After less than two years in office, Schools Superintendent Brian Osborne has seen a budget battle that drew opposition from at least two Maplewood township officials, and parent complaints about issues ranging from plans to cut home economics at the middle school to his $6,000-plus raise.

But the schools chief -- whose background includes political hotbeds New York and Plainfield -- has also successfully engineered a budget that will fully fund districtwide all-day kindergarten for the first time; add a dozen new teachers; and spark the lowest tax hike in 20 years at 3.98%. He also recently received a new contract that keeps him on the job through 2014.

"This was a very challenging year because of the difficult economic times," Osborne said Friday during an interview in his second-floor district office. "The need to keep the tax impact as low as possible. The tax stress here is extremely high and I am very aware of that. We need to maximize efficiencies as much as possible."

During the recent tax and budget battle, which ended with the Board of School Estimate approving his proposed $112.3 million budget, 6-2, Osborne showed a calm resolve, with an eye toward both the economic realities, and the educational demands. At one point, when asked by BOSE members to explain what areas he would cut if needed, he said he was "loath" to do so, and hinted class size might suffer.

Asked why expanding kindergarten to a district-wide, all-day program in which every kindergarten is day-long, Osborne said research indicates that such expanded programs improve students overall. He also believed that offering such options to all students takes away any income-level inequalities: "It was important to me as an equity issue. There was too much randomness in readiness for first grade. That had a lot to do in the quality of education for five-year-olds."

Several supporters of the recent budget indicated that was enough to prompt them to cut nothing further. In the end, it was Maplewood TC Members Vic De Luca and Lester Lewis-Powder who were the only opposition votes on the BOSE.

"Over and over again I have been reminded of the incredible support of parents here," Osborne said. "I hear more and more that it is the public schools that were the factor for people moving here." He adds that he understands those who opposed the budget: "The township committee as a whole has been very well-educated over the years about the challenges. Given what they have been through on the municipal side, I am very sympathetic to their views."

But even with that budget tussle behind, Osborne knows the next four years will not be easy. He is already grappling with the beginnings of negotiations with the South Orange Maplewood Education Association, which represents some 750 teachers and has a contract that ends in June. Neither side is commenting on negotiations, but it is likely the school district will seek to have the teachers pay some portion of their health benefits, which they do not now pay.

"Every cost area that increases at rates that are higher than the CPI or the tax cap make it more difficult to maximize programs year over year," Osborne said when asked about ongoing costs. "We will be facing structural challenges like every other school district."

In addition, district enrollment, currently at about 6,200, continues to increase and is likely to do so until at least the 2011-2012 school year. "The opportunity is that there is tremendous capacity in the system," he says about the enrollment increases.

But he said that weeding out students from out of town who are not legally allowed to attend SO-M schools -- an issue that often raises the ire of residents -- is not a top priority. "We do routinely investigate residential issues as they come to our attention," he said. "We do take action. To me, the issues involving residency are adult issues and my expectation is that all of the students in our schools we will educate and leave the adult business. It bothers me when people make this a 'those kids' issue."

With a $112.3 million budget and some 6,200 students, the per student cost comes to roughly $18,000, a nice chunk of change to pay for any student illegally enrolled. But anyone who has ever tried to register their student in recent months will find the residency proof requirements are quite extensive.

On his contract extension and raise, Osborne says he did not seek either, but welcomed the affirmation of his work. "The board and I very much shared a vision of what must happen in the district and how to get there." The raise brings his annual salary to just over $200,000 per year. He has donated the first year's raise, some $6,000-plus, to the South Orange Maplewood Education Foundation.

With the three incumbent school board members up for re-election later this month facing no opposition, Osborne will see the same school board for at least another year.

Asked what his top priority going forward is curriculum-wise, Osborne said English language arts. "We are completely rewriting our English-language arts curriculum so that it is more highly structured. Consistency from grade to grade. What we have now is locally developed and in a fairly unstructured manner."

On his biggest challenge in the first two years, Osborne says: "Our agenda as defined by the district goals is very ambitious, the system is complex. Public education in general has a certain amount of resistence to change."

But he stresses that the ongoing support he gets is one of the best parts of the job: "There are continued reminders just how dedicated the communty is to its schools. It is an exceptional place in terms of a strong commonly shared set of values and commitment."