three Maplewood Township Committee members, and two school
board members. Maplewood's three members are Leventhal, Mayor Vic De Luca
and TC member Lester Lewis-Powder.

A state statute requires that five of the eight BOSE members approve the
budget for it to take effect, with four of those members being from among
the two municipal bodies.

"It is the only on of its particular kind the state," Profeta notes, citing
the state law that created it in 1903 after Maplewood broke away from South
Orange. "It is the only one that voters could not undo if they chose to. It
would take an act of the state legislature."

The BOSE has the power to approve the budget or reject it, and require the
school board to make further cuts. School Board President Mark Gleason, who
serves on the BOSE, says it works well for the most part.

But, Gleason adds that the Essex County superintendent of schools must
approve the budget as well, a change in the law a few years ago: "It is
problematic, but we have not had a bad experience yet. For us, it feels
somewhat like overkill."

The BOSE will meet Wednesday night to consider the budget, then again on
Monday night.