‘MY PRIORITY: TO FIND A SOLUTION’
Tabernacle Committee Urged to Replace Several Officials Amid Expanding Fallout Over Budget Oversights and Town Hall Debacle Governing Body Decides to Advertise for New Administrator/Clerk and CFO; Budget Passed with Revised Tax Levy and Town Hall Shoring Contract Signed
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
TABERNACLE—The competency of Tabernacle Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown, along with that of several other officials, including Chief Financial Officer Rodney Haines and Township Solicitor William Burns, was questioned repeatedly during the latest Tabernacle Township Committee session of Sept. 9.
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
EVESHAM—An additional $457,000 in state aid for the 2024-25 school year has now been given to the Lenape Regional
High School District (LRHSD), which had been facing a “budget hole in the millions” for the 2024-24 school year in learning that the state had originally prescribed a $4.69 million funding cut for the district that
was “over 14 times the amount” that had been anticipated under the School Funding Reform Act, known as S-2, according to Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm. See SOLUTION/ Page 4
At the latest session’s conclusion, the township committee announced it would be advertising for an administrator/clerk, as well as a chief financial officer (CFO). Brown faced the first of what would become many public criticisms when resident and transparency advocate Stuart Brooks questioned Sept. 9 why the discussion of the township administrator and clerk’s post was no longer listed as a business item for committee discussion (as indicated by an agenda for that day).
During the preceding Aug. 26 session, after the committee had convened a closed
See FALLOUT/ Page 5
Photo By Nick Weissmann
Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (left), state Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (center), and Lenape Regional Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm (right) celebrate an additional $457,000 in funding on Sept. 13.
August Saw Two Fatal Motorcycle Crashes on County Route 542 in Washington with Policing Again Topic of Concern for Committee Officials Describe ‘Busy’ Sheriff’s Department Detail as ‘Short-Term’ Relief, with Mayor Hoping to Get State Police ‘To Do What They Should be Doing’
By D ouglas D. M elegari Staff Writer
WASHINGTON—August was a deadly month on roadways in Washington Township, and it came as local officials discussed at the regular Washington Township Committee session on Sept. 3 the volume of motor vehicle stops in only a short span of time conducted in the rural municipality by a special Burlington County Sheriff’s Department traffic detail.
The first deadly crash is reported to have happened on Aug. 3, around 7:10 p.m. on County Route 542, near milepost 14.4, according to the New Jersey State Police.
Based on a preliminary investigation, Mark Rodier, 56, of Hammonton, was operating a Harley Davidson motorcycle on County Route 542 when it ran off the road and overturned.
Rodier was ejected from the vehicle, state police said, and sustained fatal injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, state police noted, with the agency telling this newspaper last week that no additional information is available.
The second fatal collision is reported to have happened on Aug. 25 at 9:58 p.m. on County Route 542, near milepost 14.8
Based on a preliminary investigation, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle being
operated by Andrew Uveges, of Lanoka Harbor, was traveling westbound on County Route 542, state police said, when the motorcycle also ran off the roadway and overturned.
Uveges was ejected, according to state police, and impacted a tree. He sustained fatal injuries.
State police told this newspaper the investigation into the second crash is also ongoing and there is no additional information available at this time.
The traffic detail was arranged by the committee with the Sheriff’s Department following local official reports of purported limited manpower capabilities of the state police to patrol in town, despite being the municipality’s designated policing agency, and numerous resident complaints about purported motor vehicle infractions, particularly during the summer months when recreational opportunities exist in the vicinity and motorists also pass through to access the Jersey Shore.
The partnership between the township and Sheriff’s Department, in its second year and made possible through grant funding and a small monetary contribution from the township, according to Mayor C. Leigh Gadd, Jr. in remarks made on Sept. See CRASHES/ Page 11
Richard J. Weber, DMD
Dr. Weber has been recognized for excellence in dentistry and has trained nationally and internationally with the most prestigious members of the profession.
Question of Whether Excessive Traffic Citations Are Being Issued in Bass River and if They Work Debated at Commission Meeting
Mayor Promises Investigation of Fees Charged for Use of Containers at Dump; Residents Who Paid LEHT for Permits Told What to Do if They Encounter Delays
By Bill B onvie Staff Writer
BASS RIVER—A seemingly routine report on traffic ticket revenue figures for the month of July became the basis for a lively debate during a Sept. 9 Bass River Board of Commissioners meeting on the effects and effectiveness of what was characterized as an exceptionally heavy state police presence along the main thoroughfares of the small, rural township of Bass River.
