JAN 2003

JANUARY 2003

	NJ schools brace for state-aid freeze (Press of Atlantic City, by Diane D'Amico, 1/6/03)
	Mack's back, but Buena falls to Ocean City - Chiefs rally in 2nd half, but fall to Red Raiders (The Daily Journal, by Geoff Dodd, 1/10/03)
	Effort is there, but Sacred Heart can't put away Buena (The Daily Journal, by Geoff Dodd, 1/18/03)

NJ schools brace for state-aid freeze

Egg Harbor Township Schools Superintendent Philip Heery is developing a "worst-case scenario budget."

Buena Regional Schools Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo is planning a "what we need" budget along with a "how we'll adjust" contingency plan.

Galloway Township Schools Superintendent Douglas Groff froze spending in mid-December, and is planning a budget using the same state aid as the district was awarded last year.

As news about state revenues continues to be bleak, local school districts are planning 2003-04 budgets that anticipate a second year of state aid frozen at 2001-02 levels.

Gov. James E. McGreevey is not expected to announce state school aid until the budget address scheduled for Feb. 4.

"It's clear the governor has to address a multibillion-dollar deficit," McGreevey's press secretary Micah Rasmussen said Friday. "Right now everything is on the table to close it. We just don't know what will happen."

The state is waiting for December revenue figures, and state aid to schools might depend on the sales-tax revenue generated by last-minute holiday shopping.

The New Jersey School Boards Association, or NJSBA, is actively lobbying for more aid, making it clear that districts will be unable to meet students' needs and will be forced to raise property taxes if state aid is frozen again.

"Costs keep increasing, and the number of students requiring special-education services is increasing," NJSBA spokesman Frank Belluscio said. "Districts can't go another year with flat funding."

Locally, school officials are loath to utter the dreaded words "property-tax increase." But having already dipped into surplus and postponed projects, many school districts are running out of budgetary tricks to control costs.

"Probably 90 percent of the budget is fixed costs," Hammonton Superintendent Michael Kopakowski said. "Once you've figured salaries, insurance, transportation, utilities, there's not much left to work with."

Five school districts, including Buena Regional, had hoped to hear by the end of 2002 if they would be granted "special-needs" status and be eligible for additional state aid. The state education commissioner was given an extension until Feb. 10 to make the decision.

DeGiacomo said that decision will determine the immediate future for Buena Regional, which had to cut $500,000 from its $29 million 2002-03 budget after voters rejected it in April.

"There are some projects, including the new middle school, that will be put on hold until the decision is made," she said.

Special-needs status would allow the district to get 100 percent of eligible costs for the school paid for by the state. The district currently is eligible for only 67 percent state funding.

Growth districts are wondering how they will teach more students. Egg Harbor Township will open a new school in September, which will require new hires. The district also anticipates an enrollment increase of about 475 students.

"We are looking at the tax base to see how ratables have increased, and how much that might cover," Heery said. "But it's going to be hard."

Even if the state freezes funding again, growth districts could benefit if the state distributed the money according to the state school-funding law, which takes enrollment increases into account. State Department of Education spokesman Tom Rosenthal said officials are hoping the revenue will allow them to use the formula, but no decision has been made.

The state's 30 urban Abbott districts already have submitted preliminary budgets for state review. Millville Superintendent G. Larry Miller said they were told to plan for flat funding, but also were allowed to build in a tentative 2 percent increase.

Millville had layoffs last year after voters defeated the budget. Some programs have been saved by grants, but those are very limited.

"Grant money is very prescriptive," he said. "The money can only be spent in specific ways."

One option for districts will be to add a second ballot question to the budget, and let voters decide if some nonessential programs are valuable enough to keep.

"We want to avoid cutting programs and personnel, but everything will have to be up for review," Mullica Township Superintendent David Dunlevy said. "We don't have a lot of auxiliary programs now. There's not a lot we can cut. We're keeping our fingers crossed."

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Mack's back, but Buena falls to Ocean City -

Chiefs rally in 2nd half, but fall to Red Raiders

Buena's Josh Dalton, right, is defended by Ocean City's Jack Nixon, left, and Antwaine Campo during Thursday night's game.

