To the editor:
Regarding “School Funding Dispute” (Page 1, Jan. 1): State government says regional school districts promote efficiencies that save taxpayers money.
Not in our district, says Woodcliff Lake, claiming residents of that borough pay more than their fair share.
With an enrollment of 2,026 and a budget of $55.8 million, it’s time for all residents of the district to ask if $27,542 per pupil is a fair price.
The state education department’s attitude is that a district budget is whatever the district says it needs, so per-pupil costs range from $13,000 to over $30,000 in New Jersey.
Pascack Valley’s district superintendent is shy about costs. He says he’s focused on purveying “strong educational experiences.”
A former Piscataway superintendent has been much less coy. Under challenge from taxpayers in his new Pennsylvania district, he and his school board and education industry friends said in a court filing:
“Neither individual citizens nor the courts have the authority to interfere with the programmatic decisions of elected school board members by claiming they cost too much or cause taxes to rise too high.”
In other words, fair share is in the eye of the beholder, and school districts have the best eyes.
Kurt F. Kron
Montvale
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