Just how many of the citations listed were given out on local roads as compared to the Garden State Parkway, which runs through the township and has an exit ramp into the village of New Gretna that comprises its population center, was a question that Mayor William “Rick” Adams, who took office earlier this year, promised to look into, along with the fees being charged to the township for the “transport and rental” of dumpsters at the local landfill.
Local residents who are embarking on any kind of construction project requiring a permit were also told that going forward they will need to get them from the Borough of Tuckerton with which Bass River recently initiated a shared service agreement after dropping one with adjacent Little Egg Harbor Township, but that arrangements already made with the latter would stay that way.
The question of whether the number of traffic tickets issued in Bass River— 500-plus in July alone (with 400 of them “disposed”)— might be considered excessive, turning the community into what was described by one attendee as a “speed trap,” and is actually serving the purpose of mitigating moving violations in town was first raised by William Aaronson, a New Gretna resident, who complained, that “at times, I feel like I live in a police state.”
“To go to the dump on Saturday morning and see two or three State Troopers and people pulled over, obviously that is not doing any good with the number of violations we have,” he contended. “They are not slowing people down.”
Aaronson further pointed out that 11 of the offenses listed on the report were described as “indictable,” maintaining that, “Here we’re talking serious crime.”
The significance of the number, however, was de-emphasized by Municipal Clerk Jenny Gleghorn, who pointed out that six of those were for DWIs, and that the other violations, which can range from not using seatbelts to talking on a cellphone while driving, as well as exceeding the speed limit and even having tinted windows without a doctor’s authorization, are not considered criminal in nature.
In addition, there was the question, which Aaronson himself had raised, of how many of those alleged moving violations were committed on the Parkway, rather than on township thoroughfares such as Routes 9 and 542, there being no distinction made in the report.
“That has never been asked, but we’ll
change that,” responded Adams, adding he would have the figure broken down.
“I really don’t care about the Parkway,” Aaronson declared. “I care about our town, and the way we’re policing it currently does not seem to work or else that number would not be so high. What the answer is, I don't know, but what we are doing is not working. I see people come roaring through here, huge trucks come tearing through town. What the hell is going on?”
To that question, Deputy Mayor Louis Bourguignon offered the reply, “GPS,” referring to previous allegations he has made that the global positioning systems, or GPS, now being used by truckers have been programmed to send them down North Maple Avenue in Bass River as the shortest route to their destinations, rather than major highways.
Bourguignon also noted that a number of years ago, a child had been struck and killed on Route 9 in front of the local U.S. Post Office, resulting in the speed limit being reduced from 50 mph to 35 mph. Yet more recently, he noted, a motorist coming from off the Parkway and “traveling near 100 when he went through town” overturned his vehicle in the same area.
And speeding in town, the deputy mayor predicted, can only be expected to increase once anticipated repairs begin this fall on the Route 542 bridge, resulting in a detour.
“These people are going to lose 10 minutes,” he said. “And they are going to try to make up that lost time.”
Under such circumstances, he asserted, “You’ve got to have the police. There are no two ways about it.”
As for catching speeders on the Parkway, Bourguignon added, “They’re going 80 mph. It’s worse than it was 20 or 30 years ago—it’s way worse.”
Gleghorn, however, expressed the opinion that much of the problem is “here in town, not on the Parkway,” and pointed out that far more citations may be issued than the official list indicates. That number, she said, may just reflect the number of tickets showing up on the court docket.
That prompted Adams to instruct interim Councilwoman Jane Allen to “get a complete rundown” of the actual figures involved, reminding her, “It’s your department.”
In regard to the allegedly high rate of enforcement on local roads, Gleghorn made the point that “some people think it’s bad and some think it’s good,” which became apparent in the ensuing comments.
Offering what he called “a different view,” for example, resident Howard Rothchild, ventured that “the more people we pull over on that road out there, the more (revenue) comes in here and the less tax dollars that come out of our pocket.”
