By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer
MARGATE -- As Margate is a Type I school district, its school budget does not go before the voters for approval. The final scrutiny and approval comes from the Margate Board of School Estimate, a group comprised of the city commissioners, the mayor, and the Board of Education president and vice president.
The proposed spending plan of $11,610,116, which carries no tax increase to property owners, went before the Board of School Estimate at a special meeting held March 30 in commission chambers.
The Margate Commissioners had been appraised throughout the budget planning stage what would be included in the spending plan and had the opportunity for questions and input at that time.
When it came time for the vote, Mayor Vaughan Reale began by reading a statement spelling out why he was voting against the budget as proposed. Reale reasoned that with schools being used at 66 percent of capacity -- the schools were built to accommodate 880 students and currently house 580 students in three buildings -- the district needs to consider how it should proceed should school enrollment continue to drop.
Reale said the district entertain the idea of closing one of the three schools. The mayor asked for a cohort survival study to plot the expected enrollment trend. He also said the district should work to develop a plan for closing one school if needed, yet keep it ready to go back to a school if necessary, and execute a capacity study to establish a benchmark enrollment figure at which point the district would begin to plan for the closing of a school.
Reale said he made the same recommendations to the Board of Education, but the board did not include funding for any of his proposals in the budget. Reale added that he would make a recommendation to his fellow commissioners that the city fund a capacity study of the school facilities.
Commissioner Sigmund Rimm approved the budget and had words for the mayor as well.
Rimm said he would prefer that the Board of Education take the lead on any studies that need to be undertaken, and that studies are funded by the Board of Education as well. Rimm said for the city to fund a capacity study is like the city trying to take over the school board.
“We have bright and intelligent people on that board, many of them appointed by the mayor, and we should let them come to the decision,” said Rimm.
Commissioner John Swift also voted to approve the school budget. He called the no vote by Reale political.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, residents weighed in on both sides.
Bill Potts said the budget represents “a perpetuation of the status quo.” He urged that the budget be rejected and advised planners to go back, make cuts, and find efficiencies.
John Sewell called for the entire school board to step down, for kindergarten to go to half-day, and for an end to the preschool program – all in the name of saving money.
One resident accused the commissioners of “rubber stamping” the school budget. Reale responded to that accusation by saying, “This is not a rubber-stamp process, nor was it last year.”
On the other side of the fence were parents such as Eva Garos, who said, “We could have gotten a bigger house in Egg Harbor Township, but we moved here for the schools. By cutting our budget you are taking away the tools the teachers need to have. Stop the witch hunt here in our schools.”
She had harsh words for residents who didn’t share her sympathies.
“I have a suggestion for those of you who are in favor of cutting our budget – try moving.”
Arguments went back and forth, but in the end, the no vote from the mayor proved largely symbolic, as it was the only negative vote and the budget was approved.
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