Wantage board will submit $22-million budget to voters on April 19

WANTAGE-The Sussex-Wantage Board of Education presented voters last Thursday with a proposed $2 1,669,716 budget for the 2005-2006academic year. Voters will have their say on the budget, which does not address the issue of expanding the Wantage Middle School or repairing the township's two primary schools, on April 19. On Tuesday, March 8, voters defeated a $20 million referendum by 61 to 39 percent. The $20 million would have gone to repair, renovate and expand the three Wantage schools. The State had offered $7 million to assist with the costs; however, the grant was contingent upon the passage of the $20 million referendum. After School Board President Diane Rose called the meeting to order, a near-capacity audience viewed a short PowerPoint presentation that highlighted student achievements during the current academic year. Among the success were the Youth in Government Program, winter and spring Concerns, the Senior Holiday Lunch Program, and the Wantage School Fun Fit Fair. During the session devoted to remarks from the audience, a key issue was how the board meant the schools to budget for emergency repair costs. Superintendent Papp replied that the only course open is for the board to go to the taxpayers for help. Current state law prohibits boards from building a surplus for such items as the roof repairs that were to be financed as part of the defeated bond. When a member of the audience suggested that allowing volunteers to make the needed repairs would save thousands of dollars, Papp noted that State law requires certified contractors to work in schools n volunteer labor is not permitted. Parent Bob Maikis hailed the board's proposal to have a 15-station wireless laptop mobile computer lab for the Middle school, along with the required "airport" transmitters. The proposed lab can be wheeled to any classroom where it is needed. Maikis's son, fifth grader Charlie Maikis, remarked that his class had only two computers for twenty-seven students. "The computers are old, they often crash and have to be restarted. When more than two kids want to use a computer, they usually have to see if the computers in the classroom are available." The class uses the computers most often to research topics their class is studying. Some parents were worried about security in the schools in light of the several bomb scares in other Sussex County schools. There have been no bomb scares in Wantage. Papp explained that Acting Governor Cody has come up with plan for all the schools in New Jersey to be inspected. A special camera will be installed to monitor the building and playgrounds. The Sussex County Sheriff's office will send an officer for random weekly visits. The plan is for the officer to tour the buildings, present to grade, or may just be presence in the. Superintendent George Papp assured the audience that the school was doing all in its power to trim costs wherever possible, without cutting down on the quality of education the children receive. The general tone of the meeting was subdued. However, when dissident Board Member Arthur Jacobs remarked that the close-session budget planning meetings the board has held may not be in the best interest of the citizens, the audience, which primarily supported the board, hissed, booed and called for his resignation. Rose responded to Jacobs, saying, "Everything the Board does is open to everyone. We aren't hiding anything. We have to do everything we can for our school and our kids, and that is what we will do. Anyone may come into the School Board office to review the document." Rose's comments received universal applause and cheers.