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New BOE members offer thanks to voters
To the editor:
During the past few months, we set out to tell you about ourselves. During debates, forums, walks through town and neighborhood coffees, we had opportunities to let you know what we want for the Lawrence Township school district.
We thank you for believing in us and for electing us as the three new members of the Lawrence Township Board of Education. We do not take this commitment lightly. We know that we have much at stake: the future of all of your children. While we cannot promise to change the property tax structure or promise to increase test scores immediately, we do promise to reach out and listen. We promise to work with every other member of the Board of Education and the entire administration to make all the schools of Lawrence Township the best they can be.
To those who supported our campaigns from the start, we thank you for your commitment, time, and dedication. For those who voted for us, we thank you for your belief in our abilities and positions. And, for those who did not vote for us, please know we thank you for voting and we thank you for your willingness now to reach out, work cooperatively in an atmosphere of mutual respect, and begin again to bring about what we all want for the schools of Lawrence Township excellence.
Debbie Endo
Cold Soil Road
Ginny Bigley
Dustin Drive
Gerri Hutner
Woodlane Road
Candidate wishes BOE success
To the editor:
I want to thank all those who supported me in my campaign for the Lawrence Board of Education and those who voted for me on April 19. While I was disappointed with the results of the election for the board, I am gratified that the voters approved the 2005-2006 budget, as well as the capital investment in much needed improvements to our school facilities.
I enjoyed the opportunity the campaign gave me to meet and speak with hundreds of people throughout the township about the future of our schools. I tried to share my vision of what I believe we must do to improve our schools, so that all of our students receive the quality education they deserve at a cost the taxpayers can afford. I believe that my many years of professional experience in such areas as curriculum development, teacher training, and student testing and assessment would have been an asset to the board and the community. I regret that I will not have the opportunity this year to make that contribution, but have no regrets about the effort I made.
My active interest in our Lawrence Township public schools will continue unabated. I will be looking for opportunities to offer my energy, interest and expertise to the betterment of our district. The participation of all interested citizens is vital to the long-term success of our schools and our students. We all have an obligation to ensure that our board meets its obligations to our students and our community.
I congratulate the new members of the board and extend to them my best wishes during their term of service.
Kari McGann
Lannigan Drive
Project Graduation is a must for senior class
To the editor:
These are the days when parental love and concerns are heightened every evening that their child joins others to party.
A local tradition in our school district is Project Graduation when the Lawrence High School is taken over by parents, teachers and volunteers who are concerned for the health and safety of our graduating seniors. Alcohol- and drug-free, these students enjoy music, recreational games, movies and events throughout the evening. At sunrise, vast amounts of purchased and donated gifts are distributed by random drawing to each and every student that attended.
Vision and judgment are two values that we must instill in our children as we see them off to gainful employment and higher education. The parents, teachers, volunteers and students alike demonstrate these fine community values by participating in Project Graduation. May this year’s event be enjoyed by all, with the continued support and expressions of gratitude by a community that truly appreciates their efforts.
Victor Murray
Melvina Drive
Carson Woods keepers oppose new trail
To the editor:
We are residents of Lawrence Township and we oppose the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail (LHT) through Carson Road Woods. We hold this position not because we dislike bike trails or the people that use them. Nor do we oppose this trail because we wish to keep the public out of Carson Road Woods. We believe the LHT has been poorly planned, is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars, is inappropriate for the landscape, and will be of little use to our community.
Two weeks ago, a member of the LHT task force told a regional newspaper that 99 percent of people in Lawrence are thrilled to have this 20-mile bike path. We would like to see the survey upon which this assertion is based. It is the latest in a series of exaggerated claims compelling us to question the motives of those pushing the LHT on our community. We submit not that many people in this Township are even aware of the LHT; those who are have expressed overwhelming opposition to its construction through our community’s natural areas.
We are among those who care for Carson Road Woods. Scores of our friends and neighbors have volunteered their time, money, and equipment to maintain Carson Road Woods. They have done so solely for the public’s benefit and the satisfaction of community service. They have created, marked, and maintained five hiking trails; they have designed and produced brochures to raise public awareness and encourage the community to visit the woods; and they have held cleanup efforts to keep the preserve in its pristine condition. These are not activities of selfish people, but of those who care about their community and want residents everywhere to enjoy its beauty.
The LHT has been presented as a family-friendly, handicapped-accessible, high-quality recreational opportunity. We believe it is none of these things. Half of the LHT will run along existing roadways, including several county routes and a U.S. highway. In Carson Road Woods, the LHT will be routed nowhere near the existing parking lot; instead, to access this portion of the LHT, one must cross busy streets. During much of the day, and especially during rush hour, neither children nor the handicapped will be able to safely access the Carson Road Woods portion of the LHT.
Carson Road Woods in its present state offers a unique recreational opportunity and an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in its undisturbed beauty. The addition of the LHT, at best, would provide a marginal benefit to the community and limited access to the preserve. We believe this is not worth the irreversible damage that would be done to one of our community’s last undisturbed open spaces.