Aaronson replied that Rothchild might have “a good point, except you don’t want to get to a violations-based economy” in which “you’re using law enforcement to raise revenue.”
“That is not a good policy, and probably if you could prove it, it would be illegal,”
Motorcyclist Killed After His Bike Reportedly Strikes Honda on Route 206, Overturning into Opposite Lane, Where It Was Struck by Tractor Trailer
State Police Say Driver of Tractor Trailer Did Not Stop, ‘Unaware of Impact’
SOUTHAMPTON—A violent Route 206 crash in Southampton Township claimed the life of a motorcyclist during the early afternoon hours of Sept. 15.
According to Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police, the crash happened near milepost 23.3, with State Troopers responding at around 12:37 p.m.
He said based on a preliminary investigation, a Peterbilt tractor-trailer was traveling southbound on Route 206 in the vicinity, while a Honda CRV and Harley-Davidson motorcycle were traveling northbound on the highway.
“In the area of milepost 23.3, the HarleyDavidson collided with the rear of the Honda, overturning into the southbound
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Local Democratic 8th District Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (D-Atlantic, Burlington), a freshman legislator who had secured her seat in an upset last November, successfully added Budget Resolution No. 4363 to amend the state budget before its final passage on June 28. The impact of that resolution on the LRHSD, in the form of additional funding, was announced by Katz in a Sept. 13 press conference at Cherokee High School in Marlton.
The resolution that Katz secured, which earmarked the additional money for capital improvements, also benefited 12 other school districts in the local 8th District. All of this is in addition to state Assembly Bill No. A-4161, which was enacted on May 14 by Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, which established a Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program in the state Department of Education to provide grants equal to 45 percent of a school district’s state school aid reduction for the 2024-25 school year, and appropriating $44.7 million to support such a program.
That bill also allowed certain school districts experiencing reductions in state aid to request one-time increases in their adjusted property tax levies above the two percent cap established under current law.
Katz was also one of the primary sponsors of A-4161, which passed with bi-partisan support. That bill restored $2,111,447 to the LRHSD, in addition to enabling the district to ultimately seek a one-time additional 5.7 percent increase in taxes to make up for more of the funding loss.
Passing A-4161, Katz maintained on Sept. 13, was a “great start” and “I knew it would save jobs and programs,” with it having restored 65 of 90 non-tenured staff in the LRHSD, in addition to the district’s bowling and gymnastics program, but “it still was not enough.” That is why, she maintained, she advocated for funding up through final passage of the budget.
Katz recounted that the “aid numbers were released just a few months into my first term, and it instantly became my priority to find a solution.”
“No district should take on the type of unexpected funding loss we saw proposed for Lenape,” Katz declared. “… My
lane,” Lebron told this newspaper. “The driver, Johnny Epperson, Jr., a 67-year-old male from Hainesport, NJ, was then struck by the Peterbilt.”
According to Lebron, Epperson died as a result of the crash.
“The driver of the Peterbilt, unaware of the impact, did not stop at the scene,” Lebron told this newspaper. “Through various investigative means, the driver of the Peterbilt was located and is cooperating with the investigation.”
State police did not release the identity of the drivers of the Honda or Peterbilt.
The crash remains under investigation, according to Lebron, and no additional information is available at this time.
priority will always be to make New Jersey a better place to raise a family. The loss of aid for Lenape was going to directly hurt the kids and parents who live here. Everyone in New Jersey deserves a highquality public education.”
Throughout the budget process, she added, “I made sure to work for more funding for the schools in my district affected by lost aid,” and “in the end,” in being “very clear” on what she wanted to see included added back in the state budget, an additional $750,000 was secured for the schools in the local legislative district, including “$457,000 for Lenape alone.”
Birnbohm said of the additional $457,000, “it will go directly towards improving safety, security and wellness initiatives and these efforts will benefit students and staff in all four of our high schools, which span across eight townships,” including Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Mount Laurel, Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle, and Woodland, which are served by Cherokee, Lenape, Shawnee and Seneca high schools.
“To be able to navigate one of the toughest budget years that we faced – and we survived, we did it thanks to the unwavering support of our board, our school leaders and the determination of our elected officials,” Birnbohm declared. “It was truly remarkable the work that went into the bill in the final hours.”
