Budgets cut after rejections Officials respond after school budget fail to win support in 10 districts. Sunday, May 07, 2006 • By LYNN OLANOFF • The Express-Times Voters in 10 Warren County school districts shot down budgets last month, and municipal officials in four of those districts have answered the voters with budget cuts. Subcommittees of municipal officials in two other districts -- Warren Hills Regional and Washington Borough -- have voted for cuts. But the full governing bodies still must approve the cuts. Municipal officials in Greenwich, Hardwick and Mansfield townships voted to maintain their respective school district's full budget. Oxford officials will meet on their township's failed school budget Wednesday. Municipal officials have until May 18 a full month after the April 18 school budget election to approve or cut the failed school budgets. Blairstown Township School District The township committee voted Wednesday to cut $10,000 from the district's $7.8 million budget. The cut will reduce spending on health benefits by $4,500, general supplies by $3,000 and capital equipment by $2,500. Blairstown residents defeated the district's $4.3 million local tax levy 374-361. A taxpayer in an average assessed home of $200,000 will save about $4. The new increase on the school's tax rate of 91 cents per $100 of assessed home value will be about 3 cents instead of 3.2 cents, Superintendent Michael Feeney said. A resident living in an average assessed home will pay about $1,880 instead of $1,884 before the cuts. "This was a very difficult budget to cut," Mayor Steve Lance said. Feeney said he was glad the cuts wouldn't affect education, but is concerned about unplanned costs. Greenwich Township School District The township committee voted Thursday to maintain the district's $14 million budget. Greenwich residents had defeated the district's $6.5 million local tax levy 298-232. The committee had considered cutting $85,000, including the cost for one teaching position, but then members decided they couldn't cut a teacher with the school's growing population, Mayor Bill Kanyuck said. "When you take the teacher out of the equation it wouldn't have had much of an impact on the taxpayer," he said. Without any cuts, the school's tax rate of $1.22 per $100 of assessed home value will increase 5.3 cents, school Business Administrator Annette Edmonds said. Taxes on a home assessed at $400,000 would be about $5,092, up from $4,880 last year. Hardwick Township School District The township committee voted Wednesday to maintain the district's entire $2.1 million budget. Hardwick residents defeated the district's $1.5 million local tax levy 84-70. "Even though the voters said they don't approve the budget, the committee took a good look at it and found no places to cut," Deputy Mayor Joseph Dunn said. "Because we're a sending district, we basically just pay a tuition. We have no say in Blairstown expenses." Without cuts, the tax rate of 95 cents per $100 of assessed home value will be maintained at the same rate as last year, school Business Administrator Molly Petty said. Taxes on an average assessed home of $250,000 will be about $2,375, the same as last year. Reporter Al Slavin can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aslavin@express-times.com. © 2006 The Express-Times. Used with permission.