SERVING THE VALLEY’S COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS SINCE 1956
TIMEOFF
NEWS
This show is murder!
The colonial way of life
A review of 'Murder on the Orient Express' at McCarter. PLUS: Paul Muldoon at Labyrinth Books
‘History Weekend’ to kick off at multiple county parks on April 8 and 9. Page 3A
VOL. 62, NO. 12
Published every Friday
Friday, March 24, 2017
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School tax set to rise by more than 3 percent By Frank Mustac Contributor
A tentative $84,415,742 budget for the 2017-18 school year was introduced by the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education following a presentation by officials on Monday. If approved after a scheduled public hearing on Monday, April 24, local property taxes would pay for $76,452,806 of the total budget. The figure represents a 3.11 percent increase over last
year. The state’s superintendent of Mercer County schools is now set to review the proposed budget document. The amount of property taxes, or tax levy, that pays for the general fund portion of the budget is $70,710,312, which is an increase of 1.9 percent from 2015-16 academic year. State law places a 2-percent cap on how much a school district’s tax levy for its general fund may be increased over the previ-
ous year. Superintendent of Schools Thomas Smith said that about 75 percent of the general fund budget is dedicated to salaries and benefits for staff, citing a more than two percent increase in those categories since last year. To keep the general fund tax levy increase under the state mandated cap, Smith said that costs in areas like transportation, operations and maintenance and technology had to be kept in check. “We’ve also had a number of
requests that were not developed in this budget due to our need to stay within the two percent cap,” he said. Some of the bigger-ticket items that were asked for but are not included are an upgrade of the television studio to digital ($250,000) and a concession stand at Central High School ($250,000). The debt service for 2017-18 is $6,091,589, the superintendent said. Local property taxes would pay for $5,742,494 of that
amount. For property owners in Hopewell Borough, the tax rate for schools will stay the same as last year at $1.54 per $100 of assessed property value. In Pennington Borough, the tax rate for schools will also remain unchanged at $1.55. In Hopewell Township, however, the property tax rate for schools would increase by 3 cents, to $1.58. See BUDGET, Page 5A
Bargaining unit calls for fair contract settlement By Frank Mustac Contributor
A group more than 70 school workers and their supporters overflowed the seating area during Monday’s board of education meeting to call for an end to a contract dispute between the worker’s collecting bargaining unit and the school board. Representatives of workers belonging to the Hopewell Valley Education Support Professionals Association (HVESPA) have been in negotiations with the Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education for approximately one year now without the two sides coming together to agree on a terms for a new contract. A mediator was used during the negotiations without success, according to a recent letter to the editor, signed by school board member Leigh Ann Peterson. Now the parties are entering the factfinding phase of negotiations. The HVESPA is made up of secretaries, paraprofessionals, custodial staff and maintenance personnel. Four of the five
associations that represent school employees in the district have new contracts. HVESPA workers, who union officials say are the lowest paid employees in the district, are the only ones without a new deal. “Our members are here to to show you we want a fair settlement,” HVESPA President Patricia Armstrong said. “We, the HVESPA, have continually come to the table with cooperative intent even though the board of education continues to hold HVESPA members to the same financial burden in its financial offer as those [employees] in the district who make three to four times [HVESPA member] salaries. That is not an example of cooperative intent.” Armstrong criticized the board’s efforts in the negotiation process, suggesting that the school district has shown a “lack of respect” for the union’s rights in seeking a new agreement. “Our team is prepared to settle when a fair and equitable offer is made that we can take back to our members. It is unfortunate that the See CONTRACT, Page 5A
Courtesy photo
Water needs Hopewell-Keroka Alliance New Jersey board member Mandy Lee conducts one of 100 water surveys total with a resident of Nyanchonori Village in late July 2016 to ascertain local water-usage needs in preparation for the completion of the area’s first HKA-funded water borehole. Proceeds from the annual indoor flea market of the Hopewell-Keroka Alliance on March 26 at Hopewell Valley Central High School help fund infrastructure and other projects on the ground in southwestern Kenya.
School district recognizes teachers of the year
By Frank Mustac Contributor
Six teachers in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District were recently recognized as recipients of the Governor’s Educator of the Year Award as their family and friends shared in the occasion. The award winners, each from a different school in the district, are Kelly Stingel from Bear Tavern Elementary; Lauren DiGaetano from Hopewell Elementary;
Matthew Close from Stony Brook Elementary; Amber Miller from Toll Gate Grammar; Lynnel Joy Jenkins from Timberlane Middle School; and David Sherwin from Central High School. “This truly is one of the highlights of the year for the school district and the board of education,” Anthony Suozzo, the school district human resources director, said during the board meeting on Monday. “Each year, the Governor’s Educator of the Year pro-
gram honors teachers and educational service professionals throughout the state whose contributions to their students are exceptional.” Educators are nominated for the award by their peers, parents and students, he said. During the school board meeting, each teacher was presented with a certificate and a bouquet of flowers as comments written by members of the school community praising the instructors were
read aloud. David Friedrich, the principal at Hopewell Elementary, read comments written by students and parents about DiGaetano, who has worked at the school for the past six years teaching first, second and third grades. “Lauren always puts the needs of her students first. She advocates for her students needs, no matter what,” Friedrich read. “She meets new challenges with a silent determination and never underes-
Index
timates her kids.” Steven Wilfing, the principal at Stony Brook Elementary, spoke about Close, a fifth-grade teacher who has been at the school for 14 years. “He is very creative in his lessons and they are never boring,” Wilfing said, reading a few comments aloud. “Mr. Close deserves recognition because he has been a great teacher. He is very kind.” Wilfing then read a comment See TEACHERS, Page 5A
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