Vote Yes On The
WW-P School Budget
We are a week away from voting for our school budgets and seeing many letters and articles about why we should vote no, I have decided I need to say why we should vote YES.
I am an instructional aide in the West Windsor Plainsboro school district. I have one child who has been through this district and one who will finish next year. My children have had the wonderful experience of being educated in schools where the teachers were highly regarded and very supportive of their needs. Everyone seems to be so down on the teachers because everyone thinks they are doing nothing and getting the big bucks to do that. My children have had the best support; have been pushed to excel at their subjects, and have been encouraged to do many sports and extra curricular activities by teachers who see that they have potential and would benefit from doing the things offered by the schools.
They were in the lower grades the year the budget did not pass, so I did not see what was cut at the higher levels. I did see my neighbors on one side of the street pay for bussing or drive their kids to school because they were within the two-mile limit the townships imposed, while the other side of the street had a bus come through. Classes were bigger, and if you wanted to discuss issues your child had you had to get in line because the teacher had to deal with all the other parents before you. The PTA picked up doing some of the things that were no longer provided by the district because we wanted our kids to still have opportunities to do the things that their siblings had done.
I have read the blogs, and to anyone who says it is ok to have 40 kids in a room, I suggest you go see what it is like to have 25 kids in a room. Having to teach kids at different levels is challenging enough without throwing the A&E kids back into the classroom.
The district is trying to do the best it can with what it has been dealt by our governor. He seems to enjoy attacking people who are just trying to help this state to have some better recognition that we can be proud of. He thinks that attacking the teachers and their union is so wonderful, but what he is doing is attacking our kids. We need to help our kids. Voting for the budget will at least make it so the district, not our township officials, makes the needed cuts.
Look around and see why people buy houses here, ask what you want for your children, and if you vote NO do not complain or expect anything but the basics for your child next year. You have total control, and it takes two things on your part: VOTE and VOTE YES!
Mary L. Alden
Plainsboro
I have been an active, involved parent in the West Windsor-Plainsboro school district for more than 15 years now. I have lived through redistricting, schedule changes, the building of four new schools, the improvement of others, and the ongoing increase in my property taxes. Some years the budget increase was slight; many times I wondered how we would be able to afford staying here. I remember late-nights with my husband, discussing if we could really afford another increase in the school budget. We then looked at the reason we settled in West Windsor: so that our four children could experience one of the best educational districts in the state. And so we made sacrifices. Was it worth it? Absolutely!
For the past three years I have spent much time traveling up and down the east coast, visiting more colleges then I care to count with my two college-bound sons. Many times they would hear such remarks from the admissions counselors as, “You’re from West Windsor-Plainsboro –– great district you have,” or “WW-P, know that district well,” or my favorite, “You’re from West Windsor-Plainsboro, you will have no problem succeeding at our university.” When my children were applying to colleges during some of the most competitive times in college admissions history, they and most of their high school classmates were accepted into their first-choice colleges. Was all that sacrificing worth it? Absolutely!
As I drove around town earlier this month I was surprised to see several homes being sold within a few days during these financially challenging times. I was informed that the homes were sold to young families, who are moving to West Windsor because of our school district. Are these property values increasing as a result of our exceptional school district? Absolutely.
We all face many tough financial days ahead. Our school district will now have to figure out what to do with a more than 70 percent reduction in state aid. We all need to do our part to maintain the excellence in education that our district has provided for our children. I applaud the teachers and administrators of our district for showing the parents that we are all in this together, a move not supported by their colleagues in neighboring districts. There may be sacrifices that we all need to make, but in the long run the quality of the education for our children is well worth it.
With so many uncertainties ahead of us, there are two men running for seats on the school board who I know will give careful thought and consideration to the tough decisions facing most public schools in the state of New Jersey. Both Hemant Marathe and Bob Johnson have invested many years in helping our school district achieve its standard of excellence. Johnson has served on the board for the past six years and knows what it takes for a school district to excel. Marathe has been part of the West Windsor-Plainsboro school board for nine years, serving as board president since 2004. His wealth of experiences will be valuable to our district as we face challenges in the future.
I ask all WWP parents to please support the budget and these two candidates on April 20. If there is one thing that I have learned over 15 year of living in this district, it is that you get what you pay for!
Maureen O’Connor
West Windsor
This spring’s vote on school budgets has been cast as much more than approving funds for next year’s education of our children. Before deciding to send some kind of a message with your vote, I encourage all to consider the real consequences of that decision.
