$933,000 for a artificial football field is a scandal in this economic environment.

or another $1MM into the capital reserve a/c instead of tax relief?
I have to say I don't understand this account. If the township bonds all the BOE capital needs, why do they have a capital reserve?

So they can spend more without asking! duh.

...but I understand they need to file a Long-Range Facilities Plan to take tax money from general fund.
You might want to add a question to your list about how the mayorial candidates are going to address the BOSE oversight role.

I also don't understand how you fund 12.8 headcount increase off a one-time surplus. I don't understand how 0.8 Mandarin teachers cost $213,315.
If we don't have a $1MM surplus next year, wouldn't the budget need to increased.

I believe some grant money being used to pay for the Mandarin program ran out and so more money was needed to keep the overall program going. I'm sure loads of questions will be asked at Monday night's meeting.

Why does Montclair need another field with artificial turf? We have at least 2 artificial turf fields. The schools need so many things and yet the board proposes spending more money on sports.

Now that the grant money has run out for Mandarin, it should be taught with Rosetta Stone like the other languages.

It's rather obvious what's going on here. The schools are overfunded. This resulted in the 6 million surplus this year. It's a law that any surplus over 2% of the budget MUST be returned to the taxpayers (via the township general fund) in the following year to reduce taxes.

So the BOE is spending like mad to make sure there IS NO surplus next year.

The schools are OVERFUNDED and the budget should be reduced by approximately $6 million (this year's surplus).

Shelley,
Here is my problem attending the meeting:
Mt Hebron is replacing a library with a $370k computer lab so that a 12 year old can access more information faster. Probably a good idea. However, a taxpayer has to drive down to the Central Office and ask for a copy of the proposed budget (not a summary), or a copy of the current 5 Year Capital Plan, or a LRF Plan, etc, etc. Then I have to wait for possible an hour or two to ask my single question. Then I have to go over to the Town Council meeting and ask them why they are increasing funding for the library when the BOE is eliminating libraries? Then I have to pay my tax bill.

Reducing the budget is the right thing to do. The BOE has done a commendable job to get it to this point.

I suspect that either the BOE will find a way to keep the money and spend it or if the current lame duck town council gets their hands on it they will fund all kinds of things.

Didn't the town just borrow $3 million or so due to tax refunds. Can't we pay that back early?

"Mt Hebron is replacing a library with a $370k computer lab so that a 12 year old can access more information faster. Probably a good idea. "

And how is that by the way? Imacs are $1200 (that's full retail without the special educational pricing Apple offers) Does Mt. Hebron really need 308 computers?

In fact, you could purchase an ipad for every single student and have $18,000 left over.

p.s. and KEEP the library.

Sorry, Roc, no leftover $. You forgot about the 5.5% bonding fees and the debt service.

The truth is that Mt Hebron doesn't have much of a library and is without a librarian. I thought that the new lab was to support their new STEM designation not another computer lab.

rak: You are correct - PLTW lab. More than an iMac.
I guess I have to face it that school libraries are probably an anachronism.
Moving along (tangent alert!):
It would be great if PLTW program could collaborate with the Township and apply this pre-engineering lab to the Township's dire need for GIS mapping of properties, infrastructure, etc. instead of the paper system we have now.

More wasted money while BOE members and Councilmen do nothing about! This why people who live here can’t sell their homes and are stuck! When is this madness going to stop! A million dollars for a field is a waste!!!!!

$307k is still a lot of money for one middle school lab.

Someone mentioned on a previous post that Montclair United would like access to a turfed field in town and said we could get some grant money to help pay for it but an amount was not mentioned. What's wrong with kids playing on grass or muddy fields for that matter? Somehow $933K will turn into twice that and Heningburg field is a softball field.

it's my understanding that Montclair United would not give a grant but pay some money for access (rental). Somehow that was twisted into the field "would pay for itself" which, even common sense tells you makes no sense.

That's how things get justified. Vague "it will pay for itself" notions are started and reinforced and somehow never arrive.

It's absurd in this climate to be thinking about million dollar fields and merely indicates, yet again, that the schools are over funded.

Someone mentioned on a previous post that ______ would like ____________ in town and said we could get some grant money to help pay for it but an amount was not mentioned. What's wrong with ______ or ____ for that matter? Somehow $____ will turn into twice that and ______ is a ______.

Sound familiar?

Good public schools return every dollar we spend. Our home prices are supported by good public schools which families demand for their kids and for which families will pay high prices and high taxes. Cut public schools' budgets and you undermine our property values as well as the 5700 kids in our schools and their families. Nationally, home prices are way down since the Wall St banks crashed the economy in 08 with their criminal schemes. No one on Wall St has been held accountable for wrecking the greatest economy in the world, but many want to punish teachers, aides, and students instead. Home prices in Mtc are doing better than most areas because we are known for good schools, for multiracial civility, and leafy, safe streets and parks. These are public sector amenities which our taxes maintain. Cut schools and services and you will drive families away from buying in Montclair. All waste and corruption should be exposed--like the foolish plan for nearly $1mil for turf, like the wrongheaded big investment in tech and textbooks. If our BOE had faced up to what makes schools good, the first item on the Board's brag sheet above would have been "reducing class size and restoring full-time aides to all classrooms with aides's health care in tact." High-quality professional adults working closely with kids is the route to high achievement. Anti-tax zealotry will kill the civility of this town; a well-run, well-financed public sector will keep this town desirable...ira shor

Same thing happened with 1) the new school 2) the quiet zone 3) Kaverny Field 4) South Park 5) Fortunato Field 6) Bay Street Parking Deck. Let's see how many we can come up with...