Atlantic City school board rejects budget with 226 layoffs

ATLANTIC CITY (AP) — Atlantic City's school board has turned down a proposed budget that includes 226 layoffs.

The state Education Department monitor says he'll discuss Monday's vote with state officials on Tuesday.

The Press of Atlantic City reports monitor Gary McCartney told the board the district is in a very precarious financial position after the city's ratable base dropped from $20 billion to $7.35 billion.

The proposed $147 million budget is almost $20 million less than the current budget. The amount paid by property taxpayers will drop from $118 million to almost $82 million.

School board member Ed Cooper says such large reductions will hurt the children's education.

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