The Election Results

Thank you, Haddonfield voters, for approving the school budget yesterday with 63% of the vote. The budget was approved 1921 to 1138. A few weeks ago I blogged that we needed 1500 yes votes, and we far exceeded that goal with 1921. 35% of registered voters came out to vote yesterday.

Incumbents Cheryl Laney, Steve Weinstein and Joe Ehrhardt were re-elected. New challengers David Raymond and Chris Basner both made a very good showing, and should be commended for running campaigns to serve the community as school board members.

The re-election of the three incumbents is a good thing for our town, and I'd like to give them all a hearty "thank you" for wanting to serve as board members again - the position is time consuming, stressful and difficult. Their experience will serve us all well as they continue the negotiations with Haddonfield's teachers union for the new contract and move from one difficult budget cycle to another.

I have a lot of people to thank for helping with the "get out the vote" efforts. First, Amy Wilson, Terri Foreman, Anthony Sanzio, Judy Greenberg and Lisa George have been tremendous resources and led the marketing and messaging initiatives, and they each did a great job of informing voters about the budget facts. Our team leaders for schools and community groups, Nancy Potts, Aimee Heslin, Sandy Kerbeck, Maryellen DiMarino, Bill Lee, Sue Isaacs, Lauren Kegler, Shani Nuckols, Nancy DeLaura, Liz DeNinno, Denise Brubaker, Marcy Melendes, Joanie Wolf, Carrie Valleau, Beth Glennon, Jane Nugent, Michelle Smith, Ellen Stone and Mark Cavanna, informed voters, posted lawn signs, distributed flyers and pencils and increased our support at the polls. They each had teams of volunteers at each school as well, and I thank all of you who pitched in. The Haddonfield Education Association was a tremendous source of support, and so were School Board members Cheryl Laney and Glenn Moramarco. And I especially want to thank the entire Board of Education and Superintendent Alan Fegley for the effort that went into crafting this difficult budget. They crafted a fair budget that preserved teaching positions, identified difficult cuts, did not increase teachers salaries and covered the state shortfall - in essence, they gave us a budget that was worth supporting, and the approval of 63% of the vote shows great support for their efforts.

And now, my last blog has come to an end. This has been an interesting experiment, and I hope it helped to inform a few undecided voters. I appreciate everyone's support, and again, thanks for voting YES!

-Maureen Eyles

Budget FAQs

Tomorrow is the school budget election day! I'd like to devote today’s blog to some frequently asked questions:

1. Does the budget include an increase in teachers’ salaries? No. Dennis Kelleher, Finance Committee Chair of the Haddonfield Board of Education has stated: “The district is currently negotiating a new contract for all faculty and support staff. It is important for you to know that no new dollars have been added to the salary lines for unionized employees. In addition, beginning July 1, 2010, all employees will pay 1.5% of their salary towards their health benefits.”

2. Has the Haddonfield school budget eliminated state mandated programs? No, even though Haddonfield Schools lost $1.5 million in aid, the programs mandated by the state are still in place. I’m hopeful that Governor Christie and Commissioner of Education Schundler will revise these mandates in the upcoming year. Many are costly and (in my opinion) do not address the core educational needs of Haddonfield’s children.

3. Are sports being taken away? Middle School Basketball has been eliminated, but our town offers a middle school-aged youth program which could be an alternative. Freshman sports have been eliminated because there will no longer be a 9th grade Colonial Conference to compete in. Freshman will hopefully have the option to continue in town sports programs through 9th grade, join the JV teams, or participate in newly created intramurals.

Just a few last things to remember...

This budget preserves the vast majority of classroom-related programs at all levels despite losing our state aid:

1. Saves $1.2 million via controlling costs
- Non-teacher staff reductions (senior administration, secretarial, clerks, grounds, maintenance)
- Few teacher reductions (1.75 PE teachers; 0.5 kindergarten teacher)
- Custodial services outsourcing
- Operations and energy reductions

2. Implements new revenue sources
- Teachers contribute 1.5% of salary toward benefits ($229,000)
- Fee for use of facilities by outside organizations
- Activity fee increase of $25

3. Preserves elementary and middle school teaching positions, as well as popular high school humanities courses

4. Increases tax levy 3.25% ($219.73 for average assessed home value of $491,359)

5. Decreases total cost per pupil by 1%, the first decline in recent years

Thanks to those of you who have been following along with this blog experiment. I have 25 "loyal followers" but have been happy to hear from others that you are also reading. Thanks, and I'm glad that this information has been helpful. Remember to vote YES tomorrow - every vote counts!

