Great Meadows Regional School Board, Liberty Township Committee discuss school budget that appears headed for state review

INDEPENDENCE TWP. | A last-minute meeting Tuesday to discuss the Great Meadows Regional School District appeared to be too little too late -- meaning the $18.8 million budget is headed to Trenton to be trimmed.

Today is the deadline for municipal governments to turn in school budgets -- with any amendments -- that voters had rejected. Those that don't will have budgets reviewed by the New Jersey Department of Education, which has until June 30 to institute cuts.

The Independence Township Committee was unable to muster the representation necessary to participate in Tuesday's meeting due to members' prior commitments, one present committeeman said.

The Liberty Township Committee spent 90 minutes querying the school board on nearly $1 million of budget items it had identified for potential cuts.

"We are not trying to destroy the schools. We are doing what we're supposed to do," said Liberty Mayor John Fisher, acknowledging the tensions among the three government entities after the school budget was defeated by voters April 20.

In meetings this month, the Liberty and Independence township committees found themselves almost $700,000 apart in their budget cut expectations.

Liberty officials said they wanted to see about $945,000 cut from the budget, which they said could be accomplished with no adverse effects to staff or classroom materials.

"We're looking to work around the fringes of the budget," Liberty Committeeman Dan Grover said Tuesday.

Independence leaders last week said $250,000 would be more appropriate, an amount they said would be saved if educators agreed to go without a raise this year.

Independence Township Committeeman Richard Wall, the only member of the township board to attend, said Liberty should come down to his township's proposed amount.

"We could just end this thing and go home," Wall said.