Democratic Speaker of the state Assembly, Craig J. Coughlin (D-Middlesex), paid a special visit to Cherokee on Sept. 13 to describe how a “tenacious” Katz had “put herself to work” only six months into her term in “making sure the Lenape District, and schools throughout her (legislative) district, are getting their fair share.”
At the “top of her list,” the speaker attested of Katz, was “making sure there was a smooth transition as possible from one school year to the next” with no “drastic or dramatic costs,” in addition to ensuring “some predictability for the future.”
The LRHSD, it was explained by Katz’s chief of staff, among others, was originally to receive only $18.9 million in state aid for the new school year through Murphy’s original proposal for a state budget, according to aid figures released by the state Department of Education, “which was $4.6 million less than the prior year.”
OCTOBER 5, 2024
8:00 AM to 12 Noon
Have junk laying around your home? A public area around your home that needs to be cleaned up? Confidential papers to be shredded? Bring old tires (limit 12 tires, no oversized tires), paint cans with lids, household hazardous waste, concrete, bricks, lumber, etc. to the Public Works Yard (located behind the Municipal Bldg. at 500 Pemberton Browns Mills Road, Pemberton, NJ 08068) for one day FREE disposal. No gasoline or unidentifiable material accepted. Note: Intact televisions, computers, waste motor oil and scrap metal may be brought to the Public Works Yard for free during normal yard hours. Pemberton Township Residents Only-No Businesses
Any questions please call 609-836-5258 or visit our website at www.pemberton-twp.com
Oct. 19, 2024 Meet at Browns Mills Firehouse Nov. 2, 2024 Meet at Presidential Lakes Firehouse Nov. 9, 2024 Meet at Nesbit Center.
Clean-ups are from 8 am to 12 pm
Supplies are provided including a free t-shirt 609-836-5258 dmcbreen@pemberton-twp.com
Take advantage of a Clean Communities’ mini-grant and earn money for your non-profit group or organization cleaning up litter and debris from targeted Pemberton Township roadways. 609-836-5258 dmcbreen@pemberton-twp.com
The
on the recycling cart must face toward the street. Residents on dead-end streets - if your home is on the right side of the street, going toward the dead-end, the cart must be placed on the opposite side of the street.
Snapchat by Medford Middle Schooler, TikTok Post by Pemberton Pupil
Prompt Investigations, with Authorities Finding No Credible Threats
In Case of Post by Helen Fort Student, TikTok Removed It and Contacted FBI
MEDFORD—A pair of Snapchat and TikTok posts by local youth at Medford Memorial School in Medford Township, and Helen Fort Middle School in Pemberton Township, caused authorities to reportedly open investigations in both Medford and Pemberton townships this past week.
On Sept. 16, a Snapchat reportedly by a Medford Memorial School student “referencing school violence” was brought to the attention of Medford Township Police and Memorial administration, according to a letter from Principal Shawn Ryan.
“Medford Police made contact with the individual, and their investigation protocol determined that there is no threat to the school or community,” Ryan wrote. “Medford Township Schools and the Medford Township Police work together to ensure that all potential threats to the safety of our school community are fully investigated, and that those individuals receive appropriate consequences and support.”
The following day, Sept. 17, Arron S. Eyler, principal of Helen Fort Middle School in Pemberton, informed the school community that “this evening, we were notified by the Pemberton Police Department of a threatening social media post made by one of our students.”
“The post was initially flagged by
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session, there was an announcement the committee would be seeking a full-time administrator/clerk.
“Ms. Brown has not been focused on Tabernacle,” Brooks charged. “That has been obvious. Why aren’t you discussing it tonight?”
Mayor Noble McNaughton responded, “I don’t know,” causing there to be immediate questions about the level of communication between the administrator/clerk and the mayor, with the clerk charged with preparing the committee agenda.
The mayor then sought a committee motion to “put that discussion back on the agenda,” which received full support from the attending committee members, with Committeeman Mark Hartman absent.
Stuart Brooks was followed by his wife, Fran, also a township resident and transparency advocate, who recounted that at the last governing body session, when the municipal budget was introduced, there was no supplemental resolution on the agenda for the committee to adopt the budget “by title only.”
