BUENA VISTA
TOWNSHIP - Buena Borough and township officials say they've made substantial
prospective cuts on the school budget and are meeting with school officials
Monday night to present their ideas.
It remains to be seen whether those cuts will be upheld. The school district has
its share of state mandates, and Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo remains
skeptical, though open-minded, about what can be cut.
"I don't know what other ideas they have, but we'll certainly listen to them,"
she said.
Despite warnings the budget is so lean it could mean positions and staff are on
the line, Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello insists that isn't the
case.
He said he wanted to reassure everyone they kept their "promise about not
cutting any jobs and not cutting any programs. ... We have no human cuts
planned."
But, he said, they have managed to find enough places to trim the budget that it
will have a significant impact on reducing the increase.
By a 2-1 margin, voters last week rejected a budget that would have required a
24.7-cent increase in the borough and a 31.9-cent increase in the township per
$100 of assessed value.
The Monday meeting is closed to the public, and Chiarello said he doesn't want
to make the cuts public until he speaks with the school district.
When they meet with school officials Monday, the district will look over their
suggestions to decide if the 16 ideas are both legal and possible.
People outside the district are often very unfamiliar with state mandates, said
DeGiacomo.
Depending on how well the meeting goes, they may need a second before they
certify the budget, she said.
She said in some ways cutting the budget has grown more complex because the
budget is leaner and there's less flexibility in trimming it.
She suggested the municipalities may be considering alternative ways to fund the
school's new buses, such as leasing rather than purchasing. That will save money
this year but could cost more in the long term.
But that's the only thing she could think of, she said.
And the county Department of Education had already looked over the budget before
it went to a vote, she said.
We're "always for another set of eyes looking at the budget," she said. "When
you look at something over and over and over again, you might miss something."
The borough and township have been preparing to cut the budget since before it
was defeated - the increases were higher than when it was defeated two years
ago.
While Chiarello wouldn't offer specifics, he did say that the cuts are from
areas where there may have been some overestimation, and they are also
considering some creative proposals.
For instance, he said, there is one project that the township and the borough
would consider helping the district to spread out the cost, he said, but
declined to say what the project was.
The district's budget over the past two years has been cut by about $700,000
total - $500,000 one year and $200,000 the other.
And this year, he said, "the cuts that we have in mind are more substantial than
one would believe possible."
Parent Teacher Organization members and Buena
Regional Educational Foundation trustees assemble gift baskets on
Wednesday to raise money for student scholarships and school supplies.
BUENA -- The Buena Regional Education Foundation, which raises money for
student scholarships and the school district, will hold a beef-and-beer
event April 30.
The foundation hopes the fund-raiser brings in about $7,000 for
distribution among Parent Teacher Organizations in the district. It's set
for 7 p.m. at the Buena Tavern on Route 40.
To prepare for the event, PTO members joined foundation trustees
Wednesday evening at J.P. Cleary Middle School to decorate gift baskets that
will be auctioned at the event. The items were donated by area businesses.
For tickets to the Beef and Beer event, call (856) 697-0212.
NEWFIELD -- In the wake of its school budget defeats, Buena Regional and its
Newfield sending district are gearing up for budget readjustments.
The trimming process has yet to begin at Buena Regional, where municipal
officials in Buena and Buena Vista are waiting for the district's financial
documentation.
The spending proposal defeated Tuesday by voters called for tax increases of
$314 in the township and $243 in the borough for owners of homes assessed at
$100,000.
Over the next few weeks, officials will decide to make cuts, or leave
spending plans as they are.
The school board can appeal a municipality's decisions to William Librera,
the state education commissioner.
The amended budget must be submitted to the state by May 19.
A similar process will unfold in Newfield.
But in the end, it may not make much of a difference.
Newfield voters turned down a budget Tuesday that would have raised the
school tax bill from $2,216 to $2,451 on a home assessed at $100,000.
According to school officials, the increase was due to rising tuition and
transportation costs, coupled with a $3 million decrease in rateables.
The district also will receive $50,000 less in rent for the Edgarton Memorial
Elementary School next year. Last year, the district received additional back
rent totalling $100,000.
Despite the defeated budget, Newfield Borough Council's budget-cutting
options may be limited.
The bulk of its school budget -- more than 90 percent -- comprises tuition
and transportation costs dictated primarily by its receiving district, Buena
Regional, said school board member John Garavento.
As a sending district, Newfield is unique in that it does not employ any
educational staff or run any programs. Instead, Buena Regional assumes that
responsibility -- at a cost.
Cuts in the remaining areas of the budget -- such as insurance, building
maintenance, solicitor and business services -- would add up to "miniscule
dollars," Garavento said.
