Report: Lakewood School Deficit Now $9.5 Million

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lakewood nj schoolsLakewood, NJ – The school district’s budget mess is a lot worse than previously announced. The deficit actually stands at $9.5 million, officials say.

“Almost all of it is transportation,” David Shafter, one of the district’s state monitors, said Wednesday night after the Board of Education meeting.

It was only two weeks ago that the district revealed plans to hold a special referendum Jan. 26 seeking an estimated $6 million to cover the cost of courtesy busing for nearly 10,000 private and public schoolchildren for the remainder of the school year.

Officials blamed the shortfall on bus route bids that came in up to 50 percent higher than anticipated.

That night, the school board voted against holding the referendum, but the head state monitor, Michael Azzara, exercised his legal authority to schedule it anyway.

Those plans haven’t changed, although Shafter said the actual amount requested “is going to be closer” to $6.5 million. At that amount, the owner of a home with an assessed value of $300,000 would pay an extra $311.10 in annual school taxes.

Read the full report at the Asbury Park Press.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


2 COMMENTS

  1. When you have a deficit you simply don’t have enough money for what you want you can blame it on transportation you can blame it on special-education you obviously spending too much money all over the place and then it’s your choice to decide what you don’t have money for it’s about time people get together and realize there’s just too spending and we should a have across-the-board cuts

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