FIRST REPORT: Igud Hamosdos to Hire Attorney to Fight Busing Woes; Asks Mosdos for $3 per Student

school bus traffic rt 9 2015 tlsThe Igud Hamosdos will be hiring an attorney to represent them in their fight against the proposed cuts to the busing, TLS has learned.

In an email sent to the Mosdos, the Igud wrote, “as part of our last effort to improve Lakewood’s busing transportation, it was agreed that all schools and Yeshivos contribute $3 per student in order to share the costs of hiring a lawyer who will represent our case.”

As first reported by TLS, busing for both public and non-public students will be cut at the end of this month, should the January 26 referendum fail. Approximately 10,000 students will be affected.

Without the funds for the lawyer, “we cannot make headway in improving our situation and we will be indirectly resorting to take no action. We need to give it our best shot. It is only with everyone’s utmost cooperation that we can attempt this positive change for the Klal. Understandably, this financial obligation is not easy, yet only by sharing this burden can we hope to see good results.”

A recent poll on TLS, which included approximately 1,000 participants, showed about 90% of voters would not approve the $6,200,000 referendum.

[TLS]

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26 COMMENTS

  1. The only attorney that really knows what’s going on is Aaron (Arther) Lang. The board should swallow there pride and STOP being foolish and have him deal with it.

  2. Unless you can find a way to come up with $6.2 mil dollars to cover the cost of bussing, a lawyer is not going to make the BOE magically come up with money it doesn’t have. You don’t get blood fm a stone

  3. N.J.A.C 6A:23A-9.4: “In all cases, including those instances in which a district submits a budget with a general fund tax levy and equalization aid above its adequacy budget, the Commissioner may direct such budgetary reallocations and programmatic adjustments, or take such other measures, as deemed necessary to ensure implementation of the required thoroughness and efficiency standards.”

  4. Basically, even if the BOE promises in writing to reserve the $6.2M for busing only, pursuant to N.J.A.C 6A:23A-9.4 the Commissioner’s office can still override it at any time and redirect those funds elsewhere when they deem it necessary..

  5. Why can’t anyone get it, we can no longer support everyone getting a bus. Do as all other towns do and accept mandated busing only and as far as paying for a lawyer to fight the person everyone keeps making reference to was there at the start of the budget short fall but hid it well. I can’t afford even $3 sorry

  6. Fact finder , we “jewish people ” are pouring tens of millions of dollars and growing by the tens of millions every year into the BOE . We get zero except for schi and couple of other places . If we continue to allow ourselves to be trampled on then we will only get less and less as the years roll on . Enough is enough

  7. Rabbi Attorney Lang is an employee of the Lakewood board of Ed. Therefore, he has a conflict of interest and cannot represent anyone regarding any issue that relates to the Lakewood board of ed UNLESS he resigns from his teaching post.

  8. Let’s vote to back track all the tax hikes from the past few years, that we voted for. And instead pay for private busing.
    If taxes go down, we can put the savings into private busing. Investing in our own schools. Employing our own as bus drivers. Our own as mechanics to keep the buses in shape.

  9. To route 70.
    Pkeade do the math. The increases in the special ed budget every year are probably more than most of the new taxes from the new construction. 500 new townhouses adds about 2 million to the boe taxes. The increase per year for special needs school is more than that.

  10. To #8:

    A teacher is not a policy-making employee. Courts “balance between the interests of the [employee], as a citizen, in commenting upon matters of public concern and the interest of the State, as an employer, in promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees.” Pickering v. Board of Education, 391 U.S. 563, 568. In Pickering, a teacher’s criticism of the a policy of the school board was determined sufficiently a matter of public concern for constitutional protection.

    A different standard is applied to policy-makers such as administrator. Persuasive opinion out of the Seventh Circuit held that “the government employer’s need for political allegiance from its policymaking employee outweighs the employee’s freedom of expression to such a degree that it obviates Pickering balancing.” Bonds v. Milwaukee County, 207 F.3d 969, 977 (7th Cir., 2000). A principal, whose plan for spending of a grant was rejected, was demoted for her subsequent opposition to the plan of her superiors. “The First amendment does not prohibit the discharge of a policy making employee when that individual has engaged in speech on a matter of public concern in a manner that is critical of superiors of their stated policies.” Vargas-Harrison v. Racine Unified School Dist., 272 F.3d 964, 971 (7th Cir., 2001).

  11. Rt 70 you don’t know if I”m a gentile or frum. You say we are growing by the millions so everyone else should pay for us, even I don’t believe that and I for one as I said before can’t afford $3 let alone a big increase in my taxes for busing when it is not mandatory.

  12. What about the public school parents they too are going to have their bussing cut!! Also what about parents that are entitled to mandatory bussing do they also have to chip in…and how about everyone just buy the powerball, odds are probably better!!!!

  13. #5
    No. Under Durgin v. Brown, 37 N.J. 189 (1962) the will of the voters cannot be ignored by the BOE (and Commissioner).

    On the other hand, under normal circumstances, N.J.A.C 6A:23A-12.13(4) requires that rejection by the voters is final, albeit “limited to a specific school year.” Arnone v. Hopewell Valley Board of Ed. EDU4999-02 (2004). However, since non-mandated bussing has been part of the budget every year, an administrative judge would likely interpret the rejection only the tax increase, not the actual service, should funding become available this year.

  14. Here’s the latest plan: The Mosdos invest 586 million to buy every possible number combination in the uocoming powerball lottery. The cash value of 800 million will leave 200 million over for bussing. Just hope and pray that there aren’t multiple winners and all problems will be solved….

  15. Maybe, instead of everyone worrying for bussing for next year, they should worry for the kids who aren’t in school yet. Whether for elementary or high school.
    While we are all complaining how our kids will be getting to school, think that these kids have no school.

  16. Fact Finder, your facts are completely off. The neighboring towns, and most towns in NJ are getting much higher levels of financial support from the State. 2 to 3 tomes higher and in some cases more.

    It is not because the neighboring towns are more frugal with their expenses that they are in a better position, but it is because the State is funding them at a much higher level.

  17. what I don’t get is who will the Igud be suing? If they are going to be suing the BOE, then we are going to be paying the legal fees for both sides of the lawsuit (thank you Mr. Azarra).

    If we are suing he state, it may make more sense, assuming there is a valid legal argument to be made.

  18. does anyone know if a 6 year old living .75 of a mile from school is considered courtesy busing? He’s too young to walk and I have no other way to get him to school.

  19. Within 2 miles 22
    You need to live 2 miles or more to get mandated busing.
    What the yeshiva should do is swap students so that every student is mandated. Then the yeshivas would bus the student to their proper school

  20. What I think should be done is to have a contest as to who can make the best video showing how undemocratic the school monitor is to attract the Tea Party’s attention

Comments are closed.