Tuition
fight questioned
P'burg councilman objects. He
wants school board, not council, to handle dispute with
Warren Tech.
Monday, February 27, 206 • By SARAH CASSI • The
Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG | Councilman John Damato is
questioning town council's fight with Warren County
Technical School officials for information over the recent
decision to start charging tuition.
"Isn't this school board business? Why
are we pursuing this?" Damato asked during last week's
council's meeting. "The school board should be doing
this."
Council filed an Open Public Records Act
request on Dec. 6 for 10 items from the technical school
including meeting minutes. The information was requested so
council could investigate the school board's claim that
charging tuition is necessary.
By council's Feb. 7 meeting, the vo-tech
school had provided only three requested items and said one
requested item was not appropriate. Council Vice President
David DeGerolamo has instructed the town's attorney to
prepare a legal action plan if the vo-tech school does not
provide the additional information.
"The vo-tech board is dragging their
feet, dragging this issue down a road we didn't want to go
down," DeGerolamo said during the recent meeting.
DeGerolamo and council President Jim
Shelly said council is leading the fight because the
instituted tuition could lead to higher tax bills for town
residents.
"Right now, I just believe they're hiding
public information," Shelly said.
The vo-tech school board voted in October
to institute tuition charges. About 52 percent of the
school's budget is paid for by the county tax. The remainder
is funded with state aid and grants. But next fall, the
school board wants municipalities that send students to the
school to chip in.
Phillipsburg sends 74 students to the
technical high school, about one-fifth of the student
body.
"The board is doing a tax shift and that
affects us," DeGerolamo said. "Quite frankly, (the board)
isn't strong enough to do this."
Phillipsburg School Board President Rod
Pianelli said he didn't know if challenging school officials
about the tuition was within the board's realm.
"We're both Phillipsburg. Our
perspectives and responsibilities are very different,"
Pianelli said. "(Council) is looking at this from a business
perspective. They have to. We're looking at it from an
education perspective."
Pianelli said the board's responsibility
is to make sure Phillipsburg students get the education they
deserve at the school, with or without tuition.
Reporter Sarah Cassi can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by
e-mail at scassi@express-times.com.
© 2006 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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