If BOE Budget is Defeated - Here is the Process

One of the issues that will be upcoming in the School Board Elections on April 21st will be to say yes or no to this year's school budget. If voters were to vote down the upcoming budget, the state of NJ Department of Education has a PowerPoint presentation that walks one through the process of what would happen afterwards. This is from 2008 so the dates will be different but it lays out the general process. Keep in mind that there are limitations what the Municipality can do to decrease the tax levy as there are minimum funding requirements for the levy as set forth by State Law. Additionally, for any cost cutting measures proposed by the Municipality the burden of proof is on that Municipality to show that the reduced levy is "sustainable for T&E".

Jack Raslowksy, The Superintendent of Hoboken School Systems has pledged at a budget workshop meeting previously held that Hoboken will not seek a cap waiver for this year's budget.

In the past, even board members who were not satisfied with the lack of cost cutting measures in previous budgets recommended that the budget still be passed. This was due to the fact that it would then go to the Mayor's Office and that was not an attractive option. We have seen what happens from the Robert's Administration when a previously well run entity such as the Parking Authority is run down in terms of efficiency morale, etc. With Judy Tripodi, the State Fiscal Monitor now having the authority to call the some of the shots if the School Budget should be defeated, it will be interesting to see how the discussion of "To pass, or not to pass, that is the question" will unfold.

Here is the presentation in SlideShare:

State NJ Education Defeated Budget Presentation 2008

View more presentations from Kurt Gardiner.

Presentation of defeated BOE budget process NJ Dept of Education:

http://www.state.nj.us/education/finance/fp/dwb/defeated/presentation.pdf ◦

If BOE Budget is Defeated - Here is the Process