Letter: Everyone saw the first number that was floating around for the extra bussing fee and everyone lost it.
My phone was blowing up. WhatsApp groups on fire. Bashing the askanim, bashing our local politicians, “they don’t care,” “they sold us out” – you know the drill.
Then today the Igud puts out an update. The fee is down to $290 per kid. And the instruction is now to opt in – portal opens today at 2pm.
So what happened? The askanim were working. That’s what happened.
While we were all busy typing, they were sitting in rooms with the LSTA, with Trenton, with our local elected officials, all working hand in hand – the Igud, the askanim, the mosdos, and the politicians – trying to bring that number down and make sure we have buses on day one.
This is the part we keep forgetting. Lakewood is not a small town anymore. We are a massive, growing city. There are so many moving parts behind the scenes to keep things running – bussing, housing, infrastructure, all of it. It’s not simple. There are negotiations, legal issues, funding issues, things that take time.
Not everything can be explained in a WhatsApp message in real time.
We have become so quick to bash everyone. If something doesn’t go our way for five minutes, we turn on our own askanim and our own local politicians – the same people who are actually picking up the phone for us at 10pm.
We need to learn to trust the process a little more. When they say “please take no action, we are working on it” – let them work. There is a reason they are saying it.
Is $290 extra something anyone wants to pay? No. But it’s a lot better than where we started, and it means our kids will have bussing.
So let’s go opt in today starting at 2pm and get it done.
And next time, maybe we give the people who are working for us 24 hours before we decide they failed.
A Lakewood Resident.
Or maybe it only got lowered because everybody complained.
The amount of likes on this post shows the ignorance of so many people.
Sorry but they failed us Asa tzibur. They let us know on Tguraday about this when they knew about it since June. Whatever they did over the weekend could’ve been done before letting us know on Thursday. There is no thanks when all then do is push us around like puppets and milk us like cows. Sorry it’s like mitzvah habaah b’dei aveirah!!!
They did not know since June. The state only the last week or so declined the budget increase Lakewood Township requested, including the appeals. If the State hadn’t rejected the township, this wouldn’t have happened.
Then we should have warned that it was a possibility.
Bietzem your right. But this time it hurt so we are upset and feel backstabbed
this didn’t happen in 5 minutes. It was told to the parents at the last minute. Also, there really is no one at LSTA to talk to when an issue arrives.
Either you’re right or what many people believe is more likely is that this was entirely a set up. It’s number one in business: mark up a higher price, knowing that it will not be acceptable to most people and then come back later with a (slightly) lower price and now suddenly more people are ok with it, but if you would’ve given this number originally people would’ve been likely just as upset but now it’s like you’re getting a great deal or something like that and all the people that you’re giving credit to can look good for helping the tzibur but what makes you think this wasn’t all part of the plan to get you to pay this new amount? you add the 290 to the 385 already paid thats $675.. Three years ago it was 180. If you have four kids, that’s a massive difference.
What’s wrong with a businessman doing business. if so many people think they can do a better job and for cheaper, go ahead. open a competition bussing busimess.
They are supposed to be a non-profit. By law. They’re also a monopoly. There’s no way to compete.
This letter is as fake as the ai picture of the triplet rabbis and the ties on the Confrence table. Lol
**toes
Like every letter nowadays. Sad how people have completely forgot how to write themselves. I would take an authentic heartfelt letter over polished ai sludge any day.
The fee is AN additional 290!! So 580 total!!
Wrong! Do the mathematics and it’s $685….
You missied the point. How is it that the fee got slashed? Is the State filling in the gap? Are there askonim filling in the gap? This is a red herring.
LSTA is making less profit. In simple english, LSTA is running a sale. Like when a store has a sale.
It’s not 290 it’s 290 in addition to what was paid already all while the public schools do not pay.
Also if reason for the increase was the shortfall and it had to have jumped up by hundreds more how is it suddenly not that expensive.
Sounds more like a scam to get everyone convinced…..
Why are we not all registering our kids in public school let the state buy back all the buildings they sold, hire new teachers get more bussing …… and then see if maybe they will feel the need fix the formula….. We literally save them millions by going to private schools and get killed footing the bill our tax dollars are going to fund other peoples education and we get treated like not even second class citizens. makes no sense .