"Between
tuition and transportation contracts, there's very little that's left open to
discussion as far as trimming," he said.
BUENA --
For the third straight year, voters shot down the Buena Regional School
District's proposed budget. This year's $30.5 million spending plan called
for some of the highest tax rate hikes in recent years for Buena Vista and
Buena residents.
In an uncontested race Tuesday, incumbents Doug Adams,
Robert James and Dave Anderson were elected to serve three-year terms on
the board.
With one district not reporting, preliminary vote totals
indicate the budget was defeated by a 599-334 vote.
In five of six Buena Vista districts, voters defeated
the proposal 375 to 189. Those figures don't include the township's East
Vineland district, where machine problems delayed the final count.
In Buena, voters rejected the budget 224 to 145.
The district's spending plan proposed school tax rate
hikes of $243 in Buena and $314 in Buena Vista for owners of homes
assessed at $100,000 -- which were greater increases than those proposed
in the past two years.
The spending plan will now go to the municipalities.
Those officials, with the school board's assistance, will decide whether
to slash the failed budget and, if so, by how much.
If school board member want to contest those cuts, then
the budget will go to state Education Commissioner William Librera for a
final ruling.
The budget defeat may not make much of a difference
because the spending plan is so bare-bones that there is little room to
make cuts, Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said.
"If people were thinking they'll get 15 cents out of it,
that's impossible," she said. "Five cents is impossible. Three cents is
impossible ... unless they want to cut people and programs."
Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello promised to do
everything in his power not to cut people or programs. "It's unrealistic
for her to predict what we can do until we've had a chance to sit down."
Meanwhile, during the day, voters were spurred to the
polls by the highest school tax rate increase in recent years and a desire
to preserve quality education.
A fear of layoffs in the district drove Cranberry Run
resident Lorraine Ralph, 65, to the polls. Six district bus drivers had
feared becoming sacrificial lambs should the budget go down.
For many, preserving the district's quality of education
was well worth the tax burden.
The budget is "something that's needed," said Minotola
resident Ron Carano, 58.
"It's going to be rough for the older people on fixed
incomes," he said. "I wish there was a way they didn't have to bear this
burden. But a working person ... they can afford it."
Parents and members of the school community also came
out to support the spending plan.
Passage of the budget, said Richland resident Ana
Rivera, 57, was necessary to sustain a school district she regards as
"wonderful." Caring teachers had once taught her children and were now
instructing her nieces and nephews, she said.
Art Mendini, 47, of Buena Vista voted in favor of the
budget because, "I have three kids enrolled in Buena schools and I live
right across the street from the high school."
A retired school teacher in the district, Carol DeMarco
of Minotola said she was uncertain if the budget would pass but believed
it should in the interest of progress -- new schools, newer programs, new
supplies.
But vested interest in the election's outcome was not
unique to the school community. It was equally important to those living
on fixed incomes.
"Nobody wants an increase no matter who you are," said
William McPeak, 68, a Cranberry Run resident who survives on a government
pension and voted against the budget.
Though seniors living in Cranberry Run do not pay school
taxes per say, their lease amounts increase if the property owner of the
adult community has to pay more in taxes.
For Maryanne Hopkins, 62, the decision was a difficult
one.
"As a senior citizen on a fixed income, having my
property taxes go up even $30 a month is a big difference," said Hopkins,
a Cranberry Run resident.
"I'm torn because our children are the next generation
and I really feel for them," she said.
Ultimately, however, her loyalties would lie with "the
old people like me."
BUENA
VISTA TOWNSHIP - The school district experienced its third budget defeat in a
row Tuesday night by a margin of almost 2-1, leaving officials to wonder what
was left to cut from an already lean budget.
A total of 599 voters voted against the budget and 334 voted for it. The
unofficial results excluded the East Vineland voting district in Buena Vista
Township where 179 people voted because of a machine malfunction. The results
were expected this morning.
"We're all disappointed because everyone worked so hard this year to try to pass
it," said Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo. "But we had some negative forces
against us as well. It's just unfortunate for the kids" because we can't
continue to cut the budget and keep programs.
"It's such a lean budget, we don't really know where it could go," she said.
The school proposed a 24.7-cent increase in the borough and a 31.9-cent increase
in the township per $100 of assessed value. Those amounts are bigger than what
taxpayers have rejected in the past two years.
And now that it has been rejected, the question that remains is what will happen
next. School officials have said previously that programs and staff may be the
only thing left to cut after trimming the budget two years in a row.
DeGiacomo said she's hoping for more help from the state when the school appears
before the state Board of Education, which could be next month.
