Once again, Princeton taxpayers, must brace themselves, To the editor:, After more than four hours of often rancorous discussion during the recent Princeton Public Schools budget meeting, I was extremely disappointed that no one directly addressed the critical question of why Princeton’s gigantic per pupil cost ($24,634) exceeds that of other high achieving K-12 districts in New Jersey, including our neighbors in West Windsor/Plainsboro ($18,677) and Montgomery ($19,155)., When I multiply a $5,500 difference by 3,600 students, I get a product of nearly $20 million, an enormous annual sum for a town of this size., One board member briefly responded that economically disadvantaged children require more taxpayer funds without providing an explanation or any examples that would even be remotely acceptable in any workplace forum today. A list of 15 New Jersey K-12 public school districts that have been recognized for high achievement reveals that at least two enroll more economically disadvantaged students than Princeton. They are Montclair ($20,506) and Summit ($19,211)., Another discussion item at the meeting was the existing contract with the “sending” district of Cranbury. Can’t the PPS board adequately explain why Cranbury only reimburses Princeton $17,000 per high school student while the average per student cost in this district is currently $24,643? Based on the budgets of many high achieving 9-12 regional high school districts in the state, the cost of high school students exceeds that of students in other grades. All of my figures and conclusions are sourced to data from the NJ Department of Education., Once again, Princeton taxpayers must brace themselves for upcoming increases from all three of the very extravagant tax jurisdictions that control our lives, Princeton Public Schools, the municipality of Princeton, and the County of Mercer. Throughout my neighborhood, houses assessed at $500,000 or even less are being torn down with replacements valued at $1.5 million. When annual revenue for the three tax jurisdictions is instantly tripling from the very same property, why should it be necessary to increase the taxes of the existing, struggling homeowners? When we are already paying property taxes that are among the highest in the entire nation, every increase becomes substantial, at least to some of us., Folks in Princeton often speak of “diversity” and “inclusion.” For retirees, seniors, and the rapidly dwindling middle class of Princeton, all that we get, time after time, is a door that is slammed in our faces, even after some of us have lived here all of our lives. If you do not understand the true meaning of words, don’t use them so frequently or you risk the appearance of dishonesty and hypocrisy., Frank Wiener, Princeton, What can we do about global warming?, To the editor:, Last week the Packet published an opinion piece on climate change in New Jersey. While presented as something we can deal with statewide, Climate change (a sugar-coated euphemism for Anthropogenic Global Warming) is occurring globally, and that opinion piece failed to mention its very serious implications. Another climate change piece the previous week was more realistic but also skirted tough issues. The quoted researchers may be justifiably circumspect because some climate scientists reportedly lost their jobs because their employers did not like their findings., In New Jersey, for example, the seaside barrier islands will be flooded as the ice in Greenland and Antarctica melts. Based on the geological record, a sea level rise of more than 10 meters is eventually likely, turning Princeton’s canoe rental locations on the canal into saltwater seaports. As the ice in the Arctic melts, the albedo (reflectivity) of that ocean surface declines from about 75% to less than 10%, the water warms above 38ºF and may release a huge burp of methane (natural gas) from clathrates accumulated on the ocean floor over millions of years. Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) much more potent than the primary GHG, carbon dioxide, creating a positive reinforcing feedback loop (which we don’t want)., There is little we in Princeton can now do about global warming. First, if we cut back our fossil fuel consumption to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions, that fuel will be used by others elsewhere, perhaps generating electricity for our electric vehicles. Second, there is no proven method of quickly and permanently sequestering great amounts of carbon dioxide that does not itself require large quantities of fossil fuel, generating even more carbon dioxide. Third, the effects of atmospheric GHGs take a long time to peak after their release, more than 30 years in the case of carbon dioxide., From the latter, we can expect that before any of our corrective actions bring results, Global Warming will significantly reduce the human habitat – the land on which crops can be grown. The sea level rise previously mentioned will inundate and salinize important farming areas such as river deltas around the world. Rising air temperatures will make the American Southwest especially vulnerable. Not only will temperatures increase to the point where crops cannot grow in some areas, but the rainfall there will decrease, providing less crop irrigation water. Such a hot drought is an underlying cause of the current unrest in the Middle East. The ensuing famine could occur anywhere, even in New Jersey, and it may be prudent for us to prepare for it., The world population is more than 7 billion, but the carrying capacity of the Earth, after the exhaustion of fossil fuels, has been most optimistically estimated at 2 billion people. Global Warming will reduce the carrying capacity. When an animal’s habitat is destroyed, the animal population declines or dies off. Why would this be any different for the human species?, (For sources, please visit my website: http://home.earthlink.net/~princetonsfuture/prinfut00.pdf), Ronald Nielsen, Princeton, Thanks to superintendent, for addressing