In West Windsor-Plainsboro, the state’s cut of more than $7 million dollars of aid has resulted in many real cuts throughout the district. The district is planning to eliminate five administrators and 50 teachers. Class sizes will increase, and lower-enrollment courses and activities may be cut. The number of coaches and programs in athletics and co-curricular activities will be reduced. Bus routes will be consolidated. In spite of the resulting 0 percent increase over last year’s budget, the tax rate will rise to cover some of the state aid cuts.
What happens if the budget fails? It will go to the councils of both West Windsor and Plainsboro for review; they may require additional cuts. The budget would also go to the County Superintendent, who can make line item changes. The district would have little say in how these cuts are made. It is perhaps helpful to know that a cut of $1M represents about 17 teachers in the school district, but a decrease of only about $25 in school taxes for the average house in each town.
Voters will also be selecting volunteers to serve on the School Board. We elect these people to oversee all aspects of our community’s investment in education –– our students, staff, and facilities –– and to discern the community’s values in planning for our future. West Windsor is fortunate that this year both experienced board members from our town have agreed to run for re-election.
Hemant Marathe has been on the Board since 2001, serving as president since 2004. Hemant is an energetic, analytical businessman and parent who understands our schools and community values incredibly well. Robert Johnson joined the Board in 2004; he is currently vice president of the Board and chair of the Finance Committee, where he has helped earn the district a ‘AAA’ financial rating, one of a few in the state. In the next few years, the expertise that these individuals bring, as well as their understanding of our district, will be invaluable in determining how to make our schools more efficient so as to be fiscally responsible to our taxpayers while trying to ensure that we don’t shortchange the future of our students or communities.
Please join me in re-electing Hemant Marathe and Robert Johnson and in voting ‘yes’ on the budget on April 20.
Diane Hasling
12 Jacob Drive, West Windsor
At the open comment period of a recent WW-P School Board meeting, I made the following statement: “I commend the teachers of WWP for agreeing to a three-month wage freeze as a first step to come to the bargaining table in a time of need.” However, I further stated that even more has to be done to deal with the current fiscal crisis.
It appears that since that time more has been accomplished.
1. The board has agreed to a zero percent budget over budget increase.
2. Salary givebacks of more than $1 million were agreed to by the teacher and administrator associations.
3. A salary freeze was accepted by the service association for the coming year.
4. There will be a minimal impact on taxes for WW residents. In fact, some people will experience a decrease.
5. Next year there will be an elimination of five highly-paid administrator positions.
These are just a few of the belt-tightening steps made by the current school board. For these reasons, I feel comfortable in voting “yes” for the upcoming WWP school budget — and supporting the candidacy of Hemant Marathe and Bob Johnson for re-election to the WW-P School Board.
Paul Pitluk
West Windsor
The State’s historic budget crisis warrants many of the reforms that the Christie Administration is putting into place. We all know that New Jersey has been living well beyond its means, strapping taxpayers with increased costs and fees to keep going. The end was long overdue and all of us need to share in the pain. That we get. But it doesn’t seem fair that our award-winning schools have become the target, facing the brunt of the situation with such severe and damaging funding cuts.
We are graduates of the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District. We moved back to the area to give our children the opportunity to benefit from the quality educational experience we enjoyed so many years ago. While our children are only in first grade, we’ve been impressed by the dedication of the teachers and staff at the Maurice Hawk School. The school may have tripled in size since we attended, but the warm feeling still permeates the halls like we remember from our childhood.
The educational rigor and level of care WWP teachers offer our children makes this district standout over time. Last night, we attended Hawk’s Literacy Festival where were greeted by teachers and staff who seemed to be even more excited to be there than the students. The teachers had arranged special programs and activities for the children. They changed their classrooms around to accommodate the celebration. They pinned up writings in the hallways to showcase the students’ hard work. They provided a wonderful evening that enriched the students’ classroom experience. And they did all of this on their own time.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro School District is committed to quality—somehow this important point has been lost in all of the rhetoric. Yes, our property taxes are high. But it’s important to note that our district operates below the state average per-pupil cost, yet it is consistently remains at the top of rankings for academic achievement. We hope you will join us in supporting the school budget on April 20, so that our children can continue to benefit from the excellent academic instruction that WWP is known for now and has been for all these years. Please vote yes!
Libby Swanke Vinson
Wallingford Drive, West Windsor
Heather Macfarlan Mayer
Juliet Court, West Windsor
Elizabeth Swanke Vinson
5 Wallingford Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540
