Doug Kurz
Lambertville
Year-after-year, we vote no on the high school budget, yet we get more of the same — which is insignificant cutbacks and no real substantive change in how the high school is run.
Can someone at The Beacon report on how many “classroom seats” the high school was renovated to handle? And how many of these classroom seats are presently filled and projected to be filled over the next five years?
Taxpayers simply cannot afford to pay for empty seats. Every dollar the high school squanders on underutilized bricks and mortar is one less dollar we have available to spend toward improving the quality of life for the residents of Lambertville and the other sending municipalities — especially our seniors.
To reduce seats of excess capacity, the voters must demand regionalization of the school district. We must use capacity figures and projected enrollments to inform our decisions about keeping the SHRHS albatross afloat. Remember, aside from the enormous payroll and benefits expenses we pay each year, the high school also siphons up our tax dollars for utilities and custodial costs in addition to other facility operating expenses.
If corporations can “right size,” then our schools can as well.
To be honest with you, I have grown tired of the arguments aimed at keeping the high school open. The true reason it still exists is to keep the NJEA funded and the school itself brimming with administrators — all of whom forget that they serve at the pleasure of the people paying their salaries.
For decades, New Jersey’s elected officials have known that, in a sliced-and-diced state of 567 municipalities, regionalization — of local government and school districts — is the best path to real property tax cuts.
In these scary economic times, we, the taxpayers, must exert our will over our local mayors to look for ways to pool resources and reduce spending. We must demand it both in the ballot box and outside of it.
