Butler BOE Plans to Restore Positions With Tentative Budget

The adopted a tentative budget proposal for submission to the Morris County Executive Superintendent of Schools at a special meeting held at on Monday night.

The tentative budget, which still has to be advertised for a public hearing that is currently scheduled for March 26, is far from finalized, but current numbers call for a 2 percent tax levy increase. If that figure stands, the estimated increase in taxes would amount to $128 per home, according to the district’s Business Administrator Debra Naley-Minenna.

Naley-Minenna noted that the budgetary process has gone well so far this year, crediting a combination of an additional $106,000 of state aid and the success of the board of education’s negotiations team with giving the district the ability to potentially bring back positions and programs while implementing new ones and keeping taxes relatively low.

“I have never operated a budget where we were able to say ‘What’s on the wish list? Let’s put it back in place,’” Naley-Minenna said.

Among the positions tentatively projected to be added back to the district are a new librarian at and , an indoor maintenance position to assist with technological maintenance districtwide, a new Basic Skills teacher position at Aaron Decker School and an upgrade of a part-time Child Study Team position to full-time.

The board is also considering the addition of more new positions to the district. The new positions could include a part-time guidance counselor for Aaron Decker School, two part-time staff members apiece for the English and mathematics programs at Butler High School and a Special Education supervisor.

According to Cardinale, the potential to staff members, particularly to English classes, would be a positive move for the district as it aims to improve its students' scores on standardized tests, such as the SATs.

“Looking at Language Arts, if we want better reading scores and improved SAT scores, that starts in kindergarten," Cardinale said.

The board also mentioned that the basketball program at Richard Butler School which had been discontinued due to a lack of funding and competition is projected to return, according the current draft of the budget.

District Superintendent Mario Cardinale is unsure what other nearby competition would be available to Richard Butler School teams if the program is reinstated, but sees value in reinstating the program regardless.

“I’m not sure how many Morris County teams are left to compete, but we’re going to find out and put dollars in the budget to give (students) that experience,” Cardinale said.

Capital projects that would take place in the 2012-2013 school year were also included in the district’s tentative budget submission. Those projects include the installation of a new lighting system at the high school’s practice field, estimated at a cost of $10,000, and a new IP phone system for a one-time cost of $126,000.

Cardinale stated that the district’s current phone bill comes to approximately $74,000 per year, therefore an updated system would be a wise investment for the district.

“If you can do an IP phone replacement to replace some of the services, the one-time investment will recoup fairly quickly,” Cardinale said.

While the district is optimistic that its budgetary planning has put it ahead of the game, Cardinale cautioned that all of the aforementioned possibilities are still tentative. Cardinale noted that changes, including cuts, could still be made to the budget throughout the month.

“Between now and March 26, which is our last regularly-scheduled meeting for the month, the budget can be changed or moved in a number of ways,” Cardinale said.