Last year the Lakewood Board of Education borrowed from the state another $100 million, increasing our total debt to $300 million. To put that into perspective, since our entire school tax levy is just $100 million, the encumbrance upon every household in Lakewood is three times the school tax of a single year. That money has to be, and has been, paid back every year out of your taxes.
A report authored by New Jersey State Education Commissioner underscores the need to get out today and vote for the fresh "Fixing The School Funding Formula" slate - Avrohom Schubert, Mordechai Lang, and Eli Eisenbach, who are dedicated to fixing the school funding formula and working for the students and taxpayers, says R' Aaron (Arthur) Lang, who has tirelessly devoted countless hours over nearly a decade advocating for a fairer school funding for Lakewood.
Assistant Commissioner Cary Booker scathing report states:
• Financial Transparency. Board involvement with budget development was reported to be minimal. There were no observed board meetings that discussed financial issues or presented detailed information regarding budgets. There appears to be no urgency or accountability for the District’s financial situation by leadership.
• Board Attorney. The Lakewood Board of Education attorney plays a far more active role than the typical board attorney in District business. The Board Attorney stated that his role is not only Board Attorney, but he also provides the District a service like a Communications Director. Lakewood's legal expenses per pupil are significantly higher than comparison districts.
• Culture. A culture of low expectations for students was observed, and high levels of distrust between central office administration and school-based staff.
• Communication. There are communication gaps from the central office administration with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Strategic Plan. The organizational management of the District is not based on a coherent system focused on a District strategic plan. Without a strategic plan, the District relies on a series of annual goals that lack accountability as they do not have metrics that can determine how successful the District is in meeting their goals. Several annual goals are duplicated from previous years.
• Reporting Structure. The organization’s reporting structure does not follow typical practice, as it is designed with many administrators reporting directly to the Superintendent. The Superintendent has 24 direct reports, including all curriculum supervisors, and there is no Assistant Superintendent.
• Decision-making. Large-scale district planning appears to occur behind closed doors. For example, the District changed the configuration of schools for elementary and middle schools this school year. The grade configuration consisted of moving
hundreds of students and staff with little notice or explanation as to why the decision was made. There was no discussion at Board meetings or opportunity to provide public input.
• Morale. Staff stated multiple times that the District has a morale issue. Staff reported not feeling respected and fear retaliation from the administration if they speak out in a critical way. Instances of unresponsiveness or unclear communication from the District contribute to a perception of inadequate support.
The Lakewood board meetings are conducted with a consent agenda where agenda items are voted as a package without discussion unless a board member asks for removal of an item. Included within the consent agenda are the first and second readings of policies. There are no discussions of action items, no committee reports, no discussions, and very little public comment. Most school boards in New Jersey have a Policy Committee that meets to discuss changes and updates to existing policies and drafts of new policies. These policies are given first and second readings where this is open discussion among board members about these policies and the public is given time to comment as well.
Avrohom Schubert, Mordechai Lang, and Eli Eisenbach are running on the "Fixing The School Funding Formula" slate. This slate is dedicated to fixing the school funding formula and working for the students and taxpayers.
R' Aaron Lang reiterated that the Commissioner’s scathing report underscores the importance of getting out today and voting for the "Fixing The School Funding Formula" slate!
Polls are open until 8:00pm. Remember, you only need to be in line before polls close to cast a ballot, it's not a cutoff time for actual voting.
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2 comments:
EVERYONE whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, if you win, you are going to say it was a great victory for democracy.
(In a way, I think it is good that we are fighting over democracy. What better for the American people to care about?).
LETS WIN THE BOE FOR THE RABBIM IN LAKEWOOD.
It will just domino up. The Township will become more democratic following our lead.
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