This is a huge problem!! Not only with the newly implemented programs but with some of the older ones that don't get funding increases. One of them is the all day kindergarten. Years ago the State said Hackensack had to have it and made it mandatory. The State said it would fund it, and they did. Years later the funding amount has not changed but the school has had to add more teachers to keep up the number of children attending these classes. Then add the cost of the teacher’s salary increases and the rise in insurance costs over the years and you end up with a large amount of cash that needs to be used to make up the gap in the school budget.
Last year the school received about $350,000 in Help funds, next year we get $0. The State says the funding stayed flat, but I would call it a decrease. The BOE has a power point on the budget on there website (
www.hbe.net) it’s OK but doesn’t get into all the details.