Wahler Thanks Piscataway Teachers

Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler Addresses School Board Concerns

I want to thank and applaud the Piscataway Township Education Association (PTEA) for the fantastic work of its members. Our teachers are hard-working, dedicated, accomplished and inspiring, truly outstanding role models for our children. They deserve our respect and gratitude.

The great success of our teachers is one of many reasons why Piscataway residents gladly invest their tax dollars in education because we support excellence in the classroom which we’re getting. However, we also want transparency from the School Board which we’re not.

A recent PTEA statement stated, “The township government has no legal authority over the school board's budget. These are two independently elected governing bodies.” Correct!

The School Board sets its own tax rate and its own budget. What the School Board hasn’t done is release its proposed budget before it votes on it. That’s not transparent and it undermines the confidence that we should have in its elected members.

Last year was especially difficult when the School Board passed its 2024-25 budget with the largest tax increase in Piscataway history. Do you know when the School Board posted that budget? Only after the final vote.

Teachers are also taxpayers. So are parents as well as those who no longer have children in school. What taxpayers deserve is transparency. Shouldn’t residents see how a governing body wants to spend public money before a budget is approved? Of course they should.

Transparency in the school budget and striking the right balance between maintaining excellent schools and keeping property taxes manageable are essential to ensuring that our township remains accessible and affordable for all residents.

The municipal government's proposed budget is already posted on the Township website well in advance of a final vote giving residents the opportunity to educate themselves, ask questions and voice their opinions before the Township Council makes its decision. What we can afford as a community matters and our open budget process ensures the public can join us in aligning the municipal budget with family budgets.

That’s why I’ve called on the School Board to be transparent. PTEA should do the same. I’m sure that teachers want to see how money is proposed to be spent in the schools.

Let everyone invested in our schools see how and where the School Board wants to spend public money before it votes. That’s good governance and that means posting its proposed budget and an easy-to-read summary if it has one online well before a final vote.