Council may hire school budget auditor

BRICK –– As a precaution for a possible third consecutive defeated school budget, the Township Council may hire a public school accountant to examine the proposal in advance.

At their Jan. 6 caucus meeting, some members of the council said they wanted to be prepared in case they had to decide the fate of a budget much larger than their own over a few weeks time.

Council President Stephen Acropolis said he asked for budget information well ahead of last year’s vote, but was not given full access until the Board of Education presented the plan to the council a few days after its defeat. Describing the level of communication between the two bodies, Acropolis said, "Last year was OK, the year before was terrible and the year before was non-existent."

When a school budget is defeated at the polls, the council can either adopt cuts or accept it as it is. The school board may then adopt the council’s recommendation or appeal their decision to the state.

Acropolis said hiring a public school accountant to examine its line items and spending trends over recent years may give the council a better understanding of what could be cut, if necessary.

Councilman Gregory Kavanagh suggested the township contact officials in Jackson, which he said has used an auditor, to find out if it was helpful and cost effective.

Brick School District Superintendent Thomas Seidenberger said last week he would have no problem opening the district’s books to an auditor.

"Our position is, we’ll work with anybody. We serve the same taxpayers as the Township Council does," Seidenberger said.

Seidenberger, who joined the district last January, said he is better positioned to educate the public on the budget’s contents this year. Although he participated in all of last year’s budget meetings, he now feels more acquainted with the community and the needs of each of Brick’s schools.

The superintendent pledged to have the proposed budget ready earlier this year so he and the board have more time to explain it to the council, PTAs and the public. Seidenberger said he sent letters to the homeowners associations at Brick’s senior residential communities offering to meet with their residents, and one has already accepted.

In nine voting stations organized at senior clubhouses and recreation halls last year, voters rejected the package by close to a 10-3 margin.

Seidenberger said he met with the principals of each district school and is compiling their requests to form a preliminary budget. Whether or not the tax rate will rise, he said, will depend largely on state aid contributions, which were not increased last year.

"Obviously, that’s the wild card. It’s huge," Seidenberger said.