Mr. Ken Chiarella’s letter “Monroe residents need to fight for funding” in the June 21 issue of the Sentinel was right on the money. I am a past member of the Monroe Township Board of Education and have fought for more than eight years for our fair share in state funding.
Senator Linda Greenstein in 2013 set up a hearing for us at the Budget and Appropriations Committee in Trenton. It turned out to be nothing more than a farce to get more votes for Greenstein. After the November election it died and nothing more was done by Greenstein and Assemblymen Daniel Benson and Wayne DeAngelo. Now, four years later, Greenstein, Benson and DeAngelo are up for re-election and created another farce to get more votes, so she decided to come up with a plan for the Monroe school board to get full funding based on the flawed state formula of 2008. Greenstein had the board get petitions signed by 8,000 residents and have two rallies at the State House in Trenton, which was done.
After the rallies, Greenstein spoke at the Board of Education meeting and stated we could get $1 million in additional aid for the next five years (a total $5 million more) but wasn’t promising anything. Our school budget grows by $3 million per year, so even if we received this, our school taxes would still grow.
Well, the state just released the distribution of an additional $147 million in state education funding. Monroe will only receive $512,000 if approved; that will do absolutely nothing to help our overtaxed taxpayers.
Based on other like districts, Monroe should be receiving at least $45 million per year. Greenstein’s plan was a big failure, another farce just to get votes for herself, Benson and DeAngelo. If we received the full amount based on the flawed state formula, we would only receive $9 million per year on a $131 million budget.
Monroe has more than 6,500 students growing by more than 250 per year and presently is receiving about $3 million, less than $400 per student. Who is going to pay for the new schools and expansions? It should be paid at least half from the state but I doubt if we will get anything. The 2008 funding formula is badly flawed and should have been corrected years ago by the State Legislature. Now it is time to force the change.
Ask yourselves: why is the Monroe Board of Education filing suit for their fair share in funding along with many other New Jersey districts ready to file suit? If the Board of Education and the school administration is not backing the needs and wants of the residents, something is wrong.
No matter what, Greenstein, Benson and DeAngelo must be voted out of office.
Mark Klein
Monroe