It's been said many times during the recession: it's going to get worse before it will get better. This may also be true for the Hoboken Board of Education, which passed a fully funded school budget earlier this year without a tax increase. 

Most educators and school board members still vividly remember Gov. Chris Christie's announcement in March, cutting $819 million in state aid to schools across New Jersey. Hoboken's aid was cut by 14 percent, or almost $2.4 million. Fifty-nine districts in the state lost all their funding. 

For Hoboken, that change comes down to a cut of $2,297,132 in state aid in the 2010-2011 year. Hoboken will receive a total of $14,059,047 in aid in 2010-2011. In 2009-2010, Hoboken received a little more than $17 million in aid. 

Since then, the governor has proposed and the legisature has adopted a 2 percent annual cap on tax increases, while a so-called "mayoral toolkit," which he promoted in Hoboken during a town hall meeting, is supposed to give local officials tools to rein in budget increases.

The state might have gotten help with its school budgets from the federal government, but the Christie Administration was unable to secure Race to the Top funding which would have amounted to some $400 million. But, Hoboken school officials did not seem to be too worried about the school system's future. 

Board of Education President Rose Marie Markle said Hoboken was not expecting any additional government funds this year anyway. "We didn't sit back and say, 'We're going to get this money,'" she said.  

Hoboken already spends more per child than most other districts in the state. The school system outspent the state's average for the total comparative cost per pupil—the cost of classroom instruction, support services, administration, operations and maintenance, food services, and extracurricular expenditures divided by the average daily enrollment—by $6,800 or more during the 2008-2009, 2007-2008, and 2006-2007 academic years, according to the New Jersey Department of Education. Last year, the city spent $21,845 per student, $2,626 less than the year before, and for the coming year, the city has allotted $20,054 for each student, according to the 2010-2011 school budget. 

But although times are still tough, and the outlook for future years is still grim, the Hoboken Board of Education was able to pass a budget this year that did not require a tax increase. And despite less state aid and no tax hike, because of a large number of retirements the school system did not have to lay anybody off. 

The 2010-2011 budget is roughly $58 million, about 7 percent (or $4.1 million) lower than the previous year. It includes a one-time revenue of $900,000—$535,000 from a textbook lease program and $355,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  

Although the proposed budget included a reduction in utility cost because Connors School was supposed to close for renovations, the state funding that was to pay for that renovation fell through before the summer—much to Mayor Dawn Zimmer's dismay—and the students weren't moved out. The New Jersey Schools Development Authority wrote a letter to Carter in June, telling him that the Christie administration had to perform a review of the 2008 Capital plan, in cooperation with the Department of Education.

At a board meeting in March, Business Administrator Robert Davis announced that expenditures were lowered by $2 million, without cutting any programs, by using almost all the surplus funds, 14 retirements (of which many were administrative positions, including the Board's Secretary) and reducing the purchase of supplies. 

But, that does not mean that there were no changes made. 

The Theater Program

In April, students and other supporters of the theater program got together after rumors circulated that the program would be cut. In an April 1 letter to parents, Interim Superintendent Peter Carter wrote: ""Despite the fiscal blow from Trenton, we plan to maintain the drama program for the next school year, albeit with increased fiscal responsibility and care in our budgeting." 

Some took this as a warning sign that the end was near for the much-acclaimed program and its director Paula Ohaus. Ohaus' position was changed to a teaching position. However, she was not laid off. 

The IB-Programme

In May, the Board decided to eliminate the International Baccelaureatte Programme, and replace it with Advanced Placement classes. Although some parents and educators were upset to see the IB-Programme go, there were not enough students participating in it to keep it, Board President Markle said.  

The last class that partakes in the IB Programme will graduate in June 2011. AP classes will be phased in during this school year, said Carter at the meeting in May.

Title I at the high school

Carter announced that the district had gotten positive feedback from the State Department of Education regarding the district's request to make the high school a Title I school at the Sept. 14 Board of Education meeting. Title I is a federal program that provides additional aid to primary and secondary schools with students from low-income families. The elementary schools are already designated Title I.

Athletic programs

No athletic programs were cut in Hoboken, where the athletic budget is about $810,000. But students who are legal residents of Hoboken but enrolled at the Hudson County Schools of Technology, where athletic programs have been cut due to state budget issues, can now participate in the program at the Hoboken Public Schools, according to a Sept. 1 letter Carter wrote to parents.

School attire

Some parents have said that their children pay too much attention to fashion and that school uniforms may be a way to solve that problem and save money for local families. Hoboken Public Schools do not have official uniforms; however, in a Sept. 1 letter to parents, Carter wrote, "Khaki slacks, shorts, or skirt at knee-length with a golf shirt in the color of the particular elementary school is an option, and our high school students shall be attired in collared tops and appropriate length shorts or skirts."

Next year

But while the school system may have avoided big cuts in programs for the current year, all indications are that next year's budget will be even tighter. State aid is likely to be reduced further and so far, some of the proposed measures Gov. Christie has proposed to help school officials hold down costs have not been passed by the legislature. So school officials may again be facing difficult choices.

Andrew Tavani contributed reporting. 

Editor's note: This story is part of a nationwide Patch series examining the economy's effect on local schools. For more information on the series, click here.