Vote for the BRSD school budget
Lisa Hartmann, Bordentown City
“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.” Franklin D. Roosevelt.
It saddens me to see members of our community arguing over which is more important on April 27. A teacher, a cop, a Public Works worker. They are all equally important to the person who depends on that job or service. Layoffs should not be the first thought for the township or the city, when there hasn’t been a cut in service or a merging of resources between the two municipalities.
Could we all live with garbage being picked up weekly instead of biweekly? Having to take our Christmas trees to a central location? We must stop the us-versus-them mentality and protect our community as a whole now and in the future.
To do that, we must invest in our children’s education. If you attend the school board meetings, you know that the Bordentown School District proposed budget is at the 2 percent cap for tax increases which includes layoffs and cut services AND the budget is less than it was two years ago.
The Department of Education states that Bordentown operates below the anticipated levy by almost $1 million. In other words, they are being fiscally prudent and ensuring your tax dollars are well spent. When you look at Data Universe, you see the salaries of the municipalities, sewerage authority and school employees. School employees aren’t getting rich off of your tax dollars. Compare it to surrounding schools and you will see the school board is being fiscally prudent from administration down to the lowest paid employee.
The real change has to happen in Trenton. School funding should be realigned to be shared equally rather than a few school districts getting a lion’s share while the other 500+ share what’s left. Voting against the budget isn’t going to change that. Writing letters, attending meetings, calling your politicians, demanding a change is what will change that.
In the meantime, our children deserve an education that will prepare them for the future. We must send them a message that we see them for what they are, our future leaders, our future teachers, our future police or fireman, and our future Public Works worker.
Please vote yes on the school budget April 27 because sometimes it really is about the children.

