Lakewood School District’s $6,200,000 Special Election Referendum Question Language

voting booth tlsTLS has obtained the language of the ballot question which will be posed to voters in next month’s special election referendum. The referendum will seek voters’ approval of an additional $6,200,000 to cover the deficit.

The question will read as follows:

“That there should be raised an additional $6,200,000 for General Funds in the 2015-2016 school year. These taxes shall be used exclusively for non-mandated transportation services for public and non-public students. Approval of these taxes will result in a permanent increase in the district’s tax levy. These proposed additional expenditures are in addition to those necessary to achieve the Core Curriculum Content Standards.”

As first reported on TLS, the district’s expected deficit for the 2015-2016 school year will be around $9,500,000 – about $3,500,000 above last month’s anticipated deficit.

Even if the referendum passes, the district will still remain with an approximately $3,000,000 deficit, an official told TLS.

As earlier reported, the Board already voted against holding the referendum, but it was overridden by the state monitor.

[TLS]

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29 COMMENTS

  1. So here is how it goes in 2016 the money will EXCLUSIVELY go to non mandated transportation but once its in the budget the next year your taxes are allowed to be the same and therefore the money can be used for anything in the education system…

  2. What a waste of money on the State Monitors part. The referendum election will cost Lakewood BOE over $50,000. EVEN IF IT DOESN’T PASS!!!

    This is on top of the 3 State Monitors salaries that cost Lakewood over $400,000. per year.

    In an effort to improve the district they have signed a half million dollar a year lease for space for more classrooms! Money Lakewood doesn’t have.

    The State Monitors have NOT SAVED LAKEWOOD ONE PENNY.

    They have repeatedly said Lakewood doesn’t have a spending problem!!!

    The problem isn’t Lakewood it is The State of New Jersey and their unfair distribution of funding.

  3. What does it mean this money will be used for busing? should I make out my check to the bus company? The question still remains, what caused this deficit? Was it realy busing or that is just a convenient way of covering over something else (like needing to repay the state millions in title one funding that the state demanded refunded)?

  4. i will vote NO. Its time we audit were all this tax money is going. I live in a builders grade 3800 sq ft home and I am paying $17,038.00 taxes. What am i getting for all my tax money? I get garbage, snow plow and busing.

    Lakewood builds 100’s-1000’s of homes. a year. Taxes keeps rising. Its about time the TWP sharpen their pencil and make some cuts like all of us tax payers do when we get tight in our finances.

  5. how about a resolution that restricts the 6 million to safety bussing even in subsequent years. The way its written I’m voting NO. I’m not giving the monitor a blank check.

  6. Buses are the most imp. cancel everything else catapult , all the evaluation, ( some body i know works in purchasing dept, they tell her to buy 60,000, worth of junk on line (with our tax dollar.)

  7. Only taxpayers should be allowed to vote. It is taxation without representation of those who do not pay the taxes decide where taxpayers money should go.

  8. People:
    There’s something very fishy about this whole thing.
    A. why would the state monitor put this up for a vote when they know we would vote it down.
    B. If you read it carefully it says this money is going for nonmandated busing, if I remember correctly , nonmandated busing is for children that live very close to school. If that’s the case , why can’t things stay as is?

    PEOPLE I THINK THAT THERE IS WAY, WAY MORE TO THIS STORY THEN THE HUNK OF CHANGE THAT WE ARE BEING TOLD

  9. If the district is losing money why in the world did they give a raise across the board? Could you amagine a business bringing their employees together for a meeting and say since the company is losing money we will give everyone a raise. Only solution, audit audit audit!

  10. Lakewood Boe is a joke. What do they really do? The twp barely has buses of its own.. lakewood has majority private bus company’s that do the job to par, at times way better. If toms river and the surrounding towns get well over 24 million in aid for educational purposes then maybe lakewood should receive more. Fair is fair. Do not treat a town any less because they rather kids go to private schools. Ie: boys schools and girl schools..

  11. NO NO and NO! Like the above said, for all his tax money all he gets is garbage pick up, snow plowing (it didn’t snow yet) and busing. I say we also have loads of pot holes since last winter which haven’t been repaired yet and I don’t even have busing because I don’t have kids in school anymore.

  12. The state monitor can NOT override this vote. The state has a cap (a maximum of how much taxes can increase each year) UNLESS the taxpayers vote to increase the taxes beyond the cap. The monitor is not able to raise the taxes by 6 million dollars just because he wants to. that is why he is coming to us and asking us to increase our taxes and he isdangling a carrot (that the tax increase will go to bussing this year) and a stick (that he will cancel our bussing if we vote no). Our answer to him (and to the state which is calling the shots) is a resounding NO!

  13. If you stay home you run the risk that this might pass. You will end up paying by stsying home. We need to show the State 25000 no votes. I think this is the first time thateverybody agrees to vote the dame way. So lets show our true bloc vote and show them 25000 or more no votes

Comments are closed.