Kinnelon Schools Preliminary Budget Approved

The approved a preliminary $36,385,476 budget for the 2012-13 school year Tuesday night and will be submitting it to the county for approval.

The preliminary budget is $1,170,559 higher than last year's budget but is at the 2 percent tax levy cap and will require a general fund tax levy of $31,316,023 and a debt service tax levy of $2,662,364. Last year's adopted $35,214,917 million budget was approved by voters with 1,051 votes to 794 and required a general fund tax levy of $30,701,983.

Superintendent Jim Opiekun said since the district received, the finance committee was able to work with the budget so most programs can be maintained or even expanded.

Two such examples are library services, which Opiekun said would be maintained under the preliminary budget, and middle school sports, which would be slightly expanded to also include wrestling. As far as cuts, Opiekun said after Tuesday's board of education meeting the district did have to make accommodations for declining enrollment.

Board President Margaret Zybrick encouraged board members to examine the preliminary budget and discuss it with their separate committees.

"I think they key word here is it's a tentative budget," she said.

The final budget will not be voted on by the public since the district and hold board member elections in November, however, the public will have the opportunity to ask questions about the budget before it is finalized at a public hearing on March 29. Once the preliminary budget is approved by the county, a user-friendly version of the budget will be made available through the district's website.

Opiekun said that while the district is experiencing a "change in protocol" when it comes to not having the public vote on the budget, the district will be treating the budget the same as in years past.

"We would follow our normal flow of information, despite not taking the budget to a vote," he said.