The Princeton Regional Board of Education made three particularly significant decisions at its “special” meeting last Tuesday evening. Board members unanimously approved a contract already ratified by the Princeton Regional Educational Association; unanimously chose to keep board elections in April rather than moving them to November; and, in a five-to-four vote, selected “Princeton Public Schools” as the new name for the district.
“We believe this is a fair contract for teachers, taxpayers, and the community at large,” noted Board President Rebecca Cox in her comments about the new agreement. It “comes within the tax-cap restrictions over its three year term and addresses the main concerns of the union and the Board.”
The new contract will be effective retroactively from July 2011, and runs through June, 2014.
In the first year of the contract, teachers will be frozen in their position on the salary guide, except for longevity, and will receive a cash payment based on a degree level that starts at $1,250. The second year’s increase of 2.78 per cent “takes into account higher health care contributions as mandated by the state, as well as the union’s desire to maintain the current salary guide structure,” said Ms. Cox. The third year’s increase of 2.5 percent, she added, “is offset by the phasing out of our two most expensive health care plans, which will cease to be offered after June 2014.”
“Reducing the overall cost of our health plans has been a goal of the district for many years because of the unpredictable nature of the increases from one year to the next,” noted Ms. Cox. “As part of the negotiations process and estimation of the overall cost of the contract, we have projected annual increases of 10 percent.”
Emotions ran high during the Board’s discussion of whether or not to move elections to November. A November election would have precluded an opportunity for residents to vote on the school budget. The benefits of a larger turnout for November elections and cost savings of approximately $40,000 were offset by members’ concern that political issues might cloud perceptions of school elections.
“I believe it is healthy for us as members of the Board to have to present the budget to our neighbors instead of hiding behind state-issued caps,” said Charles Kalmbach, whose prepared comments for the evening have been posted on the Board’s website www.prs.k12.nj.us.
Mr. Kalmbach noted that district initiatives, such as the current PowerUp campaign, are successful because citizens have direct knowledge of school finances and the choices the school board makes. As the economy recovers, he noted, “boards once again will have meaningful choices to make.” He described the attempt to hold a “non-partisan” election simultaneously with a general election” as “a charade.”
Ms. Cox concurred with Mr. Kalmbach’s displeasure at state controls, citing the “new rules” issued “every day” that “erode local control.”
“Princeton’s Board has a long-standing belief in local control and has a history of opposing state measures that have had the effect of pushing aside the interests of citizens and their elected officials in favor of expedience,” added vice-president Tim Quinn.
School Superintendent Judy Wilson acknowledged that moving the election was a “complex” question with many “layers,” including changes in polling places as a result of consolidation. In response to her comment about rules that would distinguish the appearance on the ballot of school board questions from other races in November, Mr. Kalmbach said that “prescribing how the typeface on the ballot should look is mismanagement.”
Noting that she was “one of the more fiscally conservative members of this Board” as well as the only “veteran of a partisan election,” Dorothy Bedford said that it was difficult for any candidate to really be heard amid the “airwaves full of messages” that surround November elections. Saying that she had come into the meeting that evening “thinking we would be safe with a November election” she reported that she had been persuaded by other board members that “that this might not be the right time.”
Ms. Wilson noted that “this is not a one-time window,” and that there will be other opportunities to revisit the question. As a result of keeping the April date, the expiration dates on school Board members’ terms will remain the same. This year’s election is scheduled for April 17.
A new name for the district was necessitated by the fact that, after consolidation, the schools will no longer comprise a “regional” district. Although the change was not required until January 1, 2013, school administration wanted to have the new name in place for the start of the next fiscal year in July of this year so that they could begin to incorporate it on an updated website, printed documents, banking transactions, etc.
The choices for the new name boiled down to just two: Princeton School District and Princeton Public Schools. An online survey elicited 537 responses from students, staff, parents, and other residents who showed a slight preference for using “Princeton School District.” The spirit implied by the word “public” ruled the day, however.
There will be a public budget workshop on Wednesday, February 22, at 7 p.m. at the Valley Road building. The next Board of Education meeting, which is rescheduled from February 21, will be on February 29 at 8 p.m. at John Witherspoon School.