If the $133.2 million budget proposed for the Bridgewater-Raritan School District is so worthy of passage, why is it that there is such reluctance by groups advocating voter acceptance to identify themselves?
Several weeks ago, “Vote Yes” road signs bore the source of an out-of-town group. Those signs have since disappeared. The latest incarnations are very visible white-and-blue signs along the district’s roadways which read, “Vote ‘Yes’ For the School Budget - - April 21st.” Those signs bear no source identification.
I wanted to check out the legality of such an omission, as well as to be fair to the unknown group or individuals who are planting these signs in Bridgewater and Raritan: I called the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, the entity which has oversight responsibility over election behavior.
In a discussion with a compliance officer at the Commission, I was advised that all political signs are required to be labeled with their source, and was directed to the sections of the Compliance Manual which explain this mandate.
The regulations specify that “political communications” such as roadside signs must be labeled “with a political identification statement” that is, “(‘paid for by’ language).” The blue/white “Vote Yes” signs sprouting up on Bridgewater and Raritan byways bear no such labeling.
. . . Which brings me to my first point: Just which persons or organizations are lobbying for the budget’s endorsement, and why are they so reluctant to publicly disclose themselves? This, after all, is not the Kremlin.
Note: Alleged election law violations are subject to investigation by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The Bridgewater-Raritan School Budget: Is It Yes, or is It No?
Last week, every Bridgewater and Raritan resident should have received a four-page flyer in the mail from the B-R Board of Education entitled, “The 2009-2010 School Budget”.
The flyer shows five people running for three seats on the school board. Each candidate’s background appears on the back page: Three incumbents wish to retain their seats: Cindy Cullen, current board president; Richard Guss, and Christine Schneider. Two challengers, Patrick Breslin and Stan Serafin hope to unseat two of those incumbents.
The remaining three pages of the flyer are devoted to summarizing the budget and to advise you of what might happen if the budget doesn’t get approved. This is a first. Typically, boards have not gone public in advance with specific items considered for elimination if you don’t vote ‘Yes.’ The list of these items was referred to as “The Doomsday Chart” by Superintendent Michael Schilder at a board meeting.
A person doesn’t have to be a cynic to think that this strategy is aimed directly at intimidating parents. One evening, earlier this year, a standing-room-only turnout of parents showed up at a board meeting, demanding to know why athletic programs were being eliminated from the proposed 2009-2010 budget. Not true, of course, but the rumor mill had done its job. Rumors don’t fly by themselves. Somebody sets them into motion.
With one exception that I know of, the B-R BOE has been very careful not to go on record about publicly lobbying for or against passage of the budget – a practice prohibited under New Jersey law.
Now, it seems that someone may have slipped. In the official flyer which you just received, the superintendent and board seemed to have missed something in their proofreading.
In the section on advice about “How to Help,” you are advised that “There are a number of ways you can help.” One of them is for you to “Join a campaign” such as, “CSA Vote Yes.”
The object of that flyer was to communicate information and to encourage a large, representative voter turnout on April 21st, not, as I have steadfastly maintained, for the board or administration to lobby one way or the other.
The flyer shows five people running for three seats on the school board. Each candidate’s background appears on the back page: Three incumbents wish to retain their seats: Cindy Cullen, current board president; Richard Guss, and Christine Schneider. Two challengers, Patrick Breslin and Stan Serafin hope to unseat two of those incumbents.
The remaining three pages of the flyer are devoted to summarizing the budget and to advise you of what might happen if the budget doesn’t get approved. This is a first. Typically, boards have not gone public in advance with specific items considered for elimination if you don’t vote ‘Yes.’ The list of these items was referred to as “The Doomsday Chart” by Superintendent Michael Schilder at a board meeting.
A person doesn’t have to be a cynic to think that this strategy is aimed directly at intimidating parents. One evening, earlier this year, a standing-room-only turnout of parents showed up at a board meeting, demanding to know why athletic programs were being eliminated from the proposed 2009-2010 budget. Not true, of course, but the rumor mill had done its job. Rumors don’t fly by themselves. Somebody sets them into motion.
With one exception that I know of, the B-R BOE has been very careful not to go on record about publicly lobbying for or against passage of the budget – a practice prohibited under New Jersey law.
Now, it seems that someone may have slipped. In the official flyer which you just received, the superintendent and board seemed to have missed something in their proofreading.
In the section on advice about “How to Help,” you are advised that “There are a number of ways you can help.” One of them is for you to “Join a campaign” such as, “CSA Vote Yes.”
