BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD - The Borough Council found itself Monday night defending its recent decision against cutting the defeated school budget.

The budget, which was narrowly defeated in April, will raise school taxes by an average of $252 for the 2006-07 school year. The council in May voted 3-1 to uphold the 10-cent increase in the tax rate.

On Monday, resident Dick Drude voiced his frustration with the council and school board regarding school spending. Drude said he was disappointed the council failed to order a tax cut and that he's tired of hearing that budget cuts would have a negative effect on education.

Drude said he has no problem with teachers' salaries, but he feels too much of the budget goes to administrators. He said he wonders why the district brought in a new superintendent, Jack Krewer, while its outgoing one, Tony Vaz, was still on board. School board members said the move was made so Krewer could learn from Vaz and to ensure a smooth transition. Councilman Thomas Barlow said the board needed to sign Krewer last fall because the then-Red Bank superintendent of schools would have found another job if the district waited until Vaz' actual retirement, which will take effect July 1. There are more than 100 superintendent jobs open or being filled by interim employees in New Jersey.

Barlow also noted how the district did cut one administrative position, in addition to eliminating the high school's auto shop program.

But Drude also took issue with that, saying it made no sense to cut the shop program.

"Not every kid is college material," he said. "Some have to learn to work with their hands."

Council President James Shearn said his position on the school budget was that he favored a cut that would have had a real impact on taxes. Bur if the council was only able to find $10,000 to cut, there was no point.

Even Councilman Curtis Stollen, who in May cast the sole dissenting vote to uphold the school budget, agreed there was not much room to make cuts.

But Drude said he'd "like to congratulate" Stollen for seeking to make a cut, adding that now he does not know why residents even vote on the school budget.

The Borough Council last year ordered a $300,000 cut in that school budget, but this year said they could find no fat or wasteful spending. Board of Education members were thankful with the decision, saying it may be unpopular, but was the right move. Board Vice President Alan Bartlett said any cut would have resulted in service disruptions or loss of staff.

Shearn said the board "did a great job" in its work on the budget, and that the council went over it line by line. He did note however that the school district may have to start consolidating positions, such as using one principal for two schools.

Drude said houses in Spotswood are going up for sale "like crazy" and that senior citizens like himself can no longer afford to live in town.