"Otherwise, we are in trouble," she said.
The budget will go before the Buena Borough Council and the Buena Vista Township
Committee for review.
Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello has said in the past that they never
cut programs or positions.
And after voter rejection for the past two years, Chiarello already began
requesting numbers in preparation for a defeat. This starts a 30-day process
while they examine the numbers, he said.
"We've kind of known this for quite some time because of the past two years with
much smaller budget increases being turned down," he said. "We are a community
that's relatively poor, we have very few new businesses, ratables, and this is
more than most people can handle here."
Without more state aid, DeGiacomo has predicted that the district will most
likely experience tax rate increases each year.
Meanwhile, the three incumbents - two from Buena Borough and one from Buena
Vista Township - ran unopposed for the three available seats.
Douglas Adams and Robert James were each re-elected to the school board for the
borough. David Anderson was re-elected for the township.
Polling hours vary by district in Tuesday's election. Here are
polling hours for some districts:
Vineland -- 1 to 9 p.m.
Millville -- 1 to 9 p.m.
Buena Regional -- 3 to 9 p.m.
In Buena Vista and Buena, residents are about to decide whether to impose
some of the biggest tax hikes their communities have ever seen.
In Vineland, seven people are battling for four seats on the Board of
Education.
And in Millville, three incumbents face no opposition while voters face
no proposed school tax increase.
Tuesday is the annual school election, where 2,300 candidates are
competing for 1,719 seats on school boards across New Jersey and voters will
weigh in on tax proposals to support an education system that costs more
than $18 billion statewide.
Locally, no school district has more on the line Tuesday than Buena
Regional.
This district's proposed budget would raise taxes by $314 in Buena Vista
and $243 in Buena for the owner of a home assessed at $100,000.
If recent elections are any indication, Buena Regional voters will defeat
the spending plan, as they have in each of the past two years when smaller
tax hikes were proposed.
Those back-to-back defeats contributed in large measure to the latest
plan for a tax hike, Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said. Rather than making
deep cuts in recent years when the budget went down at the polls, the school
board has opted to dip into its surplus, delay vehicle purchases and put off
major preventive maintenance for its facilities, she said.
"If it doesn't (pass), it goes to the municipalities and they've cut
$250,000 and $500,000 another year, and we really don't have that,"
DeGiacomo said.
"No one likes to see people lose their jobs and no one likes to see
programs decimated, and that's why this is really a critical year," she
said. The current spending plan, for instance, retains all bus driver and
teacher's assistant positions, which some feared would be axed during the
budget process earlier this year.
Tax hikes loom for Buenas
Residents are divided on whether to OK the tax hikes the district insists
are necessary to keep up the quality of education.
Bob Haugen, 49, of Buena believes voters will defeat the spending plan.
"They are just overtaxed and we're a small community that pays too much
taxes," he said.
Buena resident George Bunker, 68, who calls himself "pro-education," said
he can afford to pay the increase.
"Education is going to have to be done and it has to be a good education
for our kids," he said. "I'll stand behind that."
Ann Mazzoli, a senior citizen living on a fixed income, wishes the
district would find other revenue sources, though she admits that's hard to
do in an area where Pinelands regulations restrict development.
"I think it's probably unfair to seniors," the 67-year-old Richland woman
said. "The prices go up and nobody gives you more money. How are you going
to pay? They'll drive you out of your house soon."
Lisa Barcia, 43, of Buena Vista said she'll support a budget "if it's for
the advantage of education, yeah, I'm sorry to say, yeah.
"I'm sorry for the old ones," she said, "but if they want to live here,
they've got to pay it."
Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello sees the last two years of budget
defeats and the latest proposed tax hikes as a frightening trend that must
be resolved. While it's important to pursue additional state aid, the
district should try to live within its means for the time being, he said.
"This is getting to a new plateau," Chiarello said. "And the problem is
it's not like this is a one-time situation. I truly believe if we don't
start looking at the situation differently, we'll be in the same boat for at
least two or three years. We're getting to something that our community has
not experienced before and will take our taxes to a new level."
To Chiarello's knowledge, the budget would represent what could be the
biggest rate increase ever in Buena Vista.
As for the tax hike under consideration in Buena, Mayor Joseph Baruffi
said: "If it's not the largest ever, it's got to be close to it."
Both mayors noted it's up to residents to make the decision.
Those voters have fewer options, however, when it comes time to choosing
school board members. The three candidates seeking re-election -- Buena
representatives Doug Adams and Robert James, and Buena Vista representative
Dave Anderson -- face no opposition on the ballot.
