End Reckless School Spending in NJ : Support Governor Christie's Call To Action

Chris Rogers and I wrote the following op-ed piece which was published as a letter to the editor in the March 26th issue of the Roxbury Register:

Roxbury Register > Opinion

Two Roxbury school board members back Christie

Published: Mar 26th, 7:05 AM

EDITOR:
During his recent appearance on NJ 101.5 FM radio, Gov. Christie emphatically stated “it’s absolutely untrue” that a school board has to raise property taxes because the state froze aid in the amount of their excess surplus and said people should not stand for a school board that makes this claim.

What is really driving increases in school budgets, the governor continued, are negotiated contracts like the one in the Marlboro school district,where teachers received annual 4.5% salary increases for the next five years with zero contributions to health benefits.

We’re here to tell the good people of the state that, in our opinion, Gov. Christie knows exactly what he’s talking about and needs your support.

Let’s look at the facts in Roxbury, where the school board is indeed blaming the state for the anticipated increase in property taxes.

Fact: Roxbury teachers were handed a retroactive 4.3 percent wage increase for ‘07-’08 and a 4.7 percent wage increase last year, this year, and the next with not having to pay a dime towards their health insurance premiums.

This is thanks to the approval of an irresponsible contract by the majority of the school board, including two of the unchallenged incumbents regaining their seats in the upcoming school election.

With approximately 85 percent of the Roxbury school budget going into the pockets of it’s employees, it’s plain both the students and the taxpayers are paying handily for the action of the school board, not that of the Governor’s.

Fact: School boards are by law allowed to craft an annual school budget with a 4 percent growth in the tax levy.

Does anyone really believe the Roxbury school board wasn’t going to follow their customary practice of going to cap whether the state froze excess surplus or not?

Another fact: After the voters defeated the Roxbury school budget last year, the Superintendent and school board professed a $1 million budget cut would devastate the district.

So instead of listening to the voter mandate to make cuts that would give the public real tax relief, the majority of the town council threw up their hands to the “school cartel” in a showdown well orchestrated by the school board and central office administration and cut only $500,000.

The result? Not only did Roxbury school district end up retaining a 2 percent budget surplus of about $1.5 million, it amassed another $1 million plus in unused funds.

In our view, Gov. Christie took back state aid because, frankly, the school board could not find ways to spend the taxpayer’s money fast enough.

Again, the blame can only be placed on the shoulders of your local government officials, not the Governor’s.

So let’s be clear, Gov. Christie’s recent cut to Roxbury school district’s surplus funds will not raise property taxes any more than the district already intended to raise them.

What Gov. Christie’s executive order will do is: 1) close the budget gap on state spending without new taxation and more importantly 2) force Roxbury and other school districts to limit spending on those items that we “want” but the taxpayers can no longer afford.

Without question, there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way Roxbury school board views future school spending.

When it comes to it’s budget, the school board needs to remember the difference between “want” and “need”.

They must learn to cut items and positions that not only have seriously jeopardized the quality and stability of our children’s education, but also puts the squeeze on the taxpayers.

Everyone in the school district, including the Roxbury Education Association, needs to realize the well has run dry. The NJEA and its sub chapters cannot continue to hold school boards throughout New Jersey hostage.

If the teachers union and school establishment’s mantra, “it’s for the children”, is going to really mean something, then everyone is going to have to start giving rather than taking.

We urge Roxbury residents to rebuke the administration’s and school board’s usual scare tactics of threatening to cut items that will cause our kids and parents “maximum pain” and demand they work harder and smarter with the money they’ve been entrusted to oversee.

Let’s see budget cuts that will reduce entitlements and empire building rather than taking away from the classroom.

Lastly, New Jersey’s new leader, Gov. Christie, is taking bold action to try and turn this state around.

As NJ school board members and residents, we’re thankful that someone has finally risen to the occasion and is willing to take on the special interests groups rather than bow down to them.

We urge all NJ citizens to contact their legislators and tell them you expect them to take up the Governor’s call to action and support legislation that will finally end the reign of indulgent, reckless spending of our tax dollars by school boards and help regain the solvency and respectability of our state and it’s public education system.

Lastly, we are speaking on our own behalf and not that of the Roxbury Township Board of Education.
The opinions we expressed are our own and do not represent those of the board, individual board members, or district employees.

MAUREEN CASTRIOTTA
CHRIS ROGERS

Roxbury Board of Education Members
Roxbury Township

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Veterans Day - Remember To Honor and Give Support To America's Veterans

VETERANS DAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2009

"For their service and sacrifice, warm words of thanks from a grateful nation are more than warranted, but they aren't nearly enough. We also owe our veterans the care they were promised and the benefits that they have earned. We have a sacred trust with those who wear the uniform of the United States of America. It's a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end. But we know that for too long, we've fallen short of meeting that commitment. Too many wounded warriors go without the care that they need. Too many veterans don't receive the support that they've earned. Too many who once wore our nation's uniform now sleep in our nation's streets."

-President Obama, March 19, 2009

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Veterans Day

Veterans Day is an opportunity to publicly commemorate the contributions of living veterans. Armistice Day officially received its name in America in 1926 through a congressional resolution. It became a national holiday 12 years later by similar congressional action.

If World War I had been "the war to end all wars," November 11 might be still called Armistice Day. Realizing that peace was equally preserved by veterans of World War II and Korea, Congress decided to make the day an occasion to honor all those who have served America. In 1954 President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. (Historically, the first Veterans Day parade was held in 1953 in Emporia, Kansas.)

A law passed in 1968 changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that November 11 was a date of historic significance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the observance to its traditional date.


Reprinted from the website of the Veterans Of Foreign Wars of the United States
_______________________________________________________________

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 30, 2009

VETERANS DAY, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

We have a sacred trust with those who wear the uniform of the United States of America. From the Minutemen who stood watch over Lexington and Concord to the service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, American veterans deserve our deepest appreciation and respect. Our Nation's servicemen and women are our best and brightest, enlisting in times of peace and war, serving with honor under the most difficult circumstances, and making sacrifices that many of us cannot begin to imagine. Today, we reflect upon the invaluable contributions of our country's veterans and reaffirm our commitment to provide them and their families with the essential support they were promised and have earned.

Caring for our veterans is more than a way of thanking them for their service. It is an obligation to our fellow citizens who have risked their lives to defend our freedom. This selflessness binds our fates with theirs, and recognizing those who were willing to give their last full measure of devotion for us is a debt of honor for every American.

We also pay tribute to all who have worn the uniform and continue to serve their country as civilians. Many veterans act as coaches, teachers, and mentors in their communities, selflessly volunteering their time and expertise. They visit schools to tell our Nation's students of their experiences and help counsel our troops returning from the theater of war. These men and women possess an unwavering belief in the idea of America: no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who your parents are, this is a place where anything is possible. Our veterans continue to stand up for those timeless American ideals of liberty, self-determination, and equal opportunity.

On Veterans Day, we honor the heroes we have lost, and we rededicate ourselves to the next generation of veterans by supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen as they return home from duty. Our grateful Nation must keep our solemn promises to these brave men and women and their families. They have given their unwavering devotion to the American people, and we must keep our covenant with them.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our servicemen and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation's veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2009, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I call on all Americans, including civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, and communities to support this day with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

SEE "THE CARTEL": JOIN THE FIGHT TO SAVE AMERICA'S PUBLIC EDUCATION

America's public schools are in crisis and need your help. I urge everyone to go see Bob Bowden's film documentary, "The Cartel" to learn more about the education establishment's monopolistic grip on America's schools.

http://www.thecartelmovie.com/cgi-local/content.cgi