By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Both school districts in the township received extra money last week as the state announced it would receive federal funding through the Education Jobs Fund Program. The funding can only be used to retain jobs or hire new employees in the district.
The Voorhees K-8 School District received $214,760 and the Eastern Regional School District received $328,437 last week through the federal Education Jobs Fund Program. The program is designed to save or create education jobs for the 2010–2011 school year.
After administrative expenses, the state will receive a total of $262,742,643 through the program. The funding cannot be inserted in a school districts general operating budget. According to the state the federal funding must be used for compensation and benefits to retain existing employees, recall or rehire former employees, and to hire new employees.
More than $10 billion has been allocated throughout the country through this program.
Coordinator of Elementary Programs for the K-8 district Irene Afek said the district is waiting until it actually receives the funding to make any concrete decisions as to how it will be utilized for this year and beyond.
With that caveat, Afek said the Board of Education is leaning toward using it to retain jobs within the district for the 2011–2012 school year.
“Under the best circumstances if we do receive the federal aid it will go to retain staff for the 2011–2012 year. It will be reserved for the next year,” she said. “This is one-time funding and it is a positive thing.”
Eastern Regional School District Dr. Harold Melleby said it was undecided at this point what the district would do with the funding. It will be discussed, he said, at the upcoming Board of Education’s executive planning/finance committee meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5.
Both districts had difficult budgetary seasons this past year. Residents voted down both budgets and both school districts had to reduce employees and programs for the 2010–2011 school year.
The Township Committee approved of reducing the Voorhees K-8 School District budget by $305,000. The original 2010–2011 budget was more than $51.4 million. The committee also reduced the defeated $31.6 million Eastern Regional 2010–2011 by $450,000.
For a complete list of state schools that received funding through this program, please visit state.nj.us/education/news/2010/0920jobslst.pdf.
