Brick School Board Approves $160 Million Budget For 2021-22

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Board of Education approved a proposed $160 million budget for the 2021-22 school year that cuts 26 positions as the district tries to absorb a $5.3 million reduction in state aid.

The budget of $160,822,267 includes a property tax levy of $117,391,709, an increase of $2.2 million over the property tax levy in the 2020-21 budget.

That 2 percent increase is the maximum allowed under the state cap. It also is required under S2, the state law that mandates the reduction in equalization aid, because the Brick Township School District is under adequacy, meaning the district is spending less per student than the state Department of Education says the district should be spending to provide a thorough and efficient education.

Brick is among the lowest in per-pupil spending for districts with 3,500 or more students

Because of the state aid cut, the district is eliminating the equivalent of 26 full-time positions for the 2021-22 school year, including six at the high school level, three at the middle schools, nine at the elementary schools and eight positions in the facilities and transportation departments.

The district has eliminated more than 100 positions as the result of S2, Superintendent Thomas Farrell said, and they are hoping the majority of the 2021-22 cuts will be absorbed by retirement and attrition.

"We believed the most important factor when looking at this budget was to minimize the negative effect of the lack of funding on class sizes," Farrell said.

Susan McNamara, director of planning, research and evaluation, said the emphasis on minimizing class sizes was at the youngest levels. Kindergarten and first-grade classes are anticipated to average 22 students, with second and third grades at 24, and fourth and fifth grades averaging 30 students per class. Middle school classes are anticipated to have a high of 30 students and a low of 24 students, while at the high schools, the core subjects are anticipated to average 23 students, she said.

The budget includes $8 million for capital projects, including boiler replacements at Lake Riviera Middle School, Emma Havens Young Elementary and Midstreams Elementary, roofwork at Veterans Memorial Elementary and the chiller at Brick Memorial High School.

The district also will be replacing three 54-passenger school buses that have reached their age limit.

The district has increased spending on its special education programs and training across the district, from bus drivers to aides to staff as well as teachers, to create more inclusion, said Kristen Hanson, director of special services. The increased training and expansion of programs — the district is adding two teachers, one for an autism class and one for a class of students with behavioral disabilities — have helped reduce the need to send students out of district for special education services. That has reduced the amount of tuition Brick has to pay for those programs, resulting in a net savings for the district.

The district also received a $5 million grant for its preschool program, allowing it to add more classes this year, she said. The grant is funding seven positions, including two teachers, two aides, a special education coach for middle and high schools, a social worker and an English Language Learner teacher.

Business Administrator James Edwards reiterated what he has said for several years: that Brick cannot close its gap in what the state Department of Education says it can afford because of the 2 percent cap on the tax levy. It also is losing funding in spite of the fact that more than a third of the district's students receive free or reduced-cost lunches.

While the property tax levy increase 2 percent, the actual impact on the tax rate is 1.9 percent because of a reduction in the district's debt service.

"This is a simple budget," Farrell said. "Not only is it a simple budget, it is a no-frills budget. It is fiscally responsible and maintains student programs."

The budget now goes to the education department for approval.

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