Pearls of Wisdom

How much is Sixty Million Dollars?  Let’s try to put some perspective on this paltry sum of money!

(1) It is petty cash for Warren Buffett. 

(2) This amount is on the lower end of Bernie Madoff’s goal for ripping people off.

(3) It is two and one half years of Alex Rodriguez’s salary contract on the New York Yankees. 

(4) It is $2M more than Mark Sanchez’s contract over five years to throw a football with an ineptitude rarely witnessed in the NFL.    

(5) It is $15M less than Tom Cruise received for Mission Impossible II in 2000 for a subpar performance.

(6) It is less than the payroll of a “low budget” movie in 2013. 

(7) It is the 2013 Annual Budget for the Fort Lee Board of Education. 

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Bergen County School Budgets: 

Fort Lee         Population:  35,600               Budget:  $ 62 Million

Glen Rock      Population:  11,677               Budget:  $ 91 Million

Teaneck         Population:  39,900               Budget:  $ 90 Million

Mahwah         Population:  24,100               Budget:  $ 65 Million

Dumont          Population:  17,500               Budget:  $ 45 Million

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Some residents of Fort Lee see $ 60 million as a great deal of money and ask why the BOE cannot afford new band instruments or color guard uniforms.   I mean, really, how much can they possible cost?   Some people will ask why we cannot afford a new gym at the Lewis F. Cole Middle School.   Others will inquire as to why we cannot have more security at our schools.  How about repairing the horrific bathrooms at School #4?  Some parents will question why we cannot afford an I-Pad for every student.  

All of these concerned citizens of Fort Lee need a rude awakening as to how little $ 60 million dollars can really buy.   Before we even list the expenses, it must be understood that 85% of the budget is “fixed costs”, while only 15% of the budget is for discretionary expenses!  Budgetary expenses need to be understood: 

(1) The salaries of all the teachers and principals and the staff at the Board of Education consume the bulk of the budget.  Then there is the very generous benefit package, including health care benefits, for all these employees.  Let’s not forget the pension system that must be funded annually for long term employees.

(2)  $11M of the school budget is designated for special education. Several years ago, Fort Lee made a concerted decision to bring those children with special needs back to our schools.  Up to that point, we were spending almost as much to ship these children to other school districts.  Fort Lee is now attempting to set up “quality” programs for these students. So we have to consider this money an investment in the future.   However, it is critical to remember that even now we are not able to accommodate all special needs students in our district, so there will continue to be transportations costs for this special group of  students.

(3) Because we live in such a litigious society, let’s remember the all too numerous lawsuits that are filed every time a BOE employee is fired, even when the reason is justified.  One might include in that last statement an all too recent settlement with a rather disconsolate superintendent, $ 60,000+. 

(4) Technology programs are finally being addressed: Wifi in all the schools; new computers; utilizing the full capacity of PowerSchool; upgrading equipment for BOE employees.  All are agenda items that need to be addressed aggressively to complete with the better school districts. And for all new technological implementation, staff and teachers need workshops to bring them up to speed.  In addition to the technology upgrades, new curriculum programs are being implemented.  Expenses include new textbooks, course materials, and “professional development workshops”.   Finally, the high school IB (International Baccalareate) program, one of the finest educations programs in any high school, is also an expensve program to maintain. But if Fort Lee High School is to succeed in meeting the high standards of this community, programs like IB are essential.   $ $ $

(5) While the BOE attendees continue to pursue the elusive “perfect superintendent” by requesting a new search, it appears that we have quickly forgotten that we have spent an estimated $ 60,000 on previous superintendent searches in the last decade.   Considering that Sharon Amato appears to be very dedicated, and the major complaint is that she has limited experience as a superintendent, perhaps engaging a professional consultant might be money better spent. 

(6)  Like it or not, the BOE has to pay for a Board Attorney (or bored atty., whichever you prefer).   His/her responsibility is to insure that new contracts are reviewed and that BOE members do not violates laws, specifically personnel violations (e.g. RICE notices), while in office.   This expense runs into tens of thousands of dollars, money that many of us wish could be spent elsewhere. 

(6) Emergencies and other exigencies are obviously not predictable entities.  Beyond Hurricane Sandy, there are boiler breakdowns, A/C issues; electrical issues; computer issues; building repairs (e.g. roof leaks; window repairs; crazy drivers attacking entranceways; broken pipes: etc.); repaving driveways and playgrounds; purchase of new playground equipment to replace antiques; replacement of old sports equipment.  

(7) Upgrading buildings is an essential goal of every community. Does anyone really believe that a $ 30M referendum solved our problems?  If so, please get a life!   It barely made a dent in the needs of our school buildings.   New classrooms were not included in this bare-boned referendum.  (Please take a quick glance at the closet being used as a classroom in School #1.)  We are finally getting a refurbished gym in the high school, but what about the one in the middle school?   Has anyone checked out the bathrooms in School #4?

Note:  there is a separate capital fund for building improvements, but it is not bottomless.  We need to be careful to preserve this fund for dire emergencies.  We also face the additional problem of “state approved contractors”, who rape us with exorbitant pricing.  It is estimated that we could pay double or triple what we might pay for a local contractor for a specific project, e.g. the middle school field bathrooms, a $ 350K payout for a project that could have been completed privately for an estimated price of under $ 200K.    

(8) Free lunches are provided to students who sign up as needing them. But the proportion of students in Fort Lee on this program exceed the norm.  There is no real procedure for checking “need”, so the possibility of abuse cannot be dismissed.   

(9)  Fort Lee is blessed with one of most racially diverse communities anywhere, a great place for children to grow up and to understand tolerance.  But there is a financial price to pay.  Fort Lee has one of Bergen County’s largest ESL programs in Spanish, Korean, Japanese, etc., programs requiring classrooms and qualified teachers.  

(10) New security programs are being implemented at the request of many parents.   As a result of the Newtown incident, public awareness of school violence is at an all time high.  The public is clamoring for armed security guards, cameras, and other safety measures.  It is unclear whether these measures truly make the schools more secure or “give the appearance that the school is more secure”, but the public is demanding them and the BOE is complying. 

(11)  Insurance costs are critical to protect our district.  Property and liability insurance are major costs in every school budget.

(12) Unfunded state mandates are my favorite part of the budget.  If the Abbott decision is not offensive enough, the State continues to issue expensive mandates to school districts, with no provision of funding to pay for them. In 2012, they were finally taken to task on the “bullying” mandate for exactly that reason, no funding!  But many other mandated programs slip through, with no funding and have to be absorbed every year by school districts. 

(13)  The “ultramodern, luxurious” school buses are an unavoidable annual expense.   While obviously a necessary expense, there are drivers’ salaries, repairs and replacement costs that need to be included in the annual budget. 

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There are probably several budgetary items that I have missed.  But the point is blatantly obvious!  In the greater scheme of things, $60M is just a drop in the bucket.  

We need to understand school financing and its limitations.  We are at the mercy of the Abbott decision and State budget cuts.   We are at the mercy of arcane laws that force us to expend funds to engage second-rate/ rip-off companies, i.e. “approved vendors by the N.J. State Board of Education”.  We are forced to comply with unfunded mandates by politicians more interested in reelection than what is best for our children. 

How do we solve this dilemma? There are no simple answers, but we can start with better fiscal management by the BOE.   We need better contract review.  We need more due diligence when hiring outside contractors, getting competing bids when possible.  We may need a new referendum.

In conclusion, SIXTY MILLION DOLLARS is not a great deal of money in today’s society.  It is far less than Fort Lee needs to restore our reputation to the appropriate position in the academic world, as a top flight educational community.