There is an important Toms River School District Referendum on Dec. 11th -- you will be asked to vote on a $10 million dollar (local share) program to construct a new Kindergarten building, as well as additions and improvements to other local schools.
This referendum is coming up (too) fast...doesn't leave much time for discussion. And big money is involved. Riverguy is leaning toward voting "No" to send a message that we are not happy with these things being pushed through quickly -- and under the radar.
Maybe if the kids coming out of our schools could find Canada on a map, I'd have more confidence that our money is being well-spent.
In any event, to see an explanation of the referendum and the allocation of funds -- copy this link into your browser: http://www.trschools.com/referendum/pdf/referendum_information.pdf
1 comment:
Fact: Pass or Fail, this referendum is costing the taxayers $70,000. SO, make sure you vote.
Ask 10 elementary school teachers or school psychologists about the educational benefit of subjecting a 5 year old to a full day of school. I'm sure most will draw the "full day day care" comparison. St. Joe's has full day kindergarten, mostly for the benefit and convenience of moms & dads working full time. Teachers refer to it as "Semi-Educational Day Care".
HAVEN'T SOLD YOU? OK, let's say full day kindergarten is a great idea. As is their SOP, the BOE has not provided the public with hard, confirmable studies justifying the need for a "stand alone" kindergarten building. I would like to know if classes in the neighborhood schools could be combined to accomodate this need. Unfortunately, the only message has been "we need to build".
Next referendum item: Construction at TRS. The BOE demolished a functional structure with historic value on the very site it asks us to approve new construction. Where were the engineering reports showing the "J" Building could not have been refurbished at similar cost? How much did it cost the taxpayers to tear down a triple-brick wall school that doubled as a WWII bomb shelter? What did we pay to pave the entire area? When was public discussion held?
Finally, building maintenance items on the referendum. Rest assured, they'll get done, no matter the outcome. Don't worry "about the kids" when casting you vote. Time to start sending a message.
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