BUENA -- There were two, near-miraculous comebacks at Buena Regional High School Thursday night, both of which involved Andrew Mack.

One comeback fell just short. The other should pay dividends later this season.

The first happened during the game itself, in which the Chiefs' boys basketball team fell behind by 14 points to visiting Cape-Atlantic League rival Ocean City before staging a fourth-quarter rally. Mack hit a trio of 3-pointers, including one with eight seconds left, to bring the Chiefs within a point. The Red Raiders, however, forced an inbounds-pass turnover and escaped with a 60-58 win.

The second comeback, the one that should benefit the Chiefs greatly, happened before the game. Mack ran onto the court with his teammates, his first game of the season after a month-long hiatus rehabbing a knee he injured during football season. Even Chiefs coach Erik Ball said earlier this week that his star guard wouldn't be back for another 2-3 weeks.

"His leadership is the biggest thing," Ball said of Mack, who finished with 20 points. "His presence on the court really helps, too."

Admittedly, Mack was rusty. He made just two of his first nine field-goals attempts.

"I thought I had (my shot) the last couple days in practice," Mack said after his team fell to 2-5.

In terms of scoring, Mack might have found some company in cousin Vince Brooks, who finished with 17 points, including a key triple in the fourth quarter.

Brooks, a junior, also slammed home the first points of the game off a steal, converting a coast-to-coast dunk. The play sparked an 8-2 Buena run, a lead that would grow to 13-7 with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.

But Ocean City (4-3) responded in style. Consecutive buckets by Jack Nixon closed the gap to two points, and a Phil Schaffer 3-pointer from the wing with 10 seconds left rattled home to give the Raiders a 1-point lead.

From there, OC wouldn't waver, although it got close.

"It's so heartbreaking, especially when you feel like you can beat them in the end," Brooks said.

Specifically, Brooks referred to the end of the game, when Schaffer stole an inbounds pass with seven seconds remaining and dribbled out the clock. Brooks chased Schaffer around the court attempting to foul him, but the referee didn't make a call. Schaffer also appeared to commit a backcourt violation with three seconds left, but that, too, went uncalled.

Raiders forward Martin Markowski finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Nixon and Schaffer scored 16 and 13, respectively.

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Effort is there, but Sacred Heart can't put away Buena

VINELAND -- At least the slow starts that plagued the Sacred Heart boys basketball team for the first seven games of the season seem to have subsided. Now, all the Lions need to do is figure out how to keep some consistency.

It wasn't there Friday night in a 59-51 loss against Buena at Jim Mogan Auditorium, despite a sweet-shooting start from Jose Sanchez and Blaise Pepitone. The two guards knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to start the Cape-Atlantic League National Conference matchup to help the Lions to an early seven-point lead, but Sacred Heart also endured nearly two quarters without a field goal.

Those 15-plus minutes gave the Chiefs an opportunity to strike, and they did. Buena senior Andrew Mack hit a pair of treys from the wing, the second of which gave Buena an 11-10 lead with 1:44 remaining in the first quarter. Sacred Heart would tie on its next possession, but could never regain the lead.

"Nobody's taken us out of our offense yet," Lions coach Dave Richardson said. "We're right on the cusp ... a couple shots fall, we're a .500 team."

Instead, it's Buena (4-6) inching closer to .500. The Lions (2-8) must win their next six games to qualify for the Parochial B playoffs by the Feb. 8 cutoff date.

"It's nice to win two straight and get back into the win column," said Buena's Darryl Price, who finished with a game-high 17 rebounds.

For Sacred Heart, the shots that fell early started rimming out, and Buena started pounding inside. Josh Dalton put back a Vince Brooks miss to open the second quarter, and Brooks followed with a pair of driving layups. As the Lions tried to crowd the paint, Mack stepped back and hit two more 3-pointers, and Buena's lead grew to as many as 15.

Buena shot just 15 for 38 from the foul line, and Sanchez nearly brought Sacred Heart back late. He scored 11 fourth-quarter points, and a scoring drive plus foul shot with 6:45 left pulled the Lions to within four at 38-34. But they would get no closer.

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