{"id":13166,"date":"2018-08-01T02:54:47","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T06:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=13166"},"modified":"2018-08-01T04:09:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-01T08:09:34","slug":"brick-school-board-will-still-hold-12m-referendum-this-fall-amid-funding-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2018\/08\/brick-school-board-will-still-hold-12m-referendum-this-fall-amid-funding-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Brick School Board Will Still Hold $12M Referendum This Fall Amid Funding Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Brick<\/a>

Brick Township Board of Education\/Schools (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n

Members of the Brick Township school board on Tuesday night affirmed their intention to hold a referendum on $12.5 in new spending for security upgrades to school facilities despite a $22 million funding cut and guaranteed tax increases for the next seven years.<\/p>\n

The referendum, which will ask Brick voters to approve $12,580,000 in bonds that will be paid off over the course of the next 25 years, will cost the average homeowner $11 per year. But the plan still faced opposition in light of a state-mandated maximum tax increase every year for the next seven years, and what officials predicted would be \u201cdraconian\u201d cuts to services.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll those $13 and $15 items add up,\u201d said resident Vic Fanelli, referencing former board member Larry Reid\u2019s concern that there are over 800 line item accounts in the district\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would seriously question whether it would be a smart move to put this referendum out there this year,\u201d said Reid. \u201cThings aren\u2019t going well right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

One resident confirmed she\u2019ll vote \u201cno\u201d on the measure, which will be placed on November\u2019s general election ballot.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy November, I can tell you I\u2019m not voting for anything,\u201d said Melanie Briggs.<\/p>\n

Board members touted the referendum as a low-cost mechanism to fund security enhancements that have been recommended by both school officials and the Brick police department. Chief James Riccio will make a presentation on the security upgrades at the Aug. 9 board meeting, Board President Stephanie Wohlrab said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn light of the changes in society, I think we\u2019re being reasonable,\u201d said board member John Lamela, who cited the Parkland, Fla. school shooting and plans for 3D-printed guns to potentially be publicly released in the coming weeks.\u201dI think one of the reasons we\u2019re floating this referendum is because we do care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victoria Pakala, another board member, said the security upgrades would help the district meet state and national standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are totally focused on the safety of our students and teachers, and this is a standard set by the federal government and the state,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are going to do what\u2019s best for our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last major school referendum proposal \u2013 which was much larger at $93 million \u2013 was soundly defeated. But this year\u2019s question will ask voters for significantly less money.<\/p>\n

The funding would provide for:<\/p>\n