Lacey Schools: More for the Money

School district financial data released by the state in its School Report Card shows that Lacey Township taxpayers get a lot for their money, Superintendent Richard Starodub said.

In many instances, Lacey students are achieving higher test scores than their peers, with the district spending less per student to achieve greater results.

The total cost per pupil in Lacey Township is $12,884 while the state average is $15,538, but the local taxpayers funded more of the budget as compared to districts statewide, with 60 percent of revenues provided by Lacey taxpayers and 51 percent the statewide average.

“It’s interesting to note that our SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) average for three years — math, verbal, and writing — has exceeded the three-year averages of the schools that touch our borders,” Starodub said. “More importantly to note, how it goes to the taxpayer advocate. Our per pupil cost on the average to those three districts that touch our border is approximately $1,500 per pupil less then what they spend.”

Below are Lacey’s SAT scores and costs per pupil in comparison with the neighboring school districts for the 2009-2010 school year.

Math

Verbal

Essay

Cost Per Pupil

Lacey

505

484

484

$12,884

Barnegat

493

472

470

$14,327

Central Regional

486

468

461

$14,831

The Lacey district is educating students more efficiently than others, Starodub said.

“We’re achieving at higher levels,” Starodub said. “And I might add in fairness, that they’re fine school districts. I’m not being critical. They’re very good school districts.”

Starodub added that three students in the class of 2009 registered perfect scores on their SATs. Additionally, the Lacey Township School District also has exceeded test scores recorded by other districts within its district factor group, which separates districts by demographics and socioeconomic status.

“We’re not anywhere near being happy or satisfied with our results. We are continuously looking to improve but for what we’re spending, what the taxpayers are spending and by comparison, we’re getting a lot from every dollar,” Starodub said.

Starodub credits administrative and faculty costs which come in lower than the state average.

The median salaries for both administrators and faculty fall under the state average. Administrators in Lacey Township receive approximately $104,049 on average versus the statewide average of $117,895, and Lacey’s faculty earn $52,848 to the state’s average of $61,840.

But the school report card also show’s that Lacey Township has lost state aid over the years. For the 2009-10 school year, 36 percent of Lacey’s school budget came from the state. State aid used to be 45 percent or higher, Starodub said.

“That’s probably one of the most important things with regard to revenue and as the state’s share drops in percentage in actual dollars, a greater burden gets put on the local taxpayer; in spite of a little fluctuation, we’ve been able to hold that pretty constant,” Starodub said.

Last year, the district lost $4.6 million, but Starodub said they were able to make up what they lost with revenue from a solar project as well as savings from a salary freeze and budget cuts.

Starodub said if Lacey did not have the revenue from the solar project, the district would have had to lay off 100 employees last year.

The decrease in funding also has impacted training for teachers and support for basic skill students, Starodub said. The training budget is non-existent. The district relies on focus groups, which are lessons run by the teachers.

“It’s taking its toll and it’s all related to students not getting what they got the year before. There’s just so much at stake for public education in the state of New Jersey right now,” Starodub said.

He added that a decrease in state aid forces the district to delay funding needed items.

“We need the help from our taxpayer advocates to lobby the state legislators and the governor to keep from reducing the state aid, which is constitutionally sent here, because we will see the impact,” Starodub said. “We haven’t been able to buy a new math series, the computer infrastructure is outdated, and we’re in serious trouble because it’s backing up to buy new computers, switches, related-standing software.”

Jack Martenak, vice president of the Lacey Township Board of Education, mentioned an increase in state aid to charter schools, per Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget.

“The governor and the Department of Education are working on a new school funding formula and I am concerned about the lack of advocacy for suburban districts,” Martenak said. “It further emphasizes the need for Boards of Education, and most importantly the residents of Lacey and all of Ocean County to advocate for a fair distribution of aid to suburban districts.”

Starodub said as state aid gets increasingly allocated to charter schools as a part of education reform, the State Department of Education has to keep in mind that those schools screen their students and are competitively enrolled.

In many cases, the charter schools do not select children with education handicaps or physical handicaps, Starodub said.

“Of course they are going to outperform the schools that are doing the diversified education. That can’t be left out of the equation,” Starodub said.

Martenak said this switch in allocation of state aid would drive up taxes.

“The state takes that money out of the paychecks of every working Lacey resident every payday and for too long most of it has been misdirected to a handful of urban districts,” Martenak said. “Nothing has a greater effect on Lacey residents' property taxes or the quality of education we offer our students as that one issue.”

Check back at Lacey Patch Wednesday to read more about school official's reactions to other areas of the school report card.

Click on the links below for Lacey Township School District’s report cards:

Cedar Creek Elementary School

Forked River Elementary School

Lacey Township High School

Lacey Township Middle School

Lanoka Harbor Elementary School

Mill Pond Elementary School