Council must make real cuts to school budget

The parents of Freehold Borough and the members of the school board need to understand why the 2008-09 K-8 budget was rejected by the voters. I'm certain that all of the voters under ideal circumstances would love to provide our local schools with all that they request. Unfortunately, circumstances are less than ideal.

Freehold Borough does not have a property tax base that can expand to any significant degree. This leaves the entire burden of supporting our schools to the current property owners less of course whatever state aid is available.

This includes paying for the education of an increasing number of children whose parents are here illegally. Last year when there was a dire financial crunch the voters did step up and vote for the budget along with the supplemental request.

This year the board again requested the 4 percent legal maximum increase which when debt service and other stipulations are taken into account amount to an increase nearly double that. I don't know of anyone in the borough who in these difficult times has seen their income go up 8 percent.

The budget included the filling of 11 new positions as well which could have been postponed or eliminated. The board needs to take the needs of Freehold's taxpayers into account before submitting budgets in the future. I would hope that the Borough Council makes real and significant cuts to the budget rather than forsaking their responsibility and passing it on to the state (and) risking nullification of the voters' decision as happened several years ago.

David Giffler Freehold Borough