The state requires that budgets be read aloud in their entirety into the record, unless municipal governing bodies adopt the corresponding resolution, with Fran Brooks pointing out Tabernacle’s proposed budget is 30 pages in length.
“You are totally incapable of writing a proper budget resolution,” said Fran Brooks of Brown.
Fran Brooks then turned to Burns, snapping, “By the way, you charge us to
TikTok, and the company immediately removed the post from their platform and contacted the FBI,” the principal reported. The FBI investigated and then contacted local law enforcement, who went to the student’s home, met with the family, and conducted a thorough investigation.”
The letter from Eyler stressed in bold print that “they have determined that it was a non-credible threat,” adding “no students or staff were ever in danger.”
“While we are relieved that this situation has had a safe outcome, we need to emphasize the serious consequences of making threats against our schools – whether on social media or in casual conversation. These include potential criminal charges filed by the FBI and/or police, as well as school disciplinary consequences. In addition, posts of this nature create false public alarm and spread unnecessary fear and anxiety among our students and staff. As what often happens with social media posts, rumors may begin to spread, and we ask that you be vigilant in helping us to stop the spread of false information.”
Eyler ended his letter by vowing, “Pemberton Township Schools will continue to investigate the credibility of all reported potential threats, as the safety and security of our students and staff remains a top priority.”
review the agenda, how come you didn’t pick up on that mistake?”
The transparency advocate was also critical of Haines for not informing the governing body of the oversight.
“It is just total incompetence,” Fran Brooks declared. “I have the law, Maryalice, if you really want it.”
After there was a recognition that Fran Brooks was correct with respect to the budget adoption procedures, McNaughton made another motion, this one to amend the budget resolution up for adoption later in the session, to allow the committee to adopt the budget by title only.
The motion to amend and insert the language passed 4-0, but that also faced a challenge – this one from resident Kathy Burger, who in speaking out is notable considering she, up until recently, served as Medford Township’s veteran municipal clerk and township manager, before retiring.
“You are going to have to change the amendment you just did because it has to be a separate resolution, to read the budget by title only,” Burger told the committee. “It can’t be with the resolution you are amending. It has to be a separate resolution.”
It was not clear why Brown, a veteran clerk of Woodland Township who has been providing shared services to Tabernacle, did not apparently guide the committee correctly through the process.
On the agenda for the Sept. 9 session, it was listed that any person wishing to speak on an amended budget would be given three minutes to make public comments. But Fran Brooks maintained that under state statute, there can be “no time limit” on comments solicited during public hearings on budgets
See FALLOUT/ Page 7
SEPT.
SEPT. 21
Southampton Historical Society’s 50th Anniversary
Location: Vincentown (Southampton Twp.)
Details: Come join the Southampton Historical Society’s 50th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, September 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.! There will be an Open House of historic museums in Vincentown, with docents on hand to show you historical displays and answer questions about the Society. The museums are: Old Town Hall and Lock Up, 25 Plum Street; Telephone Museum, 11 Mill Street; and One-Room Schoolhouse, Race Street behind the library in Saw Mill Park. Treats will be given out at Old Town Hall as well as items for sale and a silent auction (bidding ends at 1:59 p.m.). Food items available at Saw Mill Park. All are welcome to attend this free event. For more information, contact Kathy Rosmando at 609-859-0524.
NOV. 4 (DEADLINE)
Medford Arts Center’s Annual Poetry Contests
Location: Medford Twp.
Details: Medford Arts Center is having its 2024 Annual Poetry Contests. High School students attending schools in Burlington County may submit up to three poems per entrant to: poetrycontest@medfordarts.com , using 2024 High School Poetry Contest in the subject line and including name, address, high school, grade and contact number.
Residents of Burlington County over the age of 18 may submit up to three poems per entrant to: poetrycontest@medfordarts.com , with 2024 Adult Poetry Contest in the subject line and including name, residential address and contact number. Submission Deadline: Monday, Nov. 4, 2024; Celebration of awards: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. For more information, see medfordarts.com/poetry .
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Katz’s advocacy, it was emphasized at the event, however, helped restore $2,557,000 of that cut ($2.1 million plus $457,000) to the LRHSD.
Coughlin maintained that the “$450,000 and some change” grant was “not by accident,” rather it came about “because someone cared – someone put their nose to the grindstone, and that someone is Andrea Katz!”
