Volume 2, Issue 1

April 2008

Dutch Neck PTA Legislative News

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION AND BUDGET VOTE: TUESDAY, APRIL 15

Where is the money going?

Source: West Windsor-Plainsboro

Regional School District

 

· Additional high school teaching positions due to growing enrollment.

· Additional teaching allocations for middle school due to increased enrollment.

· $1.5 million for district-wide capital projects, including $530,000 slated for the following projects at Dutch Neck: roof replacement, new ceiling tiles and lighting in 3 classrooms, and new floors in 2 rooms.

· Increases in contractual salary costs and health benefits, energy, and utilities.

· Increased transportation costs for increasing enrollment and higher fuel costs.

· Continuation of pre-K classes; these are integrated pre-school programs for special needs students and general education students for 3 and 4 year olds. This program allows students who would attend an out-of-district program to stay in WW-P, which keeps the students in district, saving the high cost of tuition and transportation.

· Budget of $153,485,729 represents an increase of 4.3 percent over the current budget.

· Tax levy increase of 3.45 percent for West Windsor residents

 

 

 

OF NOTE:

 

· This is the last year that the allocation of school taxes between West Windsor and Plainsboro will be based upon equalized property valuations.  The 2009-2010 budget will allocate taxes on a per pupil basis in each municipality, which will lessen the tax fluctuation from year to year.

· According to the recently published 2007 New Jersey School Report Card, WW-P had a per pupil cost of $12,153 in 2006-2007, within $3 of the state average of $12,150.

· The 2008-2009 WW-P proposed per pupil expenditure of $12,788 is less than that proposed by the following area school districts: Princeton ($17,290), Lawrence ($15,494), and East Windsor ($13,390).

· In December 2006, Standard & Poor’s awarded a AAA bond rating to the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, which was the first New Jersey K-12 district to receive the rating, and one of only 22 school districts in the country.

 

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES

 

In West Windsor, three candidates are running for two open seats: Ms. Mindy Fox-Heifler, Mr. Richard Kaye (incumbent), and Mr. Randall Tucker (incumbent). In Plainsboro, Mr. Alapakkam Manikandan is running unopposed.

Proposed 2008-2009 School Budget

IMPORTANT DATES:

 

April 14^th – 3PM deadline for obtaining absentee ballot application in person at the County Clerk’s office for the School Board Election and Budget Vote.

 

April 15^th – DON’T FORGET TO VOTE! Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

 

POLLING PLACES

Please Note!

 

The polling stations for School Board and Budget Elections are different than those for general elections.  The county election commissioner sends out sample ballots to each registered voter—check your ballot for the correct polling place, or go to www.westwindsornj.org, click on ELECTION INFORMATION, and look up your voting district.  Then find your polling place under ELECTION SCHEDULE. 

Vote Tallies for Recent Base School Budgets

Over the last few years, the percentage of West Windsor and Plainsboro residents voting in School Board and Budget Elections has been in decline.  The outcome of the budget vote is therefore decided by a relatively small number of votes; in recent years, by as few as 112 votes.  The Dutch Neck PTA Board endorses the budget and urges all parents to study the budget (full budget available at www.ww-p.org), to contact us with any questions you might have, and to make your voice heard on April 15th.