Holmdel reluctant to override vote Committee members skeptical of some school budget numbers BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer "The voters bought the standard model. Now you have to convince them why they need the air conditioning." - Serena DiMaso Mayor It's the $1.9 million question: Will the Holmdel Township Committee override the results of a referendum question in order to provide additional funding to the Board of Education? Not unless you convince us to, Mayor Serena DiMaso said at Thursday's committee meeting. Last month, voters narrowly approved a ballot question authorizing the board's $47.9 million overall school budget, but rejected a supplemental question that would have provided $1.9 million more for new teachers, technology equipment and district-wide security enhancements. If approved, the second question would have raised the tax rate 4.2 cents per $100 of assessed value, or about $309 per year for the owner of a home assessed at $736,795, the township average. The board appealed the defeat of that second question to the committee. The standing-room-only event had residents up in arms and spilling out into the lobby. The crowd, made up largely of senior citizens, was vocal in its disapproval of overriding the April 17 vote, a measure that was rejected by a margin of 60 percent. Superintendent of Schools Barbara Duncan spoke on behalf of the school district, saying $1.3 million of the total requested amount was needed for technology improvements, especially the replacement of all computers that are over 9 years old. The aging computers are a critical factor in securing Holmdel High School's ranking as an excellent school in a statewide magazine, she said. Already 294 of the district's computers are slated to be replaced, according to Jim Shelton, chairman of the board's ad hoc Technology Committee. But another 68 are needed to effectively bring the district up to date, he said. According to Shelton, the $1.3 million breaks down as follows: $433,000 for "visual presentation capabilities" such as wireless projectors that would service 72 classrooms; $375,000 for staffing, including four new mentors "to teach the teachers"; $233,000 for various technology items such as a soundfield system and significant upgrades to current systems; $116,000 for staff development training; $79,000 for 68 new computers; $49,000 for a mobile lab; and $46,000 for administration projects such as management assessment, grant writing and curriculum development. The rest of the requested $1.9 million would be used to install a security system and retain three part-time nurses, Duncan explained to the committee. Without the extra aid, the nurses would have to be let go, Duncan said. Deputy Mayor Alan Bateman was not buying the proposal, saying he did not blame residents for being skeptical of the threat of pulling nurses. Bateman suggested that sometime soon, the town may need to establish a centralized data center, a place where students, residents and employees could use the same computers. As far as signing off on an additional $1.9 million, Bateman said there was no question as to what should be done. "To override the voters would go against the system of democracy," he said. Committeeman Larry Fink said it was odd to even consider overriding the vote, but it was all a part of the democratic process. "I think about democracy and how things work in our society," Fink said. "Yes, majority does rule and should rule. If you look at the big picture, you might ask yourself how is it that this question has come to the governing body after the voters voted. Why are we even here discussing this? The answer, it's really democracy in action." All of the officials agreed there must be a dire need in order for the town to override the results of the referendum question. DiMaso likened the situation to buying a car. "The voters bought the standard model," DiMaso said. "Now you have to convince them why they need the air conditioning." DiMaso asked Duncan to "go back to the drawing board" to highlight the areas that were truly necessary. "The plan we presented was the least expensive," Duncan said, receiving loud guffaws from the audience. "I get the sense that we're victims of our times," Duncan continued, noting high property taxes and the state of New Jersey politics. "But who really is the victim? The children." Again, the crowd reacted with loud groans. In the end, Wall had the most specific recommendations, noting the Board of Education currently has a $3 million discretionary account that could be tapped for the new computers. Also, for about $50,000, the board could replace 68 of the computers that are said to be over 9 years old with used models that are 1 or 2 years old. This approach would save money and ensure the district's high ranking, he said. But again, there was confusion over just how many computers are over 9 years old. Wall also questioned why the board would spend $1,163 each on brand-new computers when similar models, also new, can be had for between $700 and $800. "I'm just trying to get at the numbers," Wall said. One major hindrance in getting at those numbers, Wall said, was the board's refusal to give him a full, unabridged version of their budget, as he had requested. After being told he could not have the documents, Wall filled out an Open Public Records Act form (OPRA) in order to finally get the information one day before the meeting. Holding up a stack of papers about five inches thick, Wall said it would take him longer than 24 hours to read all of the documents, necessary reading in order to make an informed decision. Duncan said she believed that only the mayor was allowed to view the complete budgetary documents. "We were following state protocol by meeting with the mayor and [Township Administrator] Mr. [Christopher] Schultz," Duncan said. But the mayor disagreed, saying, "You said you didn't need to supply us with the budget." "We were following protocol and forms need to be filled out," Duncan said. Wall laughed at this explanation and the topic was eventually dropped. The committee now has two weeks to make its decision. "Clearly, the voters have spoken," DiMaso said at the end of the discussion. "But as Mr. Fink said, this is democracy in action."