The JACKSON Times Vol. 20 - No. 41
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Students Duke It Out In Robot Challenge
Superintendent: This Is A Difficult Budget Year
Community News! Pages 9-11
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Dear Pharmacist Page 15
Wolfgang Puck
─Photo Provided by The Jackson School District Robots battle it out for supremacy in an arena created for the first semester of science teacher Charles Rotunno’s Robotics class held earlier in the year. By Bob Vosseller There were 16 8th other and the students fun but it also provided JACKSON – There a lesson for those in grade students com- code their robots and wa s q u it e a bat t le Charles Rotunno’s 8th peting in the library have to determine how among students at the grade Robotics Class. in front of an audience their opponent’s robot Carl W. Goetz Mid- It was the class’s Bat- of faculty and other will respond,” Rotunno dle School. It involved tlebot Challenge. students. “The robots said. rolling, striking and “It is a combination “We do this during have small motors in pushing an opponent each of the two semes- them and small sen- of seeing what you out of the way. The ters and they have 90 sors. There are two think will happen. The winner of this brawl days to build and pro- robots who either get pre-program the roeven received teacher gram their robots that knocked out or pushed bots,” the educator said. recognition. they get from a kit,” out of their area. They He noted that some stuThis battle was all in Rotunno said. really lash out at each (Robots - See Page 4)
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Freeholders Defend 2nd Amendment Rights By Bob Vosseller TOMS RIVER - Last year, Gov. Phil Murphy put gun makers, vendors and fi nancial institutions on notice that if they wanted to do business with the state, they would need to adhere to New Jersey’s tough gun-control standards. Murphy’s measure
introduced last September was criticized by the New Jersey’s National Rifle Association, saying the state was trying to “demonize” gun ownership. That measure is one example of several, that has gun owners across the state voicing concer n about their 2nd Amendment
rights. Local residents brought their concerns to the Board of Ocean County Freeholders and during a recent me et i ng, t he Fre e holders unanimously passed a resolution in support of the 2nd Amendment. Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari
said “we have for the last several months received many letters from residents, some of whom are here today, from many different counties throughout the state of New Jersey.” The resolution was written “opposing any law that would unconstitutionally restrict
March 7, 2020
the right under the 2nd Amendment.” Murphy was quoted at a press conference last year saying “despite our efforts, every day countless residents remain at risk of gun violence regardless of where they live.” Mu r phy noted the average of (Rights - See Page 17)
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – School Board members and administrators heard several presentations from some of its departments recently in order to help them crunch numbers in preparation of next month’s school budget presentation. During a Feb. 19 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Stephen Genco expressed concerns about of this year’s district spending plan. He noted that state aid figures have not yet been released, “but under S-2, the state’s funding formula, the district’s overall loss in state aid is expected to be about $790,000 for the coming budget, and possibly $2 million less than that during the 2021-2022 school year.” “This is a very, very difficult budget this year, we are looking to be flat or less in every way we can be. Given the cuts we are experiencing under the state’s funding formula, we are looking at a very tough budget,” Genco said. The board and administration have begun formulating the tentative budget, which will be introduced at the board’s March 18 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the administration building. A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held at its April 29 meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center of Jackson Memorial High School. Among the presentations made during the Feb. 19 meeting was the transportation department. The district has 110 contracted bus drivers and 20 substitute drivers, 34 contracted bus aides and 13 substitute bus aides. Last year, it had 116 54-passenger vehicles, 46 vans and one car on the road. This year that number has dropped to 115 buses and 44 vans. Mileage figures from last year was 1,879,783 and this year’s estimate is 1,826,250 while the fuel used total from last year was 363,750 gallons but is estimated at 357,250 gallons this year. The number of students in the district being transported went from 8,616 during (Budget - See Page 6)
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