Q&A: What happened after voters defeated school budgets

• N.J. towns make school budget cuts in wake of election defeats On April 20, New Jerseyans defeated 58 percent of local school budgets statewide. Here is a look at what has happened since and what is still to come. Q. What happened to a defeated budget? A. Failed school budgets are sent to the local governing bodies for...

Michael Mancuso/The TimesA sign posted on Robbinsville-Allentown Road in Robbinsville on the school board elections.

On April 20, New Jerseyans defeated 58 percent of local school budgets statewide. Here is a look at what has happened since and what is still to come.

Q. What happened to a defeated budget?

A. Failed school budgets are sent to the local governing bodies for review and possible cuts. Over the last few weeks, town councils have met to decide if and how to slash defeated budgets. Councils set a dollar amount and recommend areas for reduction. School districts are only bound to accept the dollar amount of the cuts. They do not have to make the specific program or staffing cuts suggested by the councils.

In some districts, a council may not cut a defeated budget. Under the state school funding formula, if a district’s tax levy was what the state considers the town’s "local share," the governing body cannot reduce it.

Q. When does this have to resolved?

A. The budget reductions and the tax levy had to be finalized by today.

Q. Are all cuts made by the council’s final?

A. A school board may appeal a municipality’s cuts to the state Department of Education if it believes the reductions are too steep and prevent the district from providing an adequate education. Budget appeals are uncommon; there were two in 2009 and none in 2008. The deadline for those appeals is 10 business days from when the governing body finalizes the tax levy. In regional school districts, each town must agree to the budget cuts. If they do not, those cases also are sent to the DOE for a decision.

Q. Are all the teacher layoffs final? Can classes and programs that are being cut be reinstated?

A. Some of the proposed school layoffs could change depending on staff retirements and other moves. Those changes are generally known by the end of the school year in June. In addition, about 260 districts are still negotiating with local unions for contracts for next year. Those settlements also could enable districts to bring back laid-off staff. Most class and program cuts will remain unless staff are brought back for them.