Piscataway Board of Education
State Aid History 2009-10 $16,802,641 2010-11 $11,974,697 $4.8 million cut in state aid 2016-17 $15,911,190 $891,000 below 2009-2010 levels 2017-18 $15,911,190 Still down $891,000 from 2009-2010 levels
Where are we today? District administration has worked hard to identify efficiencies and restore the staff and initiatives that were cut in 2010-2011. Over the past six years, we have hired classroom teachers and followed class size guidelines in Board policy Grades K-3: 22-25 students per class Beginning in 2017-2018, Grades 4-8: 22-28 students per class We restored Spanish teachers and fulltime counselors to K- 5’s, added digital literacy, and appointed administrators
Where are we today? Summer and Saturday support programs have been revised and restored. Restored and expanded middle school and freshman athletics. Projected 2017-2018 MS athletics expenditures are increased in this budget to $160,000. High school activity bus runs were restored.
Our School Funding Reality Piscataway continues to be underfunded. We receive $2,198 per pupil instead of $4,571, which is our fair share. South Brunswick, East Brunswick, Old Bridge, South Plainfield, Highland Park, and Dunellen all get more state aid per pupil. Some districts get more than 100% of their fair share. Taxpayers pick up approximately 80% of our operating budget. Legislature has 100 days to “fix” the problem; given our history in New Jersey, what are chances of that happening? Staff still deserve and expect to be compensated fairly and comparatively with fully funded districts.
Revenue Background Tax Levy Cap Tax levy can only increase 2% with minimal exceptions (i.e. health care costs, large spikes in enrollment). The health care cost exception for the 2017- 18 budget year is approximately $650,000. Banked Cap The ability to exceed the 2% tax levy cap is accumulated each year if tax levy increases are below the maximum allowable increase. There is approximately $925,000 in banked cap and exceptions available for the 2017-18 budget year.
Property Ratables Property Ratables Matter Following the downturn in the economy and resulting decrease in property values at the beginning of the decade, property values have increased each of the past five years. The 2017 ratable base is now $6.3 billion. Residential properties increased in 2017 while industrial properties decreased. Industrial properties accounted for the majority of the ratable increase in 2016.
What Drives Our Budget? State and Federal mandates Enrollment Staffing needs Strategic Plan Salaries and benefits CCSS and PARCC Technology
Budget “Givens” Special education costs will increase Health care and pension costs will increase Transportation costs will increase Bilingual and ESL costs will increase Extraordinary aid is an estimate As we focus dollars in the classroom, facility upgrades often get postponed.
Comparative Spending District ranks below the State Average and State Median per pupil costs for its comparable enrollment group in most categories. Key indicators: Indicators State Average Piscataway Total Spending per pupil $19,470 $16,309 Budgetary cost per pupil $14,604 $12,093 Support Services cost per pupil $2,374 $1,745 Administrative cost per pupil $1,496 $1,126 Operation and Maintenance of Plant cost per pupil $1,744 $1,391 Ratio of Students to Administrators 159.7 169.1 Ratio of Students to Educational Support Personnel 76.9 91.2
Enrollment History and Projections Actual student enrollment in 2011-2012 was 7,285 students. Enrollment has remained steady over the past five years: 7,270 students in 2016-17 Demographic report projects 7,503 students in 2021-22, largely a result of residential development in town.
Maintenance of Educational Program Readers/Writers Workshop – Teachers College Orton Gillingham training for RTI – Tier 2-3 support specialists (26) Jump Ahead, Accuplacer, AP Summer Institute, Tier 3 Literacy Academy, after-school tutoring at all grades Go Math – grades 1-6 & Accelerated Math 7 Next Generation Science Standards – Grades 6-12 implemented, K-5 in 17/18 – new instructional methods Visual and Performing Arts at all grade levels
Maintenance of Educational Program (cont’d) LEAP, STEM (grades 4-8), American Repertory Ballet, Behaviorists, Middle and High School Athletics Content specialists in ELA, Math, and Sped Six Teaching Assistants at High School Curriculum writing – science, language arts, algebra (build online resources ourselves) Summer Teacher Academies – Readers Workshop, Go Math, science Increased allocation for school libraries – 20%
Maintenance of Educational Program (cont’d) Technology usage continues to increase in our classrooms: iPads, techbooks, etc. Parents: Genesis, website, email, etc. iPads – new machines for 8 th graders, older machines to K-3 for ELA and Math Laptop carts and projectors at PHS. Laptops for staff at the Intermediate and Middle School levels to facilitate instruction. Storage servers to accommodate data and email.
Special Education Programs New In-District Programs Add 5 th Autistic class at Eisenhower Add 2 nd BD class at Knollwood
2017-2018 Staffing Revisions POSITION REDUCTION POSITION ADDITION 3 Elem teachers 2 Elem Special Teachers 1 Middle School Teacher 1 K-3 Autistic teacher 1 K-3 BD teacher 1 HS Security Guard HS Summer Strength & Conditioning, Asst. Winter Track MS cross country, wrestling, track and field, soccer
Operational Needs One 54-passenger bus and one 24 passenger van Security Public Address system upgrades Security camera storage upgrades Locker replacement/repair in some areas
Maintenance Projects Paving Project Selected driveways, parking lots, and playgrounds throughout the District PHS – F100 door replacement Conackamack – Exit door replacement Quibbletown – Paint hallway lockers Arbor – Replacement of 2 exit doors Eisenhower – Carpet removal and tile installation in the Media Center Grandview – Floor replacement in 2 rooms Randolphville – Replacement of cafeteria floor
Maintenance Projects Carpet removal and tile installation in classrooms and offices Dedicated staffperson for painting projects will continue Hallways and classrooms throughout the District School marquees Building Assessment for Long Range Facility Planning
SDA ROD Grant Projects Efficient management of budget has funded local share of approved SDA ROD grant projects Approximately $9-11 million of projects completed over a four year period. Projects that improved safety, infrastructure and efficiency.
Current ROD Grant Projects HVAC Upgrades in 7 schools and Fellowship Farms Roof Replacement completed in Summer 2016 PHS ADA Bathroom Upgrades 9 sets of bathrooms throughout the school Expected to begin May 2017 PHS Exterior Metal Panel replacement project is under review
Ongoing Challenges Supports & interventions for underperforming students Shortage of qualified teachers in certain content areas Time & funding for professional development Need for comprehensive psychological support services for families Housing Projects under construction Facility upgrades & Security
State Aid History 2009-2010 $ 16,802,641 2010-2011 $ 11,974,697 2011-2012 $ 13,908,195 2012-2013 $ 15,212,103 2013-2014 $ 15,562,804 2014-2015 $ 15,709,704 2015-2016 $ 15,709,704 2016-2017 $ 15,911,190 2017-2018 $ 15,911,190
2017-2018 State Aid State Aid for the General Fund is further reduced by the Debt Service Assessment and payments to Charter Schools 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 State Aid $ 15,709,704 $ 15,911,190 $15,911,190 $ 243,505 Debt Service $ 243,505 $ 243,505 Assessment Payment to Charter $ 195,899 $ 247,030 $ 306,584 Schools Net State Aid $15,270,300 $ 15,420,655 $ 15,361,101 Net Incr/(Decr) $ 150,355 ($ 59,554) Piscataway Township Schools continues to do more with less!
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