Tuesday, January 22, 2013
A recap of recent issues and discussions, ahead of next week's BOE meeting.
It's a busy time in the South Orange-Maplewood School District, as the Board of Education (BOE) is in the thick of budget discussions for the 2013-14 school year. The board has been discussing the upcoming budget since the beginning of this school year. The next board meeting is on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. (in the District Meeting Room at 525 Academy St.) If you'd like to get up to speed before then, here is a brief summary of what's going on in the district: State of the District Superintendent Brian Osborne recently gave his annual State of the District address; for more information click here. International Baccalaureate/Middle Years Program The district is currently training teachers and staff in anticipation of launching the IB/…
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Issues include the 2% budget cap, reregistration, the Montrose School and more.
The South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education passed the 2013-14 District Goals on Monday night by a 7-1 vote, after adding amended language regarding a 2% cap on the operating budget. Board member Madhu Pai was the lone dissenting vote; member Wayne Eastman was absent and was unable to vote. Before the vote, the board voted to amend a milestone for the 2013-14 school year regarding budgeting. The old language read: "Approve 2013-14 operating budget with a year-over-year tax impact not greater than 2% for the operating budget. In the case of extenuating circumstances, such as the loss of state aid, banked cap may be used." The new language, which will replace the bolded sentence, is: "Should, after exhausting all feasible options to …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The Board of School Estimate meets 7:30 p.m. on March 28 to vote the $100 million-plus school tax levy for 2012-13 up or down.
- GOVERNMENT
- Mary Mann
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
As the South Orange-Maplewood School District looks to raise more than $100 million in taxes to support the 2012-2013 school budget approved by the Board of Education earlier this month, it is uncertain whether or not the Board of School Estimate will vote to approve the tax levy this evening. The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education approved a 2012-2013 school budget of $114.9 million on March 12. The Board of School Estimate will vote on the proposed $101,959,453 tax levy to support the budget at a public meeting on March 28. Members of the BSE — which has the power to vote the levy up or down — indicated that the votes may not be there at a meeting on March 14 because, although the Board of Education approved a budget within the 2…
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Maplewood and South Orange have been debating whether to strengthen or abolish the BSE.
With the recent discussion over moving the Board of Education elections in South Orange and Maplewood, another question has emerged: what should the district do with the Board of School Estimate? The Board of School Estimate (BSE) is a body made up of three South Orange elected officials and three Maplewood elected officials, as well as Board of Education members. While the Board of Education approves the budget, the BSE’s main task is to approve the school budget tax levy each year. Fast-tracked state legislation allowing the district to move the November elections (a moot point this year since the South Orange Board of Trustees and the Board of Education did not support such a move for 2012) would keep the Board of School Estimate, but …
Mary Mann
4:16 pm on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I looked on the district website too — as well as the Maplewood Township website. It seems that neither owns the information for this one-of-a-kind governing body. District staff have confirmed, however, that Daugherty and Eastman are the BOE reps on the BSE and Wren-Hardin is the alternate. more ›