At one point, in fact, the speaker declared of Katz, “She cares so much about the district, she can be royal pain in the neck,” but that her persistence and advocacy is “something to admire.”
The School Funding Reform Act was created back in 2008, but Senate Bill S-2 had revised it in 2018. The intent of that legislation was said to make school funding more equitable.
But as previously reported by this newspaper, while many school districts have seen aid adjustments that have resulted in funding increases, some have seen aid decreases, particularly those with less student populations in rural or suburban communities.
The 2024-25 school year is supposed to be the final year of a seven-year phase-in of funding adjustments through S-2, though there are lingering questions about what will happen next school year and whether the formula will be updated, completely replaced or still relied upon in some fashion.
Birnbohm recognized at the announcement from Katz’s office “it is not every day that someone just offers a halfmillion dollars to help support our schools” and expressed “we are truly grateful for that,” extending “my sincere gratitude and appreciation for everybody that has made this possible,” but then declared she is “also thankful for this opportunity to bring school funding back to the spotlight.”
“No one here wants a repeat of what happened last year when districts saw extreme gains and extreme losses without an explanation,” Birnbohm maintained. Katz, after announcing the additional funding restored to the LRHSD, asserted, the “work is not done.”
“Earlier in the summer, I was part of a bipartisan working group to discuss longterm fixes to the school funding issues that we have seen,” Katz explained. “We plan to continue working together on the issue in finding a path forward to ensure these drastic and unpredictable cuts don’t happen again. It is simply unfair to the school administrators who need to plan ahead, and most importantly it is unfair to the kids and
parents who suffer the most.”
Birnbohm, who followed Katz in speaking at the funding announcement, asserted, “We need to resume that conversation that we began in June.”
“I am happy to hear you are still working on that – fixing that outdated, flawed school funding formula,” the superintendent continued. “It has been around since 2008. So, that formula can no longer adequately support the needs of our schools, especially when it comes to security, transportation, special education, mental health services and our growing dependance on advancing technologies.”
Birnbohm emphasized that the “urgency surrounding the funding cannot be overstated.”
“School leaders need a reliable and predictable funding formula that addresses both recurrent and future funding needs across all the districts, not just a select few,” she said. “I know it is going to require hard work, collaboration, and as you said, there may be differing opinions on the best solutions. But I know if we stay focused on creating an equitable funding model for all of New Jersey’s 600 plus school districts, I
am confident we can get there.”
Coughlin pointed out that the “funding formula we put in place is designed to eliminate inequities,” and explained that “most schools that were underfunded for decades are now being made more whole,” but he also recognized “that doesn’t always mean” the formula is going to have the right outcome for every district.
“We are going to work on that, and we are committed to working on that,” the speaker vowed.
Coughlin maintained, however, that “overall, we do a remarkable job funding our schools” and New Jerseyans “invest heavily in public education through our property taxes,” with some 60 percent of taxes going to public schools, “which I think is terrific.”
“I think we have a few obligations, closer to moral obligations – to give people a place to live, healthcare and opportunity,” Coughlin said. “And the best way to give them opportunity is through public education.”
He called New Jersey’s schools the “best in the country,” maintaining it is “because we invest, and invest heavily” in them, “which I think is something we don’t think enough about.”
Schools, he further maintained, “should be palaces” and “teachers should be paid really well.”
“That is what we strive for,” he said. “We don’t always succeed, and the funding flow has been a little bit of a challenge, particularly of late, as we complete the full funding of S-2.”
Coughlin said the “teachers, counselors, custodians, and other people who make the schools run” are “critically important, worth their weight in gold.”
“We need to make sure we have the funding and resources to make sure they are fairly treated – it does take a village to raise and educate a child,” the speaker added. “When we do that successfully, we achieve something. When we help students achieve all they can, they become extremely important to the community and state.”
Birnbohm, in expressing her “deepest thanks for this grant,” encouraged “all our elected officials to be this passionate, as Assemblywoman Katz is,” to come up with a long-term solution, with the superintendent maintaining, “funding our schools should be a non-negotiable priority for our state,
See SOLUTION/ Page 15
Photo By Nick Weissmann
From left to right, Lenape Regional School Business Administrator Kara L. Huber, Shawnee High School Principal Matthew Campbell, Seneca High School Principal Bradley Bauer, state Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin, Lenape Regional Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm, Local Democratic 8th District Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, Lenape Principal Tony Cattani, and Cherokee Principal Donna Charlesworth at a Sept. 13 funding announcement.
