Schools

Superintendent Calls Budget Opposition Letter 'Malicious' and 'Misleading'

A letter urging Fort Lee voters to reject the proposed school budget next week was distributed door-to-door, residents say.

Next Wednesday, when Fort Lee voters go to the polls to elect three members to the Fort Lee Board of Education, they will also be voting yes or no on a proposed $55.1 million school budget.

Recent opposition to the proposed budget has emerged in the form of a letter being distributed door-to-door in at least some Fort Lee neighborhoods, according to residents who have received a copy.

The budget as proposed represents an increase of $2.1 million over the current school year and would raise taxes 2 percent—or an annual increase of $83 on a home assessed at $500,000. An $870,000 budget shortfall would mean a reduction in staff, including the loss of two high school teachers, according to school officials, and the central office would also be converted into classrooms.

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Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Raymond Bandlow responded to the letter and its contents Wednesday, saying, “Obviously it’s very, very malicious and obviously intended to mislead people.”

The letter in question, which begins with the word “Attention,” is addressed to “Taxpayers and Residents of Fort Lee” and is entitled “Wake-Up Call #3 Board of Education Election Notice,” reads as follows:

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“Be advised that the Fort Lee Board of Education will be asking you to approve the School Budget of more than $55 million on April 27th between the hours of 2 PM – 9 PM.

You will also be voting for candidates to serve on the Board. This is your golden opportunity to send a message like you did last year when they tried to push spending of $100 million on a school referendum. You said NO. They tried a 2nd time (and wasted $80,000 in election expenses). You said NO. Let it be clear. They will try a 3rd time (and spend $40,000 again) later this year.

You must come out and vote on April 27th. We must stop wasteful spending. Did you know the Board of Ed is paying about $200,000 (which includes benefits) to the former principal of Fort Lee HS to supervise about 20 students? Vote on the budget, the candidates, and look for a proposal to spend $388,000 to renovate the central office!!!

Don’t stay home. Come out and make your voices heard.”

The letter is not signed, nor is any information linking it to any individual or group included.

With a copy of the letter in front of him Wednesday, Bandlow took issue with several of those statements starting with the issue of the referendum.

“The person that wrote this exaggerates the referendum and claims it was of $100 million,” Bandlow said. “I think we all know what the numbers were. The second referendum was a good deal less than $100 million.”

School Board officials in fact originally presented a $99 million plan in September, but voters turned it down by a margin of just 54 votes. The December plan whittled $10 million off the proposal, but that didn't change voters' minds. The second referendum was defeated by a much greater margin.

“As far as a waste of time or a waste of money, I don’t think democracy is a waste of time or money, I believe in the democratic process,” Bandlow continued. “I believe people have the right to make a decision. They were asked to make a decision, and we live with the results. The United States that I live in, that I grew up in, that’s called democracy. That’s not called a waste.”

Bandlow also said no decisions have been made as yet on a third referendum, though he has said in the past and that one may be needed.

“We all know that our facility needs are still there, that our boilers still need to be replaced, that major infrastructure work needs to be done,” he said. “Schools are still overcrowded. We need more classrooms. Right now we’re concentrating on the budget election. And once that’s done, the newly seated board will have to address the needs of our facilities. And I would hope we’d then make a decision as far as any future referendum.”

Bandlow took particular umbrage at the line in the letter that said, “and look for a proposal to spend $388,000 to renovate the central office.”

“It was actually to convert the central office to classrooms, and that’s a little bit different,” he said. “And that really is very deliberately misleading—to make it sound as if there’s an interior decorator run amok. We’re not talking about that at all. We’re talking about converting offices into classrooms for two reasons: to provide better programs for kids, but also to save a great deal of money.”

Bandlow did not respond to the line referring to the “former principal of Fort Lee HS,” a likely reference to Jay Berman, who took over as principal of the district's Early Elementary Childhood Center in January, after he was suspended from his position as Fort Lee High School principal in a 2009 grade-fixing scandal.

According to a resolution passed by the Fort Lee Board of Education in December, Berman earns an annual salary of $143,345. He also receives merit pay of $3,000 and a special longevity payment of $900, for a total of $147,245.

A “user friendly” version of the budget is available on the school district’s website.

The budget vote and school board candidate election is April 27—next Wednesday. Polls will be open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Editor’s Note: At the time of publication, the origin of the letter could not be determined. If you would like to comment in support of the letter, please do so in our comments section or email erik.wander@patch.com.


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