Buena school board
will decide on cuts 5/19/06
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP Buena Regional School District officials said they are
reviewing the proposed $1 million in cuts to their budget and will soon decide
whether they will appeal or accept the suggestions.
On Wednesday night, the municipal councils from Buena Vista Township and Buena
Borough suggested 19 different reductions that would reduce their school taxes
to 29 and 24 cents, respectively.
Both Mayors Joseph Baruffi and Chuck Chiarello said they hoped the million
dollar figure would send a message to Trenton.
Buena Regional Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo said she wasn't sure who would
hear the message, though.
We agree that the state's funding should be revised, and that the money should
follow the students, she said. But asking for a million (dollars) from our
budget, I don't know how significant that is to the state.
This figure is the most severe paring to come to the district's budget in the
past five years it has been defeated by voters at the polls. In past years, the
municipal councils have asked the school district to remove about $500,000 and
$700,000.
Business Administrator Tom Kearney said the proposals will be sent to school
board members, who will also review them and make a decision in an upcoming
special session. A decision to appeal would have to be made in 10 days.
Six maintenance projects, totaling about $215,000, are on the cutting block. It
is those cuts that DeGiacomo and Kearney said could possibly hurt the most.
There is also $300,000 taken from employee benefits, which school officials said
they were prepared for. Kearney said the district recently negotiated savings in
that area with the insurance carriers.
As a result of past cuts over the years, about a dozen positions in the district
weren't replaced, some athletic programs weren't offered, and some educational
materials weren't updated.
This time around, overall, it's just a lot of money, said DeGiacomo.
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Buena schools ponder
cuts to $30M budget 5/19/06
The Buena Vista Township Committee and Buena Borough Council recommended cuts
in the amount of $1.014 million on the school budget.
For complete details go to:
www.thedailyjournal.com
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Buena Regional
told to cut $1M. from its budget 5/18/06
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP Municipal officials proposed that the Buena Regional
School District cut a little more than $1 million from the budget this year.
The district's school funding figures have come before the Buena Vista Township
Committee and the Buena Borough Council for five straight years, the same number
of times voters defeated the budget at the polls.
In those five years, the school district has been given the same amount of aid
from the state.
Buena Regional's budget stands at about $11.05 million after the cuts.
The single largest reduction came in medical benefits for district employees.
The two councils agreed to remove $300,000 from that line item.
Several of the officials said it was their goal not to cut any personnel or
programs that would directly affect the students. Many also said they hoped the
million-dollar figure would send a message to the state Department of Education.
In our opinion, it's not Buena Regional, or the Buenas that failed the state,
but it's the state that failed the schools and the Buenas, said Buena Borough
Mayor Joseph Baruffi.
Before the specific line items were announced, Baruffi chronicled the history of
the school district's legal and political fight to get funds as a special needs
district. A court decision recently said they are eligible for the funds, but no
money has come.
Both Baruffi and Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello said there needs to
be reforms in the way the state funds schools.
Another major cut came in maintenance and repairs. The councils proposed six
cuts totaling $215,000.
School district officials have 10 days to decide whether to accept the cuts or
to appeal them to the county and state.
If the proposed cuts were accepted, school taxes would reduce 11 cents in Buena
Borough to 24 cents total and 13 cents in Buena Vista Township to 29 cents total
per $100 of assessed valuation, Chiarello said.
Also, a recent referendum approving the construction of a new middle school will
add 8 cents to taxes in the next two years, Baruffi said.
As a result of the cuts over the past few years, the school district was unable
to replace 11 staff members after the spots become vacant, could not upgrade
some educational materials and had to cut some sports.
The councils also proposed a $30,000 cut for retiree and sick benefits, $170,000
for transportation and $72,000 for a technology consultant.
Chiarello said the councils looked to only make cuts on items that were
receiving excess funds the previous year
Some officials are talking about moving polls for the school budgets to
November, which Township Committeewoman Sue Barber said could draw more voters.
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP Municipal officials proposed that the Buena Regional
School District cut a little more than $1 million from the budget this year.
The district's school funding figures have come before the Buena Vista Township
Committee and the Buena Borough Council for five straight years, the same number
of times voters defeated the budget at the polls.
In those five years, the school district has been given the same amount of aid
from the state.