Where to Vote on April 20th

Haddonfield is a tricky place to vote – the polling places change for different elections, which makes “I don’t know where to vote” a convenient excuse for skipping your civic duty. Not this time, readers! This time, I have you covered.

By now you should have received your official “School Election Sample Voting Machine Ballot” in the mail. Your voting district is conveniently located on the mailing panel, just above your name. If you have misplaced your ballot, or if it has already been recycled, never fear – check the sidebar of this blog for a map of the Haddonfield voting districts. Just find your street on the map and you’ll see which district you are in.

Now, where to vote…
District 1: Middle/Central School, 1 Lincoln Ave (Gym)
District 2: Tatem School, 1 Glover Ave. (Music Room)
District 3: Middle/Central School, 1 Lincoln Ave (Gym)
District 4: Middle/Central School, 1 Lincoln Ave (Gym)
District 5: Middle/Central School, 1 Lincoln Ave (Gym)
District 6: Elizabeth Haddon School. 501 W Redman Ave. (Art Room)
District 7: Elizabeth Haddon School. 501 W Redman Ave. (Art Room)
District 8: Lutheran Church, 204 Wayne Ave. (Parish Hall)
District 9: Lutheran Church, 204 Wayne Ave. (Parish Hall)
District 10: Tatem School, 1 Glover Ave. (Music Room)

As a general rule, once you get to the outside of the polling location, signs will point you in the right direction.

Remember, every vote counts, and we need every eligible voter in your household to support this budget. Polls are open from 7 am to 9 pm, and there is never a crowd. Voting will only take a few moments of your time.

The Senior Freeze

Senior citizens in Haddonfield should know about the “Senior Freeze”. Senior citizens with individual adjusted gross income less than $80,000 in 2009 are eligible for a freeze on their property taxes and therefore would not have to pay the 3.25% proposed tax increase. They can support the school budget, or not vote at all, with no impact to their taxes if they are eligible and file with the state for this tax freeze.

This could provide a significant savings for those who are unaware and qualify. Also, the freeze is retroactive for seniors who qualified in past years but were not aware of this program. Here's the link to the state site: http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/propfrez.shtml

Spread the word!

Guest Blog: VOTE YES on Tuesday April 20th: Here’s why

Did you know the Board of Education’s proposed budget compensates for the district’s 100% loss of state aid while generating $1.2 million in savings?

The savings are achieved via non-teacher staff reductions (senior administration, secretarial, clerks, grounds, maintenance), few teacher reductions (1.75 PE teachers; 0.5 kindergarten teacher), teacher contributions of 1.5% of their salaries toward benefits, custodial services outsourcing, and operations and energy reductions. In a time of increased costs and decreased funding, the Board of Education has taken cost cutting seriously.

Did you know the proposed budget represents the first decrease in per pupil spending in recent years?

The cost per pupil will decrease 1% and is the first per pupil spending decrease in many years. However, the classroom instruction percentage of that amount will increase. This means that significant cuts are happening, but they are outside of classroom services and will have less impact on the children. This decrease is achieved even while the district will be receiving $1.5 million less in state aid.

Did you know eligible Haddonfield senior citizens can vote to support the budget without paying a tax increase?

Eligible senior citizens with total income less than $80,000 in 2009 are eligible for a freeze on their property taxes, and therefore would not have to pay the 3.25% proposed tax increase. They can support the school budget, or not vote at all, with no impact to their taxes if they are eligible and file with the state for this tax freeze.

Did you know every vote counts?

The margin of victory in past years has been less than 10 votes. Please urge all eligible voters in your household to vote on Tuesday, April 20th.

Please VOTE YES. It matters. Haddonfield’s kids matter.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

written by Amy Wilson and Terri Foreman

Guest blog: Pull Lever 5

Tuesday night’s candidate’s forum was an opportunity to hear the Board of Education candidate's positions on a variety of issues that are important to every Haddonfield student's future and every resident's pocketbook.

Not surprisingly, the challenger candidates spoke about the need for new ideas and change. They suggested that more creativity and forward thinking may have helped curb the impact of the budget crunch we now face, and that the current Board may be well served with some new blood. Fair points. Are Mr. Basner and Mr. Raymond the new blood we need? It’s still difficult to say.

