After defeat of bond proposal, Wayne school board faces 'very difficult budget cycle'
WAYNE — The rejection of a $169.8 million bond proposal for school improvements has already impacted the financial picture of the K-12 district as officials said they are now wrestling with likely budget cuts.
The outcome of the referendum last month appears to have left the Board of Education with no wiggle room in the new spending plan.
Among the ramifications facing trustees is a pause on remodeling science labs at Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley high schools.
The school board has paid for makeovers to the labs — a total of 14 rooms — for the past several years, but the district administration recommended to cut off those funds.
Donald Pavlak Jr., the school board president, said having to discontinue such important work is just one of many “tough decisions” that trustees will be forced to make.
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“It’s not going to be business as usual,” Pavlak said at the last school board meeting.
Trustees will vote on the $190.8 million spending plan on May 2. The budget does not include any projects that were contained in the bond proposal.
Voters on March 12 overwhelmingly shot down the massive funding package, which called for 63 projects. It included a proposed $44.9 million addition to the early childhood center at Preakness School.
Schools Business Administrator William Moffitt said the district cannot spend money freely on building upgrades and that funds allocated for facilities must go toward day-to-day fixes.
“This is a very difficult budget cycle,” Moffitt told trustees, “and we’re still discussing strategies to find savings.”
The main factor driving up costs, Moffitt said, is a projected increase of $9.4 million in employee benefits and wages.
The district has two reserves that it draws from for facility needs and for unforeseen expenses. Some capital projects will move ahead with funding from those accounts, Moffitt said.
The largest project, which may start this summer, is an exterior renovation to Preakness School. Trustees withdrew $4.4 million in November to cover the cost of facade repairs, a partial roof replacement and window replacements.
Other projects include chimney flue repairs at Wayne Hills, facade repairs at James Fallon School and an upgrade to the communications network at Schuyler-Colfax Middle School. Partial roof replacements are also due at A.P. Terhune, Ryerson and Theunis Dey schools.
The district received state grants to pay for 40% of the costs of those projects, which were planned well before the referendum was defeated.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne school officials coping with aftermath of failed referendum