Taxes stable for other cities
The tax outlook is far different in two other major school systems,
Vineland and Millville, which both get Abbott aid from the state because
they've been designated as special-needs districts.
The spending plans put before voters in both cities call for stable
taxes, officials said.
Even the Board of Education ballot in Millville calls for stability.
The only candidates for three seats up for grabs are a trio of incumbents
-- Charles Flickinger, Kelli Nedohon and Michael Whilden.
In Vineland, voters will fill four school board vacancies from among a
list of seven candidates when they go to the polls.
Six people are running for three three-year terms.
Incumbents David Acosta, Allan Bernardini and Frank Giordano are running
as a slate. But unlike the municipal election, they won't appear as a single
team on the ballot.
Their challengers are a trio of first-time office seekers -- Michael
Borrero, Alberto Jimenez and Christopher Snyder.
Jennifer Webb-McRae is the lone candidate on the ballot for the one year
remaining on the unexpired term left by Bryan Romano's resignation.
Webb-McRae, making her first bid for an elected office, is running on the
incumbents' slate.
Staff writers Deborah M. Marko and Jason Alt contributed to this report.
Education: St. Augustine Preparatory School graduate; graduate of
West Point command and leadership program.
Family: Married with two children, who both attend district
schools.
Experience: Seeks his second full board term
BUENA -- Buena Regional Board of Education members promise to tackle the
No. 1 concern in the district --mushrooming school taxes -- if re-elected in
Tuesday's election.
Polls are open 3 to 9 p.m. The race is uncontested with a trio of
incumbents -- Buena representatives Doug Adams and Robert James, and Buena
Vista representative Dave Anderson -- seeking the three available three-year
seats.
James said he'll continue to pursue the district's case for additional
state aid while seeking alternative sources of funding "where it doesn't
severely impact the local taxpayer."
Currently, taxpayers are feeling the heat as they prepare to vote on a
2004-05 spending plan that calls for hefty tax hikes in both communities.
Adams agrees the tax issue needs to be addressed somehow, and he derides
the state for penalizing the school district on the basis of its high test
scores.
Education Commissioner William Librera, in a decision denying additional
funding to Buena Regional, wrote: "The Department (of Education) further
argues that Buena's test results are not chronically substandard, and that,
indeed, they are significantly better than in Abbott districts."
Adams said that's simply unfair.
For his part, Adams said, "I want to look into different ways to try to
relieve the burden of taxes on the taxpayers."
Adams, a father of four children in the district and Buena's police
chief, also promises to take a hard stance on weapons and drug violations in
the schools if re-elected.
As chairman of the board's facilities committee, James is working to
replace J.P. Cleary Middle School with a new building as part of the
district's long-range plan.
Buena Regional is outgrowing Cleary, which would be rehabilitated and
converted into an elementary school under the plan. That would allow the
district to shut down the aging Edgarton Memorial and Donini schools.
The project would involve no tax hike, officials have said, because the
district would simply extend a bond that paid for previous district
renovations.
Anderson, who has been a school board member since 1997, did not return
phone calls seeking comment for this article.
Bridgeton's Thomas Mackey, front, edged Buena's
Rob Manning in the 100 hurdles Monday afternoon.
Staff photo/Craig Matthews
Buena's Matt Duff, front, and Chris Ricci come
down the final stretch to finish 1-2 in the 1,600-meter run during
Monday's Cape-Atlantic League National Conference dual victory over
Bridgeton.
BRIDGETON -- When he was a junior last season, Buena Regional High School's
Matt Duff often found himself running only one distance race per track meet.
But Monday afternoon, in his first boys track dual meet as a senior, Duff
discovered he could be just as effective running two races in one day.
Duff won the 800 and 1,600 Monday at Jim Hursey Memorial Stadium in a crucial
dual meet against Bridgeton, spearheading the Chiefs' 72-59 win over the
Bulldogs. The victory should go a long way toward determining this year's
Cape-Atlantic League National Conference champion.
"Duff's a maniac," Chiefs coach Steve Kordos said. "He's been running
possessed all season. He runs possessed in practice; he runs possessed in
meets."
It was the third year in a row Buena has defeated Bridgeton. To get an idea
of how fierce this rivalry has become, understand these points:
· Before the 2000
season, the Bulldogs had won 115 consecutive dual meets. That year, Buena ended
the streak.
· Bridgeton has
lost three dual meets in the past four years, all three to Buena.
· The Chiefs have
lost just once in the past four years, and that came in 2001 to Bridgeton.
· The Chiefs have
won the conference title two years in a row, both times with Bridgeton breathing
down their backs.
Monday was no exception.