Of course the incumbent candidates voiced the importance of experience in these difficult times, particularly with continued economic challenges ahead and the state of affairs in New Jersey. Is it time for a change in leadership? Perhaps. An interesting question that was not answered by the incumbents on Tuesday is, in hindsight, what could we or should we have done differently to help mitigate the situation we now face?

So what did we learn? For myself, I left the forum only with a greater support of Dr. Cheryl Laney. A vote for Dr. Laney represents a vote for every student, for maintaining the quality of education in this district --albeit within the cost constraints that are the new reality in our state today-- which I believe is essential to the quality of life in Haddonfield.

As for the other candidates, I remain undecided at this point. I'm not sure those who attended the forum left with a clearer understanding about what the challengers will bring to the table or whether the other incumbents have what it takes to bring about the changes our district needs. If they did, would we be where we are today? All I can say for sure is that I will pull Lever 5 on Tuesday.

What's your opinion?

Amy Wilson, parent of a Central 2nd grader and an HMHS 9th grader

Candidates Forum - Tonight at 7:30PM

LEARN ABOUT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATES!


Haddonfield Board of Education Candidates’ Forum

Sponsored by the Haddonfield Zone PTA

Hosted by the Camden County League of Women Voters

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Haddonfield Middle School Auditorium

7:30 PM

This year, five candidates are seeking to fill three seats. The candidates for election are:
1. Cheryl Laney
2. Christopher Basner
3. Joseph Erhardt
4. Steve Weinstein
5. David Raymond

School Budget Staff Reductions and Cuts

The Haddonfield Board of Education’s tentative budget for 2010-2011 was attempting to cover a $1.4 million shortfall when we lost our state aid. That loss of $1.5 million was added to our shortfall, and after a lot of negotiations among school board members, resulted in the proposed 3.25% tax levy and budget that the public will vote for on April 20th.

The 2010-2011 budget eliminates the following positions and programs:
• 2.5 Administrators
• 3 Secretaries
• 1 Grounds
• 2 Clerks
• 1.5 Maintenance
• 1.75 Physical Education Teachers
• .2 Orchestra
• .25 Health Instructor
• .5 Kindergarten Teacher
• Freshman Sports
• Middle School Basketball

The above cuts represent $720,000 in savings. In addition, this budget calls for:
• Outsourcing Custodial Services, $300,000 savings
• Operations Savings of $115,000
• Energy Reductions of $64,000

The program and position reductions equal a savings of approximately $1.2 million.

The specific administrative positions are ½ of an Athletic Director at HMHS, the Coordinator of Guidance, and the Director of Custodial and Security. The Athletic Director will now be a part-time position and the other half of their time will be spent teaching physical education. Nick Baker will be taking on the Guidance Coordination as part of his responsibilities. I have been told that the children will still receive the same amount of guidance – the time spent with the children will not be impacted by this change. The Director of Custodial and Security position has been eliminated completely – that position is no longer necessary with the outsourcing of custodial services. While the position has been terminated, the person filling the position, Sandra Horwitz, has been named the new principal for Central School, and Roger Bowley’s contract as principal was not renewed.

High School students who are playing a sport may opt-out of physical education during the semester of their sport. We have yet to see if children will decide to opt-out or not. Freshman Sports have been eliminated, because neighboring towns have also been forced to eliminate their programs. There will not be a Colonial Conference on the Freshman level. Hopefully the children will be able to join the JV teams or we can create a school-based program in certain sports that will not have travel costs. This is all likely to impact the school’s no-cut policy. Middle School basketball has been eliminated, but the town’s basketball program includes students through 8th grade. I have heard many parents hoping that town sports programs will expand to include 9th graders.

Reading Recovery for grade 1 has been eliminated, but it has been replaced by a literacy program that will cover grades 1 and 2. I’d like to learn more about the new program, but so far supporters are very hopeful that this will be able to offer services to even more children and provide 100% grade level literacy by the end of grade 2.

The elimination of the .2 health instructor will be covered by holding high school health classes in a college-seminar style with much larger class sizes. This recommendation came about from conversations with college professors who regard high school students unprepared to learn in a college lecture style environment.

Apparently the unemployment benefits that will be necessarily paid to those who lose their positions have already been calculated into the cost savings.

