Whatever Happened to Spending on the Children?
We wish we could say the proposed 2007–2008 Millburn school budget is a model
of fiscal responsibility, directing as much money as possible to educating our children.
We can't.
The proposed $77.5M budget contemplates an increase of $5,200,000 over last year's approved budget. We have pored over the budget documents and asked numerous questions at Board of Education meetings, yet we still cannot figure out why the budget has to increase by 7.2% — far above state-mandated caps on spending and taxes. We do know one thing, however: Essentially none of the increase goes toward education for our children. Most, if not all, of the increase goes toward growing administrative layers and outside consultants and to an inexplicable 18% increase in healthcare costs.
Millburn's school budget increases used to track closely with enrollment increases. Prior school administrations demonstrated they could deliver educational excellence and solid fiscal management. This current administration has demonstrated it can educate our children, but cannot be trusted as responsible fiscal managers. With this
proposed budget, Millburn's school spending over a six-year period will have skyrocketed 71% for a 13% enrollment increase. At its current growth rate, the school budget will be $100 million within three years.
Some claim we spend less per pupil overall and less per pupil on administrative costs than comparable districts. Cost-per-pupil data are extremely misleading, however, because they address aggregate numbers. Our district generally appears to spend slightly above average in the aggregate, but a better comparable analysis would measure how money is spent.
Since the 2002–2003 school year, according to NJ Department of Education data, Millburn's administrative costs have soared while instructional spending has stagnated. In 2001–2002, out of 97 K–12 school districts with over 3500 students, Millburn ranked 39 in median administrative salaries and 54 in instructional spending (a ranking closer to 1 means less spent). In the 2006–2007 school year, however, out of 103 such districts, Millburn sadly ranks 93 and 70, respectively. In short, over the past six years our budget has shifted more money toward layers of administration and taken money away from educating our children. Something's wrong.
Using total budget numbers — another way to compare districts — Millburn will spend almost $17,000 per child, compared to, for example, the somewhat larger and academically similar Ridgewood District, with a proposed $79.4M budget, at $14,300 per child. (It's also embarrassing to see Ridgewood cite Millburn as an example of excessive administrative spending.) Some argue we spend similar amounts to Mountain Lakes. That district, however, is one-third our size, has a school for the deaf and absorbs a big percentage of tuition-paying high school students from Boonton.
We would feel better if some of the proposed budget increase was going toward hiring additional teachers. Sadly, that's just not the case. In fact, the number of teachers will remain flat from this year, and, without explanation, salaries will increase by over 6.22%, significantly above the negotiated salary increase of 4.25%.
More important, the Administration refuses to reallocate resources to where they're needed. For example, next year's 9th grade class will be 100 children larger than the current year as the bulge of students continues to work its way through the system into the High School. The Administration, however, has budgeted for only two or three
additional teachers for the entire High School and none at the Middle School. Meanwhile, even though it has acknowledged declining enrollment at the elementary schools, the Administration won't consolidate classes at elementary schools that have 14–15 children per class — compared to Hartshorn's average size of 24 — and free up resources for where they are truly needed. Something?s wrong.
To make matters worse, the Administration continues to march forward with a $21 million plan to increase facilities at the Middle and High Schools when we?re facing declining enrollments at the elementary schools, which will inevitably lead to declining enrollments at the Middle and High Schools. When (or if) construction is complete, the budget will rise substantially to equip and staff the new facilities.
What should we do? Some people may worry that a defeated budget would throw our district into disarray. Don't worry. In the event of a defeat, the district's budget would go to our Township Committee and would remain, at a minimum, the amount of the prior year's budget while the Township Committee looks for items to eliminate from the defeated budget.
Yes, something is wrong. We cannot support a proposed budget in which administrators — who have no stake in this community and control 52% of our tax dollars — take more of our community's resources for themselves and provide less to our children.
Jeffrey J. Diecidue is a Short Hills resident with a child in fifth grade, and
operates his own investment fund. Elizabeth A. O'Brien is a Short Hills resident with two children in the high school and one in elementary school, and a real estate attorney.
WeLoveMillburn.com
April 5, 2007
