Voters Nix Berkeley Board of Ed Budget Despite Decrease

Same old, same old.

Voters here didn't break with tradition when they voted down the Berkeley  Board of Education's budget, even though it called for a slight decrease in school taxes.

"In 20 years, I think it passed only once," schools Superintendent Joseph H. Vicari said. "Even with a zero tax increase."

Voters turned down the $26,512,541 tax levy portion of the $32,022,145 budget by a vote of 2,101 to 1,929. Roughly 17 percent of the township's registered voters went to the polls, Vicari said.

Vicari and other school officials had hoped it would pass, since the amount to be raised by taxation dropped by $168,721 from last year to $26,512,541. A property owner with a home assessed at the township average of $204,100 would see a decrease of 52 cents for the upcoming budget year. The proposed school tax rate was 51.5 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation.

There were a number of factors that contributed to its defeat, said Vicari, who returned to the four-school district on April 1, after a nearly two-year absence.

Dissension on the Board of Education, a lack of voter participation and a sour economy all played a part, he said.

"One of my goals is to try and bring harmony back to the Board of Education," Vicari said. "If I had been superintendent of Berkeley schools, it would have passed."

Vicari served as superintendent for six years. A previous school board declined to renew his contract in 2008, a move Vicari has said was politically motivated by some board members and local and county Democratic organization officials. He left the district in  June 2009, when his contract expired.

The previous board appointed Arlene J. Lippincott to serve as interim superintendent. The current board authorized board attorney John C. Sahradnik to begin contract negotiations with Lippincott back in October. But in December, board President James J. Brynes and board member John Bacchione approached Vicari and asked him to return. Vicari agreed to work for free for a year. But state law requires that certified school administrators be paid a salary. So he took the minimum salary possible - $18,500, with no benefits.

While some have questioned Vicari's motives for returning, he has repeatedly said he came back solely to help the district out in difficult financial times.

"It's not long term," he said this afternoon. "By next year at this tie, I double very much I'll be here. I'm only here to help."

The proposed budget tentatively calls for the elimination of nine staff positions, including two gifted and talented teachers, two resource center teachers, one psychologist, three classroom teachers and a speech therapist. Vicari said he wants to make keeping the district's gifted and talented program intact.

"I want to be an advocate for the gifted and talented program," he said.

Right now, he can't do anything. The Township Council will review the defeated budget within the next ten days to determine where cuts, if any, can be made. Vicari said he will deal with staffing decisions after the council's review.

The proposed budget also calls for employees to contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries for health care insurance premiums, and a four-day work week for district employees during the summer. It leaves $450,000 in the district's surplus account and $550,000 in capital reserves..