Ventnor City Board of School Estimate, from left, school board President James Pacanowski. Commissioner Lance Landgraf, Mayor Beth Holtzman, Commissioner Tim Kriebel and school board member Police Chief Doug Biagi.
VENTNOR – The Board of Education got a bit more than it bargained for Tuesday evening when the Board of School Estimate approved its 2019-2020 school budget.
Although the board, which is comprised of three city commissioners and two school board members, approved this year’s budget, next year will be challenging without a reduction in administrative staff, commissioners said.
The meeting raised issues that are problematic for a city in transition, including how to deal with an increase in second home ownership, declining enrollment, a diverse student body and low test scores in the elementary grades. Ventnor commissioners said they want to support the schools, but future budgets should include salaries for fewer administrators and innovative programs that address student achievement.
School Business Administrator Terri Nowotny presented the budget, stating the district has “saved taxpayers $14 million” by not raising the tax levy over the last 10 years by the 2 percent allowed by law.
Commissioner Tim Kriebel expressed concern about claiming a savings for taxpayers without cutting spending.
“There is a difference between money saved through efficiencies versus a limit not fully spent,” he said.
A bigger question is why the budget has hovered around $21 million over the last 10 years while enrollment declined from 954 students to 679 students, he said.
He acknowledged that teacher staffing has declined from a high of 92 teachers in 2009 to 80 today, mostly due to attrition, however the number of administrators remains at five for fewer students, he said.
Kriebel said the board needs to hire an independent expert to evaluate the programs offered at the Ventnor Educational Community Complex along with staffing, including the need for two principals, a superintendent, director of special education and a curriculum coordinator.
An independent evaluation could validate the administration’s approach to staffing and programming, or it could suggest changes, “but we will never know until that homework is turned in…and it is late,” Kriebel said.
School board President James Pacanowski in October suggested hiring a consultant for a third time, but the administration balked at the idea.
During the regular school board meeting on March 27, administrators presented the district’s School Performance Report, which indicated students in the middle school who have been with the district since kindergarten performed well on state assessments, but children in the elementary school, about 62 percent of whom are economically disadvantaged, did not reach proficiency.
Administrators said the test scores for third and fourth graders were low because many of the students are transient, have not been in the district long enough to benefit from programs and need basic skills training. The budget including funding to hire one additional basic skills teacher.
“The administration is top-heavy and needs to be cut to meet the financial needs of the school,” Mayor Beth Holtzman said.
Admitting she is a “numbers person,” Holtzman said that when revenue declines, expenses need to be trimmed.
Commissioners said that the deal struck on last year’s budget – to have the city absorb $9 million in bonding for the district’s five-year facilities plan – left the district with $500,000 in reserve funds to buffer this year’s tax levy.
“That $500,000 cushion won’t be there next year,” Holtzman said.
Commissioner Lance Landgraf questioned why the Atlantic County Executive Superintendent of Schools would tell the district it should raise the tax levy by 2 percent amid declining enrollment.
“We asked for a reduced tax levy. We are tightening our belts, and you must do the same,” he said. “We want to give you the tools you need, but it has to be in a responsible way.”
Ventnor Education Association President Gina Perkins thanked the board for approving the budget and said the teachers are doing the best they can with what they are given.
Perkins noted that the PARCC student report from 2013, which includes nurses, guidance counselors and members of the Child Study Team as well as teachers, shows the same student teacher ratio as this year’s report, 10:1.
“That’s commensurate with not replacing retirees, but the needs of the students are increasing,” she said. “The budget should meet the needs of the students. If you are concerned about children not being able to read, it takes money to address it, whether it be for teachers or a new reading program.”
The board voted unanimously to approve the budget, but the district “needs to find new ways of doing things,” Landgraf said. “Start now, don’t wait until next year.”
Perkins said she wants the teachers to be “part of the conversation” about how to improve student performance and in formulating the school budget.
Communication about the budget needs to be improved, everyone agreed.
“It’s not us against you, although it comes across that way,” Landgraf said.
Former educator Rose Mannel said communication between the staff, board and commission could be better.
“All of us need to work better on communicating. The small town, whisper-down-the-lane creates incredible drama that does not need to happen,” she said.
The $21.6 million budget includes a $5,216 decrease in the school tax levy, $1.1 million in surplus funds and a slight tax rate decrease. The budget maintains current educational programming and adds a basic skills teacher. The district received state funding to add another preschool class.
With an $11.5 million increase in ratables, the school tax rate will be 80.85 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, down from 87.78 cents last year. A homeowner with a house assessed at $150,000 will pay $103 less for education this year.
In other school board business, Pacanowski announced it would be his last meeting as he is stepping down when his term expires in May.
He said he was honored to serve on the board for nine years, but it was time for him to spend more time with his family.
He said he would leave with some parting suggestions, including improving communication about the budget and hiring a consultant to provide “a fresh set of eyes to figure out where we need to be.”
If the district starts looking for a consultant now, it could be ready to implement recommendations by the start of the budget process in October, he said.
He also said the district needs more basic skills teachers in the elementary grades.
“We need to get these kids reading,” he said.