Ben Brickner
Belleview Terrace
Peter Christensen
Carter Road
Pat Clancy
Carson Road
Lauren Eder
Belleview Terrace
Bob Hunsicker
Carson Road
Sharon Miller
Carter Road
Mark Rudnick
Karena Lane
Kudos to LIS fifth-grade class
To the editor:
I wanted to applaud the about the courageous and clever children of Kristyn Sirhal’s class in Lawrence Intermediate School (The Ledger, April 21). In the aftermath and drama of this week’s elections, these children and their teachers are models of loyalty, spirit, and sensibility for us all.
I had occasion last month to attend an event at Lawrence High School with a family friend who uses a wheelchair. We parked in a handicapped spot in the newly renovated parking lot, and quickly discovered that the path through the island was not wide enough for the wheelchair. We then realized that the only way to get to the school on the other side of the island was to go through the parking lot, fully down to the end of the row of cars. As if that was not enough of a barrier to negotiate, there are no curb cuts in the sidewalks at the front of the school. Instead, there are two make-shift ramps made of asphalt, angled and roughly finished, up to the curb.
It is absolutely inconceivable to me that we have employed an architectural firm and construction companies that seem to lack the basic planning and problem solving skills that Ms. Sirhal’s students possess.
Thank goodness we have these kids to consult with. If not, we as a district, after following the expertise and guidance of these professionals, might never be able to comply with the American’s for Disabilities Act. I hope this is the only area in which the professionals need some tutoring.
Laurie Papell
Stonicker Drive
Say thanks to all the educators
To the editor:
The week of May 2 is Teacher Appreciation Week and I can’t think of a better time for all Lawrence Township families to say thank you to the outstanding men and women in our public schools. They give so much of themselves to give our children an extraordinary education.
It doesn’t take much to express your thanks a short note or card, a pretty spring flower, or something your child creates would let teachers and staff know that you value them. And don’t forget your school’s principal, guidance counselor, and music, art, and gym teachers and other specialists.
In addition, May 4 is National School Nurses Day so be sure to remember those who wipe away tears and provide those extra hugs to kids who may have gotten a bump on the playground or a tummy ache just before a big test.
Since my daughter started kindergarten, the staff at Lawrence Elementary School has far exceeded our expectations. They put in countless hours, have an abundance of patience, and go above and beyond the call of duty, and their contracts, each and every day. We try to remember to make it a point to show our gratitude and I am sure you will want to do the same.
Let’s go all out this year to show our teachers and staff how much we really do appreciate them. They certainly deserve it.
Jen Wengler
Laurel Wood Drive
Healthy debate needed at BOE
To the editor:
Last week township voters approved the school budget and the second question while, somewhat ironically, sweeping from office those who most strongly supported the budget. The debates were informative and the larger than usual attendance was gratifying though in my opinion the continuing low turnout still argues for changing school elections to November.
Congratulations to the newly elected Board of Education members and thanks to the out-going members for their service to the community. Attendance at school board meetings over the years has made it clear to me how much time and effort goes into the job so I am loath to question the motives of any members. That being said there are clearly fundamental differences between board factions and it would be unrealistic to expect many unanimous votes in the year ahead.
Obviously no one is happy about the continuing tax increases at both the school and municipal level. But despite some campaign literature focusing on the size of recent increases it was my impression from the budget hearings and debates that the differences are far less about the size of the budget than how it was being spent. In talking with them this seemed to be true even of those new members who cited the size of recent increases in their literature. I agreed with some budget changes proposed by the "Team for Change" but don’t honestly feel they would have significantly reduced the tax increase. I wish I could see a lot of waste, fraud and abuse, but I can’t.
Of course the board needs to be conscious of the need to balance high educational standards with fiscal responsibility. But it seems unrealistic to expect any school board is going to be able to reduce costs significantly. I fear significant tax relief depends on fundamental changes such as property tax reform or school regionalization. Until that unlikely day the best we can hope for is to strive for efficiency within the tax system we have.
Without meaning to lecture, I urge the board and our polarized community to resist the temptation to demonize anyone. The new members were elected on a platform of change and of course owe it to their supporters to stand up for principals they campaigned on. The remaining members of the old majority feel just as strongly on the other side of those issues. Both sides would be wrong not to stand up for their beliefs.
I only hope they and we as citizens can try to listen to each other and judge proposals on their merits and not on who is proposing them.
Jim Cleak
East Darrah Lane
Urge Congress to vote no on CAFTA
To the editor:
We are writing this letter in response to a bill that the Bush administration is now trying to push through Congress. This bill is referred to as CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement). Since its predecessor, NAFTA, was adopted, our fellow Americans have lost over two million jobs.
Under CAFTA, barriers to agricultural imports from our trading partners would be immediately removed, while barriers to U.S. exports would remain in place for 10 to 20 years. This would severely punish U.S. agricultural producers. Promoters of CAFTA clearly intend for this trade bill to provide a means of transferring wealth from the U.S. to Central America.
We strongly urge all Americans to contact their member of Congress to express their opposition to this dangerous bill.
Jim and Robin Schweppe
Easton Court

