Bloomingdale School Budget Could Be in Council's Hands

The fate of 2011-2012 budget could be in the hands of the borough council if official election results prove the six-vote difference between the yes votes and no votes on the budget to be definitive.

Voters headed to the polls Wednesday to vote on the k-8 district's adopted $17.3 million budget. The budget came with a tax levy of $14.3 million, but included the continuation of all existing programs and the re-installment of the basketball program. The budget also included new handwriting workbooks for grades k-3; new workbooks for math, social studies, science and spelling; new library catalog software; asbestos tile floor removal in a room at the ; and the replacement of the exterior doors at the

After the polls closed at 9 p.m. the unofficial results showed the budget received 363 yes votes and 369 no votes. Superintendent Fredda Rosenberg said the results were not definitive and that the county would still have to count absentee ballots and double check the votes.

"We will just do what we have to do," Rosenberg said Wednesday.

A representative of the Passaic County Board of Elections said it could take a week for results to become official.

According to the district's Business Administrator George Hagl, if the official results do prove that the budget was defeated, within 48 hours the district would have to deliver a defeated budget packet to the mayor and council. The packet would include a line-item version of the budget with descriptions and actual expenditures from the previous school year, a rationale explanation for major line item increases, a copy of the school district's annual progress report and more.

Hagl said that the council would then set a public meeting with the board of education where the council would suggest reductions in certain areas of the budget and to the total amount.

"The mayor and council could make certain reductions in certain areas," he said. "But the board of education is not bound to those areas." Hagl said the board would be required to reduce the amount of the budget to the amount the council suggests.

If the district does not agree with the council's reductions, Hagl said the district can further appeal to the state commissioner of education.

Rosenberg said that if the council is faced with the task of making reductions, she hopes that they are not made to programming and staffing in the district.

"I dont want to see any programs cut or staff cut," she said. "We are a very, very slim organization in terms of those kinds of opportunities for the children and I don't want anything to severly impact them." 

Rosenberg also said, "It is very discouraging that the budget was defeated by a very, very minute margin. I do hope, going forward, that the community realizes that this type of negativity adversly impacts their home values."

While the district waits to hear the official results on whether the budget passed, the district is also waiting to hear about which third write-in candidate will serve on the board of education.

ran as an incumbent for one of three open seats on the board, with two seats available for write-in candidates. While Michael Moeller received enough votes to fill one of the two seats, there is currently a tie of 22 votes each between two more write-in candidates, Maryann Rickelmann and Edward Ball Sr.

"The county clerk has to review the signatures and make a determination," Hagl said. "They were written in in various ways."

Dellaripa said Wednesday he was pleased that he won his seat, but discouraged by the defeat of the budget.

"While I am, of course, honored that the voters of Bloomingdale have granted me the privilege of continuing to serve them as a trustee on the board of education, the majority of my feelings are related to the disappointment that the budget, which the school district administration and the board of education worked diligently on, wound up failing," he said. "But, I find a little encouragement that the margin was much closer this year than last year's."

Dellaripa said this year's voter turnout, 732, was much lower than last year's 1,007.