TheTOMS RIVER Times Vol. 15 - No. 41
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
District Starts Petition Against School Aid Crisis
Senior Funding Partially Restored
Community News! Pages 9-11
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Pages 16
Dear Pharmacist Pages 17
Inside The Law Page 20
−Photo courtesy Toms River Schools Students and staff have been united in fighting for school funding. By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – Another petition to reinstate the aid cut by the state has started making the rounds on social media. While other petitions were started by residents, this one was started by the Toms River School District itself. It calls upon Governor Phil Murphy to reinstate the lost aid to New Jersey schools immediately. For the link to the petition visit jerseyshoreonline.com This is in response to State Senate bill S-2. S-2 was first proposed by Senate President Stephen Sweeney in 2017 and then signed into law by
Governor Phil Murphy in 2018. The bill cuts “adjustment aid” to school districts that the state has deemed to be overfunded due to losing enrollment, including Toms River schools. It will cut more than $90 million from the district over the course of its 7-year phase-in. Cuts have already begun, in staff and supplies. “In essence, S-2 reflects the state’s belief that the taxpayers of Toms River Regional School District are currently undertaxed by approximately $56 million, and that the state will no longer support communities that are not paying their so called (Petition - See Page 4)
Connecting Homeless With Help They Need
By Chris Lundy TOMS R I V ER – There are several places throughout the area that open their doors to the homeless and people who are at risk of bei ng homeless. But one cold day at the end of January was different, because that was the day that helpers were tasked with counting the homeless
coming in. There were two reasons for the day. One was to connect at-risk people with services. The other was to get a head count to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD uses these figures to determine how to provide resources for the homeless in a given area.
However, it’s common knowledge among those who work with the homeless that not all of them want to be counted. So, the number that comes in will be lower than what it really is. Total counts weren’t available as of press time. That information will be assembled later (Homeless - See Page 2)
─Photo by Chris Lundy Tables of supplies were available at Ocean Christian Community Church for the Point In Time homeless count.
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Februrary 8, 2020
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – After looking at a loss of $700,000 in funding for senior programs, county officials got some good news. “We have been notified that we will receive $1,470.084 for the Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving (JACC) Program, which is an increase of about $400,000 for the state fiscal year 2020. We were originally advised this program would see a funding cut of almost $250,000,” said Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “We presented the facts and our concerns to the state and we were heard. This is a victory for our seniors who rely on the help they get from this program.” Jersey Assistance for Community Caregiving (JACC) is a state-funded program that provides in-home services to local seniors to help keep them living independently in their community home as opposed to being placed in a nursing facility. According to (Senior - See Page 4)
Local Services Prep For MONOC’s End
By Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY – The advanced life support ambulance program run by MONOC is dissolving, and local officials are making sure that there are other options available in their wake. “My office received a number of calls from concerned residents who heard about the MONOC MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) program closing in April,” said Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy. “Upon hearing the program will close, we immediately reached out to the providers that are assuming the operations.” Not all ambulance crews are the same. There is actually a distinction to be made. Basic life support is often manned by volunteers. Advanced life support requires more training and is used in more life or death situations. (MONOC - See Page 13)
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