Buena Regional's budget stands at about $11.05 million after the cuts.
The single largest reduction came in medical benefits for district employees.
The two councils agreed to remove $300,000 from that line item.
Several of the officials said it was their goal not to cut any personnel or
programs that would directly affect the students. Many also said they hoped the
million-dollar figure would send a message to the state Department of Education.
In our opinion, it's not Buena Regional, or the Buenas that failed the state,
but it's the state that failed the schools and the Buenas, said Buena Borough
Mayor Joseph Baruffi.
Before the specific line items were announced, Baruffi chronicled the history of
the school district's legal and political fight to get funds as a special needs
district. A court decision recently said they are eligible for the funds, but no
money has come.
Both he and Buena Vista Township Mayor Chuck Chiarello said there needs to be
reforms in the way the state funds schools.
Another major cut came in maintenance and repairs. The councils proposed six
cuts totaling $215,000.
School district officials have 10 days to decide whether to accept the cuts or
to appeal them to the county and state.
If the proposed cuts were accepted, school taxes would reduce 11 cents in Buena
Borough to 24 cents total and 13 cents in Buena Vista Township to 29 cents total
per $100 of assessed valuation, Chiarello said.
Also, a recent referendum approving the construction of a new middle school will
add 8 cents to taxes in the next two years, Baruffi said.
As a result of the cuts over the past years, the school district was unable to
replace 11 staff members after the spots become vacant, could not upgrade some
educational materials and had to cut some sports.
The councils also proposed a $30,000 cut for retiree and sick benefits, $170,000
for transportation and $72,000 for a technology consultant.
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Towns call for $1M
cut in Buena Reg. budget 5/18/06
At Wednesday nights meeting the two governing bodies each unanimously passed
a resolution suggesting the cuts be made to the failed spending plan which was
rejected by residents.
For complete details go to:
www.thedailyjournal.com
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Buena school board
unable to resolve cuts 5/17/06
Tuesday night after hours of negotiating the school board, Buena Vista
Township and Buena Borough were unable to come to an agreement about what should
be cut from the school budget.
For complete details go to:
www.thedailyjournal.com
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Buena Regional's big party 5/6/06
Buena Regional High School held their prom at Merighi's Savoy Inn in East
Vineland on Friday night.
For complete details go to:
www.thedailyjournal.com
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St. Augustine Prep
moves forward with expansion
On Thursday, May 4th, St. Augustine Prep broke ground on its $22 million
expansion.
For complete details go to:
www.thedailyjournal.com
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St.
Augustine breaks ground for new building today 5/4/06
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP For St. Augustine Prep sophomore Kevin
Crowe, senior year can't come fast enough.
That's because the ice hockey player who has a fondness for science can't wait
to start using the new 100,000-square-foot, $22 million facility that the school
plans to break ground on today. It'll be the largest expansion in the school's
47-year history.
It'll be great to take AP physics in that building, said Crowe about the
facility's five proposed science labs. School officials said they hope the annex
is up and running by the 2007 school year.
Classes aside, Crowe said one of the building's best perks will be the senior
lounge. It's there that extracurricular groups can gather for meetings or
seniors can get a jump on the next day's homework.
We won't be doing that in the cafeteria anymore, Crowe said.
St. Augustine will hold a Mass at 9 a.m. for the ceremonies, and the
groundbreaking will be at 10 a.m. Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Atlantic, and Assemblyman
Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, are slated to attend, said Paul
Rodio, director of development at the school.
Some of the facilities in the new annex may be built a bit smaller and the
fountains planned for the front may not be included because of construction
costs, Rodio said.
The project's initial cost was $15 million, Rodio said, which eventually rose
because of construction and inflation costs.
School President the Rev. Paul Galetto said in a previous interview that the
school hopes to collect $5 million in a capital campaign, while the rest of the
funds will come from taking out a mortgage and low-interest loans, since the
school is tax-exempt.
School officials said the facility is a well-needed addition that will help with
rising student enrollment.
In 1999, the school had 235 students, Rodio said.
It now has 550 students and Galetto predicts that figure could rise to around
650 in upcoming years.
The building also will feature an eight-lane swimming pool, administrative
offices, a 1,500-seat gymnasium, a computer lab and a 40-seat chapel.
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