The object of that flyer was to communicate information and to encourage a large, representative voter turnout on April 21st, not, as I have steadfastly maintained, for the board or administration to lobby one way or the other.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
You Can Set Your Watch by It!
Almost every year, before one of the major Christian celebrations, some author or research organization comes out with a story or discovery that’s supposed to shock Christianity to its core, minimize it, or put it in a bad light. Again!
The release of such information is maddeningly timed to hit the press and media about a week before a Christian commemoration such as Easter, obviously timed to have the maximum bang-for-the buck for publishers and promoters.
The most recent example is the large red-on-black lettering on the cover of Newsweek’s latest issue, starkly proclaiming, The Decline and Fall of Christian America. In its May, 2006 issue, the National Geographic released research results of an ancient scroll entitled, The Gospel of Judas. The findings were supposed to turn Christianity on its head – I’m still waiting.
Perhaps the most notorious and monetarily successful work of its type in recent times was the book, The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I read it thoroughly, did extensive research on its claims, wrote a paper on it, and delivered that to a standing-room audience debunking Brown’s pathetic research.
Even President Obama got into the act when, in his recent visit to Turkey, he downplayed the cultural impact of people of faith in the founding of this nation when he said that America is merely “. . . a group of citizens bound by common ideals and values.” That so, Mr. President?
If I sound ornery about this, it’s because I am. I’d like to think – unrealistic, I know – that some of us, could we please, just celebrate a religious fête without the annoyance of a know-it-all telling us what we should believe about our belief.
Meanwhile, Happy Easter to all my fellow Christians, and Happy Passover to all my brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith, without whom our Sacred Writings would be incomplete.
The release of such information is maddeningly timed to hit the press and media about a week before a Christian commemoration such as Easter, obviously timed to have the maximum bang-for-the buck for publishers and promoters.
The most recent example is the large red-on-black lettering on the cover of Newsweek’s latest issue, starkly proclaiming, The Decline and Fall of Christian America. In its May, 2006 issue, the National Geographic released research results of an ancient scroll entitled, The Gospel of Judas. The findings were supposed to turn Christianity on its head – I’m still waiting.
Perhaps the most notorious and monetarily successful work of its type in recent times was the book, The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I read it thoroughly, did extensive research on its claims, wrote a paper on it, and delivered that to a standing-room audience debunking Brown’s pathetic research.
Even President Obama got into the act when, in his recent visit to Turkey, he downplayed the cultural impact of people of faith in the founding of this nation when he said that America is merely “. . . a group of citizens bound by common ideals and values.” That so, Mr. President?
If I sound ornery about this, it’s because I am. I’d like to think – unrealistic, I know – that some of us, could we please, just celebrate a religious fête without the annoyance of a know-it-all telling us what we should believe about our belief.
Meanwhile, Happy Easter to all my fellow Christians, and Happy Passover to all my brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith, without whom our Sacred Writings would be incomplete.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Raritan Supermarket Adds New Electronic Convenience
About 12 days ago, as I entered the Raritan Stop & Shop on Orlando Drive, off Route 206, I noticed two employees greeting customers and encouraging them to learn how to use a new electronic shopping aid. The employees were very friendly and, since I had seen the same device at a Giant food Store in Potomac, MD, I decided to try it.
I liked it so much, that I’ll be using it each time that I visit that Stop & Shop. The gizmo is efficient and easy to use. It saves time at checkout and allows you to track what you are purchasing as you navigate the aisles.
It works like this: After you walk into the store with your shopping cart, pass your bar-coded customer savings card under the electronic reader near the entrance and, in a few seconds, a portable scanner (one of many in a rack) will start to flash. Put it in your cart’s custom holder, and you are on your way.
The product reader has a sharp color screen as big as an IPhone. (When you select it, you should also put as many bags as you may need in your cart.) Then, just shop the same way you always did, with this exception:
Each time you purchase an article, use the gizmo to swipe the product’s bar code, and place the item in one of your cart’s bags. Easy! If you change your mind about any item, just press the ‘remove’ button on the magic gizmo, swipe the item you don’t want, and return it to its shelf. It is idiot proof – I should know!
For items which need to be weighed, as in the produce section, there are new electronic scales which will punch out a descriptive self-stick label. If, for example, your purchase was a bag of grapes, affix it to that, scan it, and keep shopping.
The beauty of the scanner is that it not only shows the description and price for each item, but also displays a running total. The gizmo will occasionally flash a cents-off or dollar-off special on items just for you! That’s right, just for you! These discounts are not in the circular, nor marked-down on the shelf. They are simply an incentive for you to use this handy-dandy device.