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(or ordinances for that matter).
McNaughton, in response, maintained he had already informed Brown, prior to the latest meeting commencing, to allow public speakers’ public comments “to go on” during the budget public hearing.
“It is misleading on the agenda,” Fran Brooks shot back. “She is earning $132,000, taking a huge amount of money out of our treasury and taxes, and she can’t get anything right!”
Some clapping then ensued when Fran Brooks further declared, “It is time for her to go – time for her to go!”
In the wake of the Tabernacle Town Hall debacle, which has seen the township’s engineering firm, Pennoni Associ ates, reverse course in its position on the facility, first deeming it being in imminent danger of collapse under Engineer Tom Leisse, and now under a new engineer appointed from the firm, Joseph Raday, consulting with Pennoni structural engineer, Rich Roberts, deeming it not posing an imminent danger of collapse, Burger questioned the township having two bills from the firm that was listed to be paid
– one for $25,638 and the other for $37,727.
“Do we know what type of work was done for that?” she asked in observing the total of the two bills is about $61,000.
The mayor again raised eyebrows by responding, “We are pulling them so we can get the invoices,” leading to questions about why the invoices were not provided to the committee and reviewed prior to the bills being listed on the agenda for payment.
Burger, who oversaw a major new town hall project during her tenure in Medford, put another question to McNaughton, “Did we ever ask for a scope of services to be performed (by the engineering firm), that these invoices are being generated from?”
“I don’t have an answer,” the mayor replied, causing Burger to retort, “Until that is done, I don’t think any work should be done.”
It was at that point that Brown acknowledged of the engineering work performed on Tabernacle Town Hall that there was no scope of work sought, rather, “It was done under his engineering contract.”
“I would advise against that in the future,” Burger snapped. “I think it is a major project, and I think we paid major amounts of money toward this project already, and we should know what type of services we are asking be performed.”
Burger drew loud applause, and when she was finished speaking, Burns declared, “I suggest a separate resolution to adopt the 2024 budget by title.”
As for the Pennoni bills in question, the committee, at the recommendation of McNaughton, tabled them from being paid “until the committee has the chance to look through the invoices.”
Then came the public hearing on the municipal budget for 2024, with the hearing in addition to one held back on Aug. 26 after it was decided to amend what was proposed for adoption back then.
Fran Brooks pointed out that the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) requires the adoption of a municipal budget by the end of April, and “Ms. Brown had her budget done on time in Woodland, but here we are, Sept. 9, with no budget” in Tabernacle.
“Somebody should be asking why under the shared service, she isn’t producing a budget on time,” said Fran Brooks of Brown. “Why are we so behind? We have to deal with her incompetence and laziness and that is how it has been since she was hired two years ago! … It was a gross mistake!”
Haines, however, declared in response, “I will take the blame about the lateness of the budget,” maintaining, “It was not Ms. Brown’s fault.” (He was later asked by another resident why the lateness had occurred, but no answer was given.)
But Fran Brooks, in maintaining, “Ms. Brown has not been doing her job,” contended that despite the DCA deadline, “she could not move things along.”
And Stuart Brooks maintained he would have “thought the administrator had supervisory input over the CFO and the chain of command.”
“But as long we are assessing responsibility, I think a lot of responsibility lies with the committee not saying, ‘We have a budget due by the end of April.’ I would like to see you pulling things together in January and February.”
Stuart Brooks also was critical of a purported note on the township website that blamed the delay in the mailing of tax bills on the county not having yet certified the tax rate.
“You don’t have the tax bills because you don’t have the final tax levy, because we are
See FALLOUT/ Page 10
Photos By Tom Valentino Tabernacle Township Administrator and Clerk Maryalice Brown (top), Tabernacle Township Chief Financial Officer Rodney Haines (middle), Tabernacle Township Solicitor William Burns (bottom)
Guest Commentary
Citizens: Now’s the Time to Cast Your Precious Vote for Dr. Rajesh Mohan
By