Greed, greed, greed
The Abbott districts are balking at dealing with the same freeze in state aid that every other school district must contend with. Instead, they want large sums of additional aid, and they want the rest of us to cough that up, too, while our own districts' aid stays flat.
I'm OK with giving addiitonal state aid to poor districts. But to elevate them so far beyond the rest leaves the middle-income districts treading in ever-deepening waters. The amount of money spent per-pupil in some of these Abbott districts is obscene. The rest of us can't afford them anymore.
Camden wants its state aid doubled, and then some. Doubled?!? C'mon. How much of that really benefits the children? And how much of it gives meaningless jobs to friends and relatives, to provide perks and "educational" trips for officials in those districts?
They're in court now, battling against Gov. Corzine's request to keep the Abbott aid flat next year, as he plans to do for everyone else. I hope the state gets its way. If the local citizens freak out about having to pay additional taxes, tell them to have their districts cut out the fat they added during the years of "Use It or Lose It" spending mentalities. And "Use It or Lose It" has been replaced by "Use It and Demand More." These school officials have become the spoiled children of the state; coddling them only makes them worse.
I'm OK with giving addiitonal state aid to poor districts. But to elevate them so far beyond the rest leaves the middle-income districts treading in ever-deepening waters. The amount of money spent per-pupil in some of these Abbott districts is obscene. The rest of us can't afford them anymore.
Camden wants its state aid doubled, and then some. Doubled?!? C'mon. How much of that really benefits the children? And how much of it gives meaningless jobs to friends and relatives, to provide perks and "educational" trips for officials in those districts?
They're in court now, battling against Gov. Corzine's request to keep the Abbott aid flat next year, as he plans to do for everyone else. I hope the state gets its way. If the local citizens freak out about having to pay additional taxes, tell them to have their districts cut out the fat they added during the years of "Use It or Lose It" spending mentalities. And "Use It or Lose It" has been replaced by "Use It and Demand More." These school officials have become the spoiled children of the state; coddling them only makes them worse.
5 Comments:
Yeah, why shouldn't poor districts do a little belt-tightening just like the richer districts? As you point out, none of that excess money in those poor districts goes towrad educating children anyway. A quick comparison of per-student spending figures for various districts tells us that in a minute.
The middle-income districts that are hurt the most. And when you hear stories about limo rides, people hired to help kids off the school buses (on top of the bus drivers and aides already on the bus!) and the myriad (and mysteriously titled) "consultants" and "facilitators" who don't have any contact with the children (and when you see their salaries!) it's enuf to make you crazy.
You can throw all the money you want at the problem, Clare, but you aren't going to fix Asbury Park. (As if $20,000 per pupil isn't enough already.) Far better that we take that money and build prisons with it.
"I'm OK with giving additional state aid to poor districts." (Quoting Clare)
Clare, thanks for the smile/chuckle. It is always fun to watch guilty white liberals assuage their guilt by suggesting that they or (more likely) their more successful neighbors should pay more in taxes for demonstrably failed social programs. By all means, please be sure, in the future, to write about those NJ families/individuals that don't pay their "fair share" in taxes already. Do that and I am sure Governor/Comrade Corizine will offer you a job.
Please be kind enough to show your readers an Abbott district that took the truck-load of cash that the State threw at them and, thereafter, had their students perform anything but even marginally better on, say, standardized tests.
Honest, hard-working (e.g., middle-class) New Jersey families are literally getting taxed out of their homes/state because of people with your mindset.
John Fenlin
21 Oakes Road
Rumson, NJ 07760-1022
PS - Please check out the following site:
http://oprs.co.monmouth.nj.us/Oprs/taxboard/HeadFrame.aspx?idx=mod
(Enter "Fenlin" under owner name, click on "Rumson" as the town name, and then click "search.")
As you can see, I already pay almost $18,000 a year on a modest, Rumson home. Would you have me pay more?
Here is the link I meant:
http://oprs.co.monmouth.nj.us/Oprs/taxboard/HeadFrame.aspx?idx=mod
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