Revised Fields Policy is online; will be presented/voted-on Monday night.

An updated proposed revision to the Fields Use Policy will be presented to the Board of Ed tomorrow night at our regular public meeting. The draft policy is available as part of our agenda -- click here to download and read. Members of the Fields Committee will attend the meeting to respond to questions and concerns raised by BOE members and residents. I'd say it's likely that the BOE will vote on the proposed revision tomorrow night.

Also at tomorrow's meeting, the Board will receive a budget update from Dr. Fishbein and Mr. DeSimone. Last Monday we were presented with a budget that contained no cuts to staff or programs -- and yet, many lines on the budget were lower than last year. My hope is that tomorrow, we'll receive the details that can explain how those lines have been reduced, without loss of staff or programs. Of course, the recent $850,000 "gift" from Trenton has allowed us to eliminate the deficit which was reflected in our original budget. It's allowed us to not raid our capital reserve this year, which is a good thing. But, of course, with a 12% increase in healthcare costs, and increases in some other areas, we're not out of the woods. Hence, the proposed 2% increase in the tax levy.

In addition to tomorrow's BOE meeting, Dr. Fishbein is scheduling a number of open community meetings to review the budget and answer any questions from residents. I'll post those dates here as soon as they are confirmed.

Those are the main events on tomorrow's agenda. Please come to the meeting if you'd like to share your opinions during public comment, or if you'd just like to watch. You can also watch on CableVision Channel 77 or watch live on the web (click here).