I was not able to cover every reduction: feel free to post a comment and I will do my best to research the answer for you and reply.

Growing in Excellence

Late last night, while looking up an e-mail address, I was struck by the historic photo on the cover of the Haddonfield Student Directory. The photo is of Haddonfield’s Grove Street School, the first public school in Camden County, built 100 years ago.

Haddonfield’s history with education can be traced back even further to the Friends School built in 1786, which was originally a “common school” until it was turned over to the Friends. That’s over 224 years of education history in this town.

Public education was a priority for our predecessors, and it is a legacy that we must protect. Our school district’s logo with its iconic tree “Growing in Excellence” was designed by a high school classmate of mine back in 1987 – I love that the logo is still used and that the message and mission of the district has been maintained. I love many things about this town: the people, the shops, the restaurants, the architecture and the history, but for me this is all rooted in the schools.

The 2010 - 2011 school budget may be one for the history books. The loss of state aid sure seems historically significant. Personally I hope it goes down in history as the year that, despite a terrible economy and faced with a desperate budget shortfall, the community came together to levy funds to save teaching positions and maintain educational excellence.

In support of a 3.25% tax levy

For those who have been following the ongoing budget negotiations faithfully, you know that the elimination of 100% of our state aid on March 17th was a game changer. The entire proposed budget needed to be reworked in a matter of days, and submitted to the state on March 23rd.

The budget situation that we are facing this year is unprecedented, and the entire district needs to work together to cover the shortfall. The reworked budget represents equitable cuts shared by all schools, with a reduction in nearly every line item.

The proposed budget covers the shortfall in the following ways:
• Significant reduction of administrative and operational staff
• Teachers will be contributing 1.5% of their salaries to the budget
• There will be a 3.25% tax levy increase, about $220 per year for the average household

The good news that is starting to come out today is that most of the classroom services have been preserved in this budget. Significant cuts are happening, but they are outside of the classroom and will have less impact on the children. Specifically, the proposed budget has saved the following existing positions and programs from the chopping block:

• The English and History programs at the high school
• Two 6th grade teachers
• Three elementary teachers

The cost per pupil will decrease 1%, which is the first per pupil spending decrease in many years, yet the classroom instruction percentage of that number will increase. This is good news for those among us that really investigate non-classroom spending in administration and operations – those reductions this year add up to nearly $1 million in savings. The reductions are difficult but they demonstrate reasonable cost containment, and I am very glad that a vast majority of the teaching positions were saved.

I hope you agree that this is a budget worth voting for.

Absentee Ballots - action needed by Friday

I’m embarrassed to publicly admit that I have not voted in every major election. It’s true – and I haven’t always had a good reason. Maybe one of the kids was sick, or I was bogged down with work, or I didn’t know where the polling place was. I know I was busy (because I’m always busy) and I seem to live every day in this “I can’t possibly fit one more thing into my day” kind of way. So I have missed a few votes in my life.

I have justified this failure by deciding that my vote wouldn’t really count. That justification usually works because my husband and I tend to vote against each other. So, if I don’t vote and I forget to remind him to vote, we’re even. Unfortunately, when you don’t vote, you lose any right to complain about an election’s outcome. Think about how painful that can be when you live in the great state of New Jersey! And even more unfortunate is that a few years ago there was an election where my vote really did matter…

A few years ago, before my children entered the Haddonfield School System (and way before I became interested in class sizes, swing districts, district funded unemployment benefits, or 504 plans) I was on the fringe of the school budget discussion. I was too busy to learn, never got engaged in the issues, skimmed over the newspaper articles and letters to the editor, and then on voting day… I decided I was not informed enough to vote. That year the school budget was defeated by only 10 votes.

Yes, it is ironic that I am here now blogging about this school election and trying to gain your vote. It’s karma. It’s me giving back. It’s me saying I’m sorry I was too busy to vote when the kids were 3 and 4 years old. Because my vote mattered – it is a small town, and these are big issues and when it comes down to 10 votes, every vote matters.

