P'burg district trying to fix busted budget Meetings take a look at spending as slight increase in state aid leaves $10 million hole. Monday, January 28, 2008 • By ANDREA EILENBERGER • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | Phillipsburg School District officials are rolling up their sleeves and working to find ways to bridge what could be a $10.1 million shortfall in the 2008-09 budget. Last week, the school board Budget and Finance Committee met twice for a total of about nine hours and began reviewing school-based spending plan requests. At least two more meetings are planned to finish poring over the remaining budgets and identify potential cuts. "One of the problems is that the state's giving us a moving target," school board President Paul Rummerfield said. Many questions remain surrounding Gov. Jon S. Corzine's new school funding plan, which essentially eliminates the Abbott designation for Phillipsburg and 30 other poor districts in the state. Abbott status is the result of a series court cases requiring the state to ensure needy districts are on par with the wealthiest. It is still unclear how certain budget-related measures will be handled without Abbott status. Last year, Phillipsburg received about 70 percent of its $61 million budget from the state. Corzine's plan gives the Phillipsburg district a 2 percent increase, the lowest possible, next year. "We have to be prepared for the worst case," Rummerfield said. Aside from answers to the new formula, the state has not provided all of the financial figures the district needs to prepare its budget, like some charter school tuition totals and state facility tuition, Business Administrator Bill Poch said. The state doesn't permit school districts to increase the tax levy more than 4 percent over the previous year, but they can apply for several exemptions to bypass that cap. If that is the Phillipsburg district's intent, officials must submit their plan to the county school superintendent by Feb. 15. Rummerfield said while cuts are going to be necessary, it is premature to indicate where they might come from. He also said the committee hasn't seen all of the budget requests. Principals of each school and budget managers were asked to submit flat-funded spending plans and told officials would look for ways to reduce them by as much as 15 percent. Rummerfield said although some recommendations have been offered, no decisions have been made and the whole board has yet to discuss specifics. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.