Because we do NOT send our kids to public school!! Not even as a joke. I would not want my child to think for a fraction of a second that that is an option even as a ploy! We struggle to pay schar limud because we WANT our children in a YESHIVA in an environment of torah and mitzvos! Surrounded by people with the same morals and ethics. I find it nauseating all this talk about ” sending to public school so the govt will see how much they are saving””!! We are IN GOLUS!! we should be incredibly grateful to the rebono shel olam that we can educate our children so openly and freely bederech Hatorah!! With the ABUNDANCE of ANTISEMITISM engulfing us we need to constantly thank Hashem that we can be shomer Torah Umitzvos and live and shop only among frum yidden! We should be grateful for the abundant selection of yeshivos for our children! And, the ability to learn Torah freely!!! The money comes ONLY from Hashem!! And, NOT the govt.
Since when does a government program care about money?
What happened to the public schools when over 2 million Jews came to America? The public schools figured it out.
What happened when (non-jewish)
5,000,000 Germans
4,500,000 Irish
3,500,000 English &
1,500,000 Scandinavians
came to America? The public schools figured it out.
Besides the tremendous Chillul Hashem it would cause it would never work.
So when you say “other people’s education” are you referring to the public school system? Maybe SCHI getting over 45 million in funds from the township, via state mandates, to educate 264 private school students this year? Maybe you’re referring to Center for Education who lists 90 private school kids attending at between $72,000 and $127,000 per kid? The money provided to private schools through EAP by the township with American Rescue Plan funds? Non mandated bussing paid for by the township for 10 years? BMG receiving 10.6 million in 2015 from the state for new library? NSGP grants worth millions to local private schools? Other security grants worth millions for private schools? Please clarify exactly whose education you are annoyed about funding. How about this. I’ve been paying school taxes for 46 years, have no children and yet I have to pay for public and private school students. Maybe I should ask for a refund. Also you wouldn’t save the district a dime because you would never send your kids to public school.
You’re 100% correct! Anyone who was bashing or still doesn’t understand has never been involved in anything with a lot of moving parts and multiple different interests… well maybe chavrusa tumult, which itself is a week and should give them a glimpse of how the world works.
no they didn’t say the higher price only to lower it, there are much better ways of making oneself look like a hero. Did it only get lowered because of the outcry? Very possibly but it could’ve and should’ve been done with respect, not by bad mouthing specific ppl. If you truly believe the ppl are the issue then get up and volunteer to create a new board or system, if your idea is really that good it will be accepted by everyone and you’ll be welcome to do the hard work the way you think it should be done and hopefully that will bring about the change you want!
Additional $290 is still way to much. Perhaps a Five or a Ten dollars raise, for first child and a slideing scale formula for each additional child. We need to vote out every politician and restart with a fresh vision. New people bring fresh ideas. Also Lakewood needs term limits. Politician is not a real job. Never ment to be there for life.
The reason our politicians serve for such a long time is because the citizens of our town keep voting them in. They complain about our local govt, but it’s all talk and no action. When election day comes around, the people fold like a cheap camera and re-elect the same officials. We don’t have to impose term limits. We have to vote in new faces.
WOW!
The ignorance and selfishness in this comment section boggles the mind.
Seriously?? They could have sat down before announcing the $945 to figure out a solution, not afterwards. The fact that they had no problem putting a crazy number out there in the first place is enough to realize that they are out of touch and don’t care about the hamoin am.
What is the most absurd thing about this whole bussing thing is that somehow with all this towns corruption (which unfortunately can’t properly be told as the leaders are all in on it and God forbid if someone tries to expose them we know what happens) the one place they figure out a way to “account” for the missing funds is by making people pay out of their pockets,there are so many other possible places to take the money from,anyone who has a knowledge of what goes on understands what I’m saying.unfortunately this town is so corrupt and we suffer every day because of this.
we need to cap the amount of time someone can be a public servant in this town. There are plenty of people that are capable of working with das Torah and at the same time bringing this town to the way it should be run.
this is a laughable plant.
Down to the word “chill” being used by an adult
Amalek are the ones who want us to “chill”. Asher Karcha Baderech. See Rashi
I disagree.
it should have never gone up.
And 290 is still too much!
We were all played. They raise so much, we complain, they lower it somewhat, everyone is happy.
sounds like a convenient game to me. And we all lost.
Get off the whatsapp groups its breeding place for Lashon Hora
Thanks ChatGBT for the article and the photo.
Test of Emunah and Bitachon FAIL is what it was!