racist issue, To the editor:, Below is a letter sent from the board of Not in Our Town Princeton, a local racial justice organization, to Superintendent Steve Cochrane regarding his response to the recent Snapchat containing a racial slur., Dear Superintendent Cochrane:, On behalf of Not in Our Town Princeton, we are writing to thank you for your letter addressing the public use of a racial slur by a white Princeton High School student about her fellow African American students. Your immediate, unqualified, public response made a clear statement to students and parents that this behavior is reprehensible and will not be tolerated in the schools., We also applaud the vision you provide and the steps that are being taken to address seriously the racism that permeates our society. We appreciate that you mentioned the racial literacy programs Not in Our Town among other organizations have created and want to assure you that our members are ready to offer assistance and support for these efforts in the Princeton Public Schools. We believe strongly that the understanding that can be gained through racial literacy is critical for a just society., We hope that all members of the school community — students, faculty, staff, and parents — participate in this work that will benefit themselves, our community, and our nation. We encourage you to continue to be as proactively transparent as possible about the district’s ongoing plans to address racism. As a community, we need to be able to offer clear evidence of support to the students whose sense of safety is at risk., Shelley Krause, Linda Oppenheim, Ted Fetter, Not in Our Town Princeton, West Windsor library, book sale a success, To the Editor:, The Friends of the West Windsor Branch of the Mercer County Library thank the community for its generous support of our recent Spring Book Sale by donating and purchasing thousands of books. The book sale is the culmination of months of work by dedicated volunteers, and depends on the generous donations of library supporters throughout the year., The book sales are the Friends of the Library’s main fundraisers. All items sold were donated by the community. Many of the donations are put into circulation at the library, while others are sorted and held for sale. Proceeds from the sale are used to sponsor special community events held at the library; fund the library’s children’s and adult programs; expand the library’s collection; as well as provide other projects and purchases not supported by the Mercer County Library System budget so that our branch library can better meet the needs of our community., The West Windsor Library accepts donations of new and gently used books and audio visual materials during library hours. Please bring your donations to the circulation desk. Tax receipts are available. Information about the Friends of the Library organization and our donations policy is available on our website: sites.google.com/site/ friendsofthewestwindsorlibrary ., We hope to see you at our next sale in October. Please visit our ongoing sale of special books inside the library., Kathy Brennan and Pete Phipps, book sale co-chairs, Dana Krug, president and chair, Larry Goodman, treasurer, Friends of the West Windsor Library, Will there be honest debate, on the best use of land?, To the editor:, During the public comment period at the West Windsor town council meeting on March 27, Mr. Kulley, a member of the West Windsor Environmental Commission, called me “intellectually dishonest.” Mr. Kulley is emotionally committed to having a solar grid and doesn’t like anyone questioning the advisability of putting one on five acres of prime farmland adjacent to the municipal complex., Let me refresh Mr. Kulley’s memory. In October 2016 after a presentation to the township council, I sent a set of technical questions to the mayor. Without bothering to answer those questions, Mayor Hsueh tried to force a resolution on the council agenda at the Jan. 3 business meeting. My questions were answered only when I posted them on Facebook, and not answering them became an embarrassment., The answers to the questions demonstrated that two claims made in the Environmental Commission’s proposal were bogus. First, the so-called backup battery would last only four hours. It is a “toy backup,” not a serious backup to be used in an emergency. Second, it is now clear that with additional wiring, the two existing generators would be sufficient to supply all three municipal buildings at a much lower cost than purchasing a new generator. These valid considerations have been soft-pedaled by proponents of the solar grid. Repeating the discredited claims to support the project is what is truly intellectually dishonest., I feel like we are not being asked to participate in a “Solar4All” program, but rather a “Solar at any cost” program. The simple question is whether public property should be used for projects favored by a few without thorough debate. Putting in a solar facility to generate relatively little income is a very unproductive use of prime land. Farming the land would be a far more environmentally friendly solution. The land could also be used to provide recreational facilities for township residents, a use that will benefit many people., The debate on what’s the best use of that land should have occurred long before the Environmental Commission started working on a proposal. I appreciate the passion and service of all Environmental Commission members. However, I strongly object to the misuse of public resources to satisfy personal preferences. It is time to think out of the box for the best use of that land., When people start calling me names, it’s clear that they have no rational arguments left to support their position. The question is whether Mayor Hsueh and his supporters will allow an honest debate on the best use of the land for all residents of West Windsor, or simply bulldoze a proposal through council that is personally favored by only a few., Hemant Marathe, Member of West Windsor Council
