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“User-friendly” Plain Language Budget Summaries In order to provide increased public accountability and transparency, P.L. 2007, c. 53 requires officials in each school district to place a “user-friendly” summary of their proposed budget on the district’s website (if one exists) following the public hearing on the budget and prior to the school election in April. After the election (and following municipal review if the budget is defeated), a final user-friendly summary of the final budget must be posted on both the district’s website and the Department of Education’s website. The posting must stay on-line for a year, until it is replaced by the following year’s budget summary. DOE worked with the New Jersey School Business Officials Association to create the format for the budget summary for 2008-09. It includes: all appropriation line items aggregated by item type; the school tax rate; the equalized school tax rate; revenues by major category; the amount of available surplus; a description of unusual revenues or appropriations, with a description of the circumstances of the revenues and appropriations; and a list of shared services agreements in which the district is participating. It is the Department’s expectation that this format will continue to be refined based on feedback and continued suggestions by districts and the public. User-friendly Budget Summaries -- Download | View Salaries and Benefits of Select School District Employees PL 2007, c.53 also required that beginning in 2008-09, detailed information on the salaries and benefits of each district superintendent, assistant superintendent, school business administrator and school district employees whose annual base salaries exceed $75,000 and who are not members of collective bargaining units must be submitted to DOE by the districts as part of the budget process. This information must be posted on both the individual district websites (or made available to the public by the district if no district website exists) and the DOE website. The information provided in the link below is for contracts in effect as of January 1, 2008. The amount columns are reported on an annualized basis and represent the maximum amount that the employee could be paid in the given year. It is important to note that some of the benefits listed in the attached spreadsheet – such as stipends, the buyback of accrued sick time and separation payments – have either been capped or are no longer permitted to be included in new administrator contracts, which must be reviewed and approved by the Executive County Superintendent in each county. The benefits that the new regulations limit in future contracts are highlighted in the attached spreadsheet. Finally, all users of this information should note that the data contained in this spread sheet are self-reported by the districts. DOE has not approved this information, nor is the department responsible for its accuracy. The final accountability regulations, and a Q&A regarding the new contract standards provisions, are posted on the Department's website at: http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap23a.htm. The blank Excel worksheet used for collecting this information and the definitions and instructions for completion of the form are contained in Appendix C to the 2008-09 Budget Guidelines at the following link http://www.nj.gov/education/finance/fp/dwb/guidelines/. Administrative Salaries Revised as of 11/12/08 |
