Assemblyman Calls for Reform in City Schools to Ensure Taxpayer Dollars Are Not Wasted
Assemblyman Dave Rible today called for an assessment of school aid in Asbury Park to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being properly utilized and to justify proposed layoffs of school employees.
“Other school districts are fully operating on significantly smaller budgets than in Asbury Park without instituting massive layoffs, ” said Rible. “During this recession it is vital that we prevent future job loss while ensuring tax dollars are being used efficiently.”
Rible’s request comes in response to an article that was published in the Asbury Park Press, which stated that the Asbury Park Board of Education has proposed layoffs for 62 teachers and staff as part of their 2009-2010 budget.
“Trenton is telling our towns that the only way to save money is to merge schools, ” said Rible. “Before we start forcing school districts to merge we need to look a little deeper at some of our districts to see if taxpayer dollars are being mismanaged.”
In the letter sent to Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy and state financial monitor Mark Cowell, the legislator requested a detailed account of all monies received by the district including local property taxes and state funding as well as a detailed itemization of how those funds were expended.
“I am sure you would agree that we need to explore all avenues in order to effectively save taxpayer dollars, ” he wrote. “Therefore, I ask that you provide this information so that we can ensure that all taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and to demonstrate that these layoffs are in fact necessary.”
Asbury Park currently receives nearly $58 million in school aid funding. According to the Department of Education’s 2009 Comparative Spending Guide, the district is spending more than $24,000 per pupil.
Link to Post:
http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/rible/rible-requests-review-of-asbury-park-school-funding/2748
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