Township Committee Approving BOE Cuts

want whatever I think we need but if I don't get the support it's not going to happen the textbooks that people keep talking to you about I brought that up and only brought it up because two of my kids came home and tried to do work without textbooks so I pulled a few more kids and found out they didn't have textbooks so I considered it to be a real real issue and then I had all of the textbooks audited to find out there were awful lot of textbooks that people were saying they needed that equal an awful lot of money and to be real honest with you I don't think that I was able to get the support I need from my you know colleagues to really push that home initially but we did finally get enough money in that budget to make that happen and you I'm not going to get into I really came here to talk about two things we have a budget that we and we understand that the township committee undoubtedly has some say in the way in which you know spend this money or how it is that how much money we we we have I believe that what's what's painting me the greatest is that in all these years the things that I've advocated for I ran on a platform of safety for all kids no one can ever say here or even in the audience and I CAU Flack in my own community that I ever said that kids should be taken off the buses and have to walk through the Hazardous streets never said it has never come out of my mouth I have always advocated children be treated fairly and that kids are safe but when I sat down and saw a budget that had to be cut be almost 100% cut in the public school sector I was more than AOL I could not believe I understand it had to happen but there were other options and to no avail despite multiple attempts to share these budgets come up with one that made more sense that was equally shared across this entire town no one saw that as a good idea so when I was forced to look at this as why in the world are we going to come up with this budget that just affects public education and needless to say and needless to say it's Injustice it's beyond unfair as I said the other night I to the point of saying that it's a borderline criminal that a budget could adversely affect only one sect of the community and no one even care so I I just want to close with with with you know I don't even I'm usually not in a loss words I've been swimming Upstream for almost n years I'll be honest with you I'm tired and I'm not going to go away um in those schools I believe you heard the parents not just me as a you heard your parents all they're saying is we understand but we want it to be shared equally and evenly and right now that is not happening and I have to tell you that the last thing that I want to share is that I am appreciative that we got new board members I'm appreciative of all the board members but I was very unappreciative that despite the way dialect should go between boards and committees that I had individuals come in and try to give me a budget after the finance committee had presented several budgets that I felt the township committee could have looked at that were Fair none of those budgets were considered but we as Community are supposed to swallow that a budget has been created that will just completely and totally treat us unfairly nearly 90% of the cut or more will come from public education that's Injustice and the only thing I say is I I ask my friends how to say it and I know that some believe in God and some some don't but I do know this I might not say the phrase right but I [Applause] this Ecom they were cut by the state they the car cut back in the budget you know you have to sit up here and hear people who losing their homes 87 forclosures last month have to listen to people who can't have enough food I listen to the food tax priority more the food tax before they told the people that gave last year online getor that are concerned about not enough money to pay their taxes people are H hat Wise County wise Statewide Nationwide and we listen to that comments from some of the school board members were we're putting everything in it's your problem and president Thomas you know that came from some of your board members I believe that this Township had that budget presented realistically and not 11% increase certain would have take another look at it it went down 9 to1 that's not even close and by the way in every town that I represent there 13 towns I represent have school budget they are all laying off teachers no unfortunately all cutting their budget matter of fact in the paper today to Township is cutting their budget Ling off 11 each it's a fact a s I turned around and in the last 10 years that we' had budget we gone ahead and hire professional Township anywhere from 30 to 50,000 recommendations tax money and came back with minimal Cuts but everyone agreed was fine the fact that there aren't school books there that children aren't being educated was never cut by this T Committee in all those years budgets were not gutted in all those years you got 99% of what school they got and every time we turn around and cut the budget we ask one question will this affect the quality of education and the president knows in every year part they said no would not we all agreed to it Min C and went forward people are Hur people have turned to us and said help us we G to a territory some of you should have been here through the May's meetings with the EMS Services dealing with those cuts and some of people spoke tonight were the same ones that condemned us for those cuts that night too we are bringing in zero budget it is not easy considering the fact we lost St this year 750,000 last year and 750,000 the following and the amazing factor is we able to do it is we're having no increase in the tax base in other words we kept the same amount of money we had last year less money we spent last year spending this year and that's a tough thing and we ear toughs we went to the school and said basically take a look at it and come back to us with you spending 30 or 50,000 on some outside person coming in tell us where to cut this is what they came back to and it is not this one year that created the bookage it is not this one year that created the problem in education this has been the problem there last year year before year before year before year year before this Township committee and some of the members are here today when the school board missed appropriated $3 million went to the state and got it and we kicked in a million doll to the township and then they did the same thing there's a history here of lack of trust in the school board have aary responsibility to the p and very honestly I I think that that that we had no opment and certainly I will vote for uh this this budget I want to thank you there were a couple of times tonight that I wanted to jump out of my seat and just scream because of misinformation and I remembered your advice when you told me when I took the middle chair Steve you under control you could calm chance I don't think and I hear you and what I told you two weeks ago I stand up and I believe that go through the list of Cs that the C committee is recommended there should be nobody here who feels that anyone section of this community is getting away with anything first of all if anyone wants to say anything that's unethical I have to side with the senator here and say it was unethical for the Board of Education to put out an 11% tax increase on the voters and with the political climate going on today in New Jersey with the the type of financial hurt that people have