In the July 12 News Transcript, the sub-headline on one article states, “Final Decision Overrides Budget Defeat by Voters in April 18 Election.” That statement said it all. The will of the voters, who said “no” by a better than 2 to 1 margin, was disregarded.
State education officials supposedly reviewed the spending plan to determine if any changes could be made, and they also recommended no changes. (There is no such thing as a spending plan that can’t be reduced. We do it personally when we run into tough financial decisions. We spend less.)
They disregarded the will of the voters by not recommending any reductions. Why do we need school elections? If the Board of Education recommends an amount, and the voters approve it, that’s OK. If the voters disapprove it, the state will approve it anyway. Why spend the time voting? The state education commission made a mockery of the voting process.
Robert Crawford
Borough Councilman
Freehold Borough