The polls on April 20th are open from 7am to 9pm. If you would like, I’ll call you with a personal wake up call. Maybe I’ll bring you coffee – I want you to get to the polls on April 20th. I’ll even tell you where to vote: one of my future blogs will be dedicated to where each polling place is. I’m going to make this as easy for you as possible.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest (whew) it is time to talk about Absentee Ballots, which NJ has renamed “Vote by Mail”. You no longer have to be out of town to qualify for an absentee ballot. You can vote by mail from the comfort of your home during any election. The process is simple, but (and this is important) YOU NEED TO DO IT NOW. There is a form that you need to complete and mail in, and that form is due 7 days before the election. Then they will mail you the ballot, which you also have to mail in. Since it this process is a few steps and replies on the US Mail, anyone interested in securing an absentee ballot should mail their Vote By Mail request in by Friday, April 9th.

The link to the Vote By Mail/Absentee Ballot site is located on the sidebar of this blog. Click right through to download the form. Don’t forget to do it by Friday. And if you miss the deadline, don’t worry, just call me for your wake-up call on the 20th.

The Dream Team, or "It Takes a Village"...

We have two weeks to identify 1,500 people to vote yes for the school budget on April 20th. Thankfully, we have a dream team of dedicated parents and students who have stepped up to make this happen!

This is why I love to live in this town – it is truly a community. Faced with this staggering and surprising budget shortfall caused by the state, this community is banding together and sharing their talents to spread the word, educate voters and get out the vote to support our schools. The talent is impressive: The dream team is a group of community residents with students of all ages, as well as students themselves, that dreams of making Haddonfield schools the best they can be despite the budget challenges that are the new reality for residents of NJ. And for the next two weeks, they are going to collaborate to share their talents, insight and access to their networks to get out the vote.

A group of the dream team met last night to sift through all of the budget information and develop a clear message that we can easily deliver in some different formats, whether it is a flyer, a letter to the editor, a newspaper ad or an e-mail blast. And we are using social media: Facebook, Twitter and this blog are all ways that we are going to get out the message.

And what is the message? Well, Vote Yes of course, but why? If you haven’t been following the budget process and the surprise state cuts at the 11th hour, there are a lot of important things about this budget that you need to know:
• This is a budget that compensates for the state budget cuts
• It represents equitable cuts in all schools, and cuts are shared by administration and operations
• This budget preserves most classroom services

While the marketing team continues their work on the message, I have an early bit to share with you now: every vote counts. A few years ago, the budget was overturned by only 10 votes. So, one of our goals this year is to reach every eligible voter in a household. Everyone has a stake in this, to preserve our schools and to protect our property values.

So what can you do? Are you a Dreamer, because we would love your help! Email me (maureen.eyles@gmail.com) and I’ll get you connected to the team leader for your school, or the committee of your choice. Talk up the vote with your friends and neighbors, research the school board candidates, and get involved in the dialogue about the school budget. Because as I posted yesterday, we are now self-funding our school system – the state aid is unlikely to come back, and we all have a stake in the future of our schools.

Beginning the Budget Blog

Welcome to my blog about the Haddonfield School Budget! I am going to be working very hard to "get out the vote" in the next two weeks, so I have decided to blog about it. Why am I doing this? I have been actively attending the Haddonfield School Board meetings for the past 2 years, and as a concerned parent and taxpaying resident of this town, I have formed a few opinions about the budgeting process and upcoming budget vote. The budget vote is Tuesday, April 20th.

Every day for the next two weeks, I am going to attempt to share some budget details and personal thoughts with you, in the hopes that you will support the Haddonfield School Budget with a YES vote on April 20th. I am not a politician, nor am I member of the School Board: I am a mom of two elementary students, and a lifelong resident of Haddonfield, who hopes that the budget passes.

My husband and I joke that our relationship with Haddonfield is like a marriage: we are here for the long-term, for richer or for poorer, until death do we part. Neither one of us likes the idea of increasing our already ridiculously high taxes, but the 3.25% budget increase that was unanimously approved by the Haddonfield Board of Education represents cuts, and we have to support the budget increase or the cuts will be even worse. I'll have more specific details on these cuts in future blog entries, but the 3.25% increase allows our district to keep most educational services in place. If the budget is not passed, then the educational cuts will be even more significant.

Now that we are not receiving state funding (NJ eliminated $1.5 million in state aid from our budget), I am very worried about Haddonfield's ability to sustain the high quality of our educational system. Passing the budget on April 20th will be an important step in trying to maintain the quality of our schools and our property values, but major changes will have to be made in the next 10-months or next year's budget situation will be even worse. I hope this blog will encourage you to get involved and give us a forum to share ideas.

I hope you'll become a "follower" of my blog, and that you'll return to read more in the next two weeks!

-Maureen