Well, first the Bad News - looks like Jerry 'Needs to Step-down' Shi and his Band of Taxpayer Relief Money Marauders are proposing yet another in a long-line of Out-of-Control $pending School Budgets.
This Preliminary School Budget is $$262.8 million, which is up $12.1 million or 4.8% over last year's $250.7 million. It takes the school tax rate up to $3.112 (Per $100), which is 6.8-cents or 2.2% over last year's $3.044 (Per $100). And, if you noticed, they actually charged us $3.045 for the school tax on last year's tax bills.
That $12.1 million $pending increase includes such thingies as Instruction $4.2 million, Transportation $3.4 million, School Administration $1.3 million - but where these increases sit now really doesn't matter as you'll read down below about their ability to move money around.
That 2.2% increase in the school tax rate is net of an increase of $6.4 million in $pending or 2.95% and an increase in the Ratables of $50,521,717 or 0.72%.
So, if you live in that imaginary home assessed at $178,300 - you'll see your school tax bill go up by another $121.00. If you don't live in that imaginary home assessed at $178,300, then simply take your home's assessed value divided by 100 and multiply that number by $.068 and you'll get your school tax increase (or simply enter your assessed value in the calculator down below).
Now, when you look at this budget, you should recognize that's it's really not a true budget where they publicly measure and report their performance against what they said they were going to do and what they used to set the school tax rate.
It's just a 'Big Fat, Bloated Pot of Money' where they can move money around different accounts pretty much at will.
1. It's a document they use simply to generate an annual school tax rate and share with the public. In the words of former Super Dr. Richard "Looking for the Exit Ramp" O'Malley when school budgets were up for public vote - it's a number (Local School Tax Levy) you're voting on (Not a School Budget).
2. It's a document that's prepared on a fiscal year basis (July 1 - June 30) and then converted to a calendar year basis to generate a calendar year school tax rate, which nobody takes the time to explain.
3. It's a document that never shows the actual performance against it - yet it's used to set the school tax rate every year.
4. It's a document that substitutes the prior year budget numbers in the current year budget using the actual numbers as of February 1, 2019 - not the actual budgeted prior year budget numbers. The theory is you get a better comparison for the current year's budgeted numbers. Maybe so, but of course, that theory also leaves a gaping hole in what doesn't get shown and can be hidden (without disclosure) between July 1 and February 1 - hence, the 'Staffing Shell Game.'
You can easily see this if you pull up the Staffing Summary (page 32) and compare the 2018-19 column (in the current 2019-20 school budget) to the 2018-19 column from a copy of last year's 2018-19 school budget. If you do that, you'll see that in this year's school budget - they're asking for an increase of 32 heads from 2,063.5 to 2,095.5. But wait, if you look at last year's school budget, the 2018-19 column had total heads of 2,059.5 not 2,063.5.
Welcome to the Board of Mythomania's 'Staffing Shell Game' where they hire non-budgeted personal during the current school year and fail to report and disclose it to you in these school budgets. What, you say - it's only a net of 4 heads. When you look at the detail, you find they added 8 non-budgeted assistant principals, 6 non-budgeted teachers, 2 non-budgeted Certified & Registered Nurses, a Security Director and so on - offset by some reductions in staffing to some Para's, Drivers and Secretaries.
Not for nothing but you just gotta ask yourself - where did all that money come from to pay for all these non-budgeted heads?
Don't think this stuff is important or the numbers aren't big enough, then go back and read some prior posts on this and see how many non-budgeted personnel were brought on over the years without disclosure in these school budgets, while asking yourself where did all that money come from if it wasn't budgeted.
5. It's a document that shows how they actually Hoard Taxpayer Relief Money that was Meant to Reduce the School Tax Burden but kept instead and shows some numbers that simply aren't accurate or are at best misleading.
You can easily see this if you look at the 'Other Anticipated Revenue' (page 33) in the 2019-20 School Budget. See the column that says Revised Budget 2018-19? Well, that represents all the money that came in AFTER the 2018-19 school tax rate was set. That's $4,794,479 in Hoarded money. If you look up at the State-aid numbers, you'll see the additional $3.5 million in State-aid they got last year and didn't use to Reduce the School Tax Rate but Kept!
The actual increase for the 2019-20 school year in 'Other Anticipated Revenue on this page is only $4,345,041.
Well, if $4,345,041 is the increase we expect for the 2019-20 school year, then why does the Summary page (page 2) show 'Other Anticipated Revenue' increasing by $9,139,520? We're not getting an increase in the 2019-20 school year of $9,139,520.
Because the Hoarders that be are using all that Hoarded Tax Relief Money to fund the Increased $pending. They took that $4,794,479 (above) and $1,366,621 from the $4,345,041 they anticipate receiving in the 2019-20 school budget and used it to fund the increased $pending in this year's school budget.
That's $6,161,100 in funds meant to Reduce the School Tax Rate and used to fund their 'Out-of-Control $pending Increases. The purpose of State-aid is to help Reduce the Tax Burden - Not to be used to Increase $pending in a subsequent year.
Nice, isn't it?
If you cut that $4,794,479 out of the $pending increase in this school budget and they should, the school tax increase in this budget would drop in half. Time to Stop increasing the Bloat and Fat in these budgets that grow exponentially by the 2% cap every year. Make them do their job and eliminate all the unnecessary $pending over there or just cut the $4.7 million and let them eat off the all the Bloat they have stored up over the years.
Here's how you can see it if you like pics instead of words:
6. It's a document, to paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, that 'Really tells it like it ain't.'
Next, the Worse News - those on the Board who vote to continue this unnecessary attack on the pocketbooks' of the residents and taxpayers of Edison and not recognize and cut out the obvious excess $pending in this budget will be many for sure - and you should remember who they are the next time you go the polls.
Finally, the Worst News! A Board that fails to recognize and see how Bad these School Budgets really are (and how Badly the resident/taxpayers stakeholders are being treated) or continue to look at these school budgets with eyes wide shut - will be the same Board that will soon put forth a Humongous Bond Referendum with the same eyes wide shut.
And that should Really..Really Scare You!
Here's where you can find out what this school budget will cost you. Enter your home's assessed value and find out what this 2019-20 School Budget will do to the School Tax portion of your Property Tax Bill:
And here's the Board of Mythomania's Preliminary 2019-20 School Budget for you to see and review:
Not sure anyone would disagree that we all want to give our Kids the best education possible - but that also has to be the best possible education within our means. That requires Oversight by the Board that assures us that every dollar we spend is spent wisely and efficiently and a Board that doesn't think of the residents/taxpayers as just a necessary annoyance to be used as a bottomless cash pit, when needed to fund their ineffectiveness.
Anyhoo, since you don't get to vote anymore on these annual 'Bloated, Pot of Money attacks on your pocketbook, then you just might want to make sure you get Board Members on there who will actually do something about what goes on over there on Mythomania Lane and deal with the inefficient, unnecessary and Out-of-Control $pending - year after year, after year, after year...
