FRHSD Budget Meeting Tonight

[Rob_Nicastro]

FYI.. This email below is being circulated and asked to be passed on.


As many of you are aware, a majority of our property taxes are used for the schools. 72% of my property taxes are used for education of the two school districts . I'm sure many of yours are similar. Yet only about 16% of your property taxes  is used for local municipal taxes. Yet, many more people show up to battle the governing bodies of the various towns.The voter turnout is far greater for local governing body election than that of the school boards. Most residents don't even know when the school board elections are. This year it's April 20th. Deadlines for school board applications is TODAY at 4:00 PM. There are 4 seats available on the Manalapan-Englishtown school board. On the Freehold Regional High School District there are 3 seats up this year;  Englishtown, Howell and Farmingdale.

 Governor Christie has tightened the belts on the school districts and is forcing the districts to use their surplus reserves. What does this mean to you? Will your property taxes rise again?  How does it affect the children attending our schools? Will services be cut?


A series of educational sessions will be held in the next two weeks to present information on Freehold Regional High School District's proposed 2010-11 budget and to collect public input. This may be your  ONLY opportunity to ask questions and voice your opinions.

The schedule is as follows:

March 1, Monday: 8 p.m. at the Board of Education meeting, Howell High School, 405 Squankum-Yellowbrook Road in Farmingdale.

Tuesday: 7 p.m. at Freehold Township High School, 281 Elton-Adelphia Road.

Wednesday: 7 p.m. at Marlboro High School, 95 North Main Street.

March 9: 8 p.m. at Colts Neck High School, 59 Five Points Road.

March 10: 7 p.m. at Freehold High School, 2 Robertsville Road.

March 12: 7 p.m. at Manalapan High School, 30 Church Lane in Englishtown.

March 13: 2 p.m. at the Administrative Building, 11 Pine St. in Englishtown.

The tentative budget is to be introduced at the Board of Education meeting today. A public budget hearing is scheduled for March 22, according to the district Web site

[Phil_Sanfilippo]

Thanks Bob,
               You can rest to sure scare tactics will be used such as cutting programs etc. From what i have observed people have thrown the towel in fighting school boards. Until such time as the elections a are all moved to November, and people that serve on the board have no ties to education nothing will ever change.
            phil

[Joe_Tipaldo]

amen....

and i'm sure most of the speakers will be BOE family and friends as well as NJEA supporters. I just have no faith in our system and in the BOE.

[Phil_Sanfilippo]

Its a shame this is what things have come to. Sort of like a thief in night. When the cats away the rats play. i have often wondered if people are more happier than they seem. think about it for a minute the status quo does a roper dope with the public and before they know bang. ever try to watch a minute hand move on a clock thats what our tax system and politicians have does to us all. Drip, drop drip than bingo you have to sell your house because even though you struggled for 30 years to pay it off your social security and pension can not pay the taxes.
                                        god bless
                                         phil

[Phil_Sanfilippo]

Folks,
        So wake up this morning and try to enjoy my coffee and there it is Howell taxpayers are staring at a a minimum $100.00 increase for Freehold Regional. So lets put it in perspective. $100 to $200 for high school tax about $150 for local schools and about $150 for Municipal. How much more can the tax payer bear to stand. Runaway spending are out of control. What is these folks on the board don't understand. I guess when they start losing their homes due to not be able to pay their bills they may wake up. Are they living in a dream world The federal government just passed another 10 weeks of unemployment. What don't these people see. I guess its high time to head south. All salaries and spending need to be frozen immediately and an across the board cut of 10% is long over due at al levels of government and all budgets defeated. About the only thing that might save us is a state wide consolidation of school districts
                                                                                                         phil

[Rob_Nicastro]

Phil

I know you and many feel burnt out, especially when you have dealt with and seen first hand all the shenanigans and status quo, but if this doesn't get people fired up nothing will.

At the FRHSD on the "Road Show" it was said as of now, the tentative tax rate (3.18)  thus: value of home/100x.0318= amount of tax increase this year for regional budget only.

Hope to see you at the next local BOE meeting, those numbers will be even more scary.

[Ginger_Hoffmeier]

Rob,

Part of the problem is that residents do not speak the same language as the education community. It's not that they are using words we don't understand, it's that they use words and terms that don't exist in the rest of the world.

There is also a lack of common sense that catches the average resident off-guard. You can understand what they are saying but since it's such nonsense the normal mind simply rejects it. It's that puzzled, 'I can't believe what I just heard' look that crosses our faces much to the delight of BOE members and the higher echelons of the education community.

A good example would be the reaction to Wasser. The education community had no problem with his mail order title while the rest of us just wondered what planet these people came from.

Frankly, I would love to see the whole system shut down and reinvented with an eye towards educating students for the new world they will be facing, and less concern for the on-going security and comfort for the NJEA members.

[Rob_Nicastro]

Ginger,

I agree with your analysis. Sometimes it's that simple.

[Jody_Branin]

Well said Ginger.  

While I've not attended the FRHSD meetings in person, (Afraid I might vomit) I have been watching the videos with great interest.  It amazes me what goes on there.  If I ever go, I'm bringing my own personal body guard because dang, can you say Intimidation?  You've got 3 minutes to speak and after 2 minutes, 30 seconds a lady strong arm comes up and stands by you to cover the microphone/shut it off when your 3 minutes is up.  Last meeting (February I believe) she actually laid hands upon the speaker.  She wasn't even allowed to finish her sentence!  

I've watched many a  Council meeting and have never seen anything like this there.  

Here's the latest:

Part 1: Meeting open and student musical number

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 1	DQ

Part 2: Preliminary budget presentation

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 2	DQ

Part 3: Budget continued

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 3	DQ

Part 4: More budget presentation

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 4	DQ

Part 5: More budget

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 5	DQ

Part 6: More budget and board member questions

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 6	DQ

Part 7: Public participation on agenda items. Vote on rule change to limit timer available for public participation at future meetings

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 7	DQ

Part 8: Discussion and vote to limit public participation at the public metings. Public participation on general items.

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 8	DQ

Part 9: More public input on general items

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 9	DQ

Part 10: More public participation on general items. The Englishtown representative makes a addition statement.

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 10	DQ

Part 11: More public participation on general items.

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 11	DQ

Part 12: Close of meeting

FRHSD 3-1-2010 Pt 12	DQ

  

[Phil_Sanfilippo]

Having attended and served on many school board committees  i fully understand the need to set limits for public participation. I have seen witnessed grandstanding from both side of the aisle but one thing i have always found insulting that when the board refuses to answer a taxpayers question at the tine the question is asked. In my opinion this is very insulting. In our society we encourage honest open debate but for some reason when it comes to school boards that goes out the window. Perhaps we all need to get a  is reality check on  what is important and in life. And they wonder why so many budgets do not get passed.
                                                                                                                        phil