JACKSON – Board of Education members are anxious to learn whether New Jersey will modify its state aid funding, which left the district with a $1.3 million shortfall. The board plans to introduce its school budget at 6:30 p.m. on March 19 at the board’s administration building.
On Feb. 19, the board will be hearing from department heads from its curriculum, special education, technology, guidance, co-curricular, athletics, facilities/capital projects and transportation as part of the process to prepare its budget. The Board will hold a public hearing on its spending plan on April 30 at the Jackson Memorial High School.
Superintendent Stephen Genco discussed the district’s mid-year-review of its goals for the future. He said one of the main goals of the district was to enhance student engagement.
Genco noted that the district had moved forward on school security issues through the passage of its November 2018 ballot question which called for the hiring of six additional security officers. He said the new officers would start to be hired in January and that most were retired police officers.
Other areas the district will continue to look at are math and science curriculum for 6th to 12th grade students and expanding student mental health programs.
The district is also looking at bids for a satellite transportation facility that would be based on district owned property.
“When we were running 80 busses it was great but we now have 200 busses and it is stretched beyond our needs,” Genco said of the current facility.
Allison Erwin, the district’s communication manager, said the district would be getting more innovative regarding attracting more bus drivers to the district.
Genco said the district currently has 20 to 25 drivers. “We have our routes covered but we are looking at expanding our pool of drivers and we are short one mechanic right now.”
Assistant Superintendent Nicole Pormilli reported that school attendance could be better. “We’re working with positive proactive approaches.
“We still have some work to do in some places but obviously we have already accomplished a lot. This Board of Education has always been aggressive with their goals and for the most part we’ve achieved them so you are to be commended because looking at other Boards, sometimes they have one or two goals and one goal is communication with the community and I think we do that pretty well.”
Late last year the board heard John Swisher of the auditing firm Suplee, Clooney and Company, Westfield who went over the district’s 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
Board member Michael Walsh asked what was taking the state so long to release its figures.
Swisher said, “I would be here another half an hour just to explain that but here is the short version: I can tell you this, I know New York and Alabama have their numbers already but I’m sure there are other states that are far behind in this.
“I am a little disappointed New Jersey isn’t further along with it. The business office knows what to do in terms of getting into your budget cycle for next year. You have a very clean management report and have all the information you need, you just don’t have the actual books to look through yet,” Swisher told the board.