"We were definitely confident, but we were skeptical," Duff said. "You never
know what they could pull out. ... You can't be too confident."
Led by Duff, the Chiefs' distance squad was the difference. They swept the
800, with Vic Rivera taking second in 2:09.6 and Mark Gorgas third in 2:11.2.
They also swept the 1,600, with Chris Ricci taking second (4:59.2) and Gorgas
third (5:03.8).
Buena also went 1-2 in the 400 and 3,200. Senior Dave Ashenfelter crossed
first in the 400 in 52.6, and teammate Sean Linus followed in 55.3. Ricci
dominated the 3,200, finishing nearly 20 seconds ahead of teammate David Minsky.
Bridgeton had two bright spots in senior Marquise Williams and junior Thomas
Mackey. Williams won both sprints and the long jump with an impressive leap of
21 feet, 4 1/4 inches, while Mackey took the 110 high hurdles and the high jump,
with a leap of 5-10.
Mackey also expected to win the 400 intermediate hurdles, but was surprised
down the stretch by a surging Rob Manning, who won in 57.3 seconds. Mackey took
second in 58.2.
"This was a big loss. I fully expected us to win," said Mackey, a quadruple
winner in the same meet a year ago. "It's like, the effort wasn't there today. I
don't know what it was. I know I didn't try my hardest in the 400 hurdles. ... I
wasn't expecting (Manning) to beat me, but I knew he would come on strong."
Bridgeton won all three throwing events. Tavaris Wright threw the shot 52-6/;
James Owens hurled the discus 144-1; and Romaine Williams threw the javelin
150-2. The Chiefs' Paul Panchesine and Rich Henderson took second and third in
the shot, however, and Panchesine added a second-place finish in the discus to
keep Buena close.
Less
than a week before a school election that officials are calling critical,
school-related organizations are advertising in newspapers and mailing fliers to
parents, urging them to support the budget.
If they don't, the school superintendent warns, programs and staff may have to
go.
"It just seems as though people are very concerned, because they know if this
budget is defeated, there are very few places where we can cut," said
Superintendent Diane DiGiacomo.
The school is asking for tax hikes of 24.7 cents in the borough and 31.9 cents
in the township per $100 of assessed value. Those amounts are double the
proposed increases voters rejected in previous years.
The Buena Braves, a youth club organization that is a feeder for Buena Regional
sports, is urging its members to support the budget.
Parent-teacher organizations are calling parents to ask them to vote for the
budget.
Parents were given an opportunity at the borough Easter egg hunt and at the
Little League kickoff to explain the budget and hand out fliers.
And DiGiacomo just finished a newsletter that is being mailed to all Buena
Borough and Buena Vista Township residents.
The newsletter doesn't tell people how to vote, but encourages them to vote, she
said.
All agree that residents need to vote. School elections, which already have
notoriously low voter turnouts, have even less of a draw during uncontested
races such as this year.
The district is a poor, rural area that has few ratables to generate tax
revenue, and school officials maintain it isn't the spending that's a problem,
it's the revenue.
And after two years of trimmed budgets after voters rejected them, DiGiacomo
said she "can't see anywhere else where they would take" money from the budget
other than programs or staff.
DiGiacomo, who won't make any predictions, said she's received positive feedback
and support from the people she's spoken to, but that doesn't mean the township
and borough residents are all in favor of the budget.
"I am the eternal optimist, but I'm that way about life in general," she said.
"I believe that good always wins, and when you're doing something for 2,500
children, I think that's good."
But Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello said township officials are already
looking at the budget, readying themselves for a possible defeat. Experience
over the last two years has taught them to be prepared.
"I think generally people are supportive of our children getting the best
education possible, that's what I see," he said. "But they also have grave
concerns when there is a very large tax increase and the possibility that there
is no end in sight.
"The sentiment that I'm hearing is not positive," he said.
Chiarello repeated what he has said before: the borough and the township haven't
cut programs or staff in the past.
Meanwhile, a group of parents continues to collect signatures to petition the
state for more funding for poor, rural districts. The district is appealing to
the state Board of Education for more funding and will most likely be heard
either this month or in May.
The grass-roots organization, which has been going door to door and collecting
signatures during sporting events, has 382 signatures so far. They're still
going for more.
Michelle Thomas, who is working with the other parents to get signatures, said
the group is staying focused on advocating for state funding. But personally,
she is also trying to encourage people to vote on Tuesday.
Either way, she said, the district is in for a tax increase.
"If the budget passes now, at least we know what we're going to have and what
we're not going to have," she said. We're "damned if we do or damned if we don't
with the budget."