Once your shopping is done, each item should have been scanned, bagged and in your cart. Push the cart to the nearest checkout (a clerk will help you with any questions).
You are on the honor system. As you go through the checkout, use your reader to swipe a large bar code above the conveyor belt near the cash register. Your tab will scroll down within seconds on the cash register’s screen. Hand over your scanner to the clerk, pay your bill; don’t forget your receipts and checkout tape, and you are on your way home.
I liked it so much, that I’ll be using it each time that I visit that Stop & Shop. The gizmo is efficient and easy to use. It saves time at checkout and allows you to track what you are purchasing as you navigate the aisles.
It works like this: After you walk into the store with your shopping cart, pass your bar-coded customer savings card under the electronic reader near the entrance and, in a few seconds, a portable scanner (one of many in a rack) will start to flash. Put it in your cart’s custom holder, and you are on your way.
The product reader has a sharp color screen as big as an IPhone. (When you select it, you should also put as many bags as you may need in your cart.) Then, just shop the same way you always did, with this exception:
Each time you purchase an article, use the gizmo to swipe the product’s bar code, and place the item in one of your cart’s bags. Easy! If you change your mind about any item, just press the ‘remove’ button on the magic gizmo, swipe the item you don’t want, and return it to its shelf. It is idiot proof – I should know!
For items which need to be weighed, as in the produce section, there are new electronic scales which will punch out a descriptive self-stick label. If, for example, your purchase was a bag of grapes, affix it to that, scan it, and keep shopping.
The beauty of the scanner is that it not only shows the description and price for each item, but also displays a running total. The gizmo will occasionally flash a cents-off or dollar-off special on items just for you! That’s right, just for you! These discounts are not in the circular, nor marked-down on the shelf. They are simply an incentive for you to use this handy-dandy device.
Once your shopping is done, each item should have been scanned, bagged and in your cart. Push the cart to the nearest checkout (a clerk will help you with any questions).
You are on the honor system. As you go through the checkout, use your reader to swipe a large bar code above the conveyor belt near the cash register. Your tab will scroll down within seconds on the cash register’s screen. Hand over your scanner to the clerk, pay your bill; don’t forget your receipts and checkout tape, and you are on your way home.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Bridgewater-Raritan School Budget Enters Home Stretch
The most prominent item at Tuesday evening’s Bridgewater-Raritan School Board meeting at which about 12 people were in attendance, was a closing presentation on the 2009-2010 school budget. According to School Superintendent Michael Schilder, there is “substantially no change” to the preliminary number of $133.2 million. That figure will now appear on the April 21st school election ballot.
Schilder went on to explain that the extra $573,000 recently received from the state (in addition to the $12 million already allocated) has been applied to reduce the increase in school real estate taxes in Bridgewater and Raritan.
Bridgewater residents of a $450,000 home will see a $204.85 jump in the school portion of their tax bill. Raritan residents will see their school taxes jump $278.25 on a $350,000 home. Those amounts don’t include additional tax assessments for the municipal, county and other portions of your real estate bill.
Last year the school budget soaked up 64% of the entire real estate tab for Bridgewater home owners.
By the time you vote on the budget, the administration will have held 19 information sessions dubbed, “Community Presentations.” But, with the exception of required presentations at board meetings and others to the Raritan Borough Council and to the Bridgewater Township Council, all other meetings are on school grounds and directed at PTO groups.
None of these meetings has been widely publicized outside of the school community. This could easily create the impression to the general public that the B-R Board of Education and its Administration are lobbying special interest groups for passage of this $133.2 million budget.
Schilder went on to explain that the extra $573,000 recently received from the state (in addition to the $12 million already allocated) has been applied to reduce the increase in school real estate taxes in Bridgewater and Raritan.
Bridgewater residents of a $450,000 home will see a $204.85 jump in the school portion of their tax bill. Raritan residents will see their school taxes jump $278.25 on a $350,000 home. Those amounts don’t include additional tax assessments for the municipal, county and other portions of your real estate bill.
Last year the school budget soaked up 64% of the entire real estate tab for Bridgewater home owners.
By the time you vote on the budget, the administration will have held 19 information sessions dubbed, “Community Presentations.” But, with the exception of required presentations at board meetings and others to the Raritan Borough Council and to the Bridgewater Township Council, all other meetings are on school grounds and directed at PTO groups.
None of these meetings has been widely publicized outside of the school community. This could easily create the impression to the general public that the B-R Board of Education and its Administration are lobbying special interest groups for passage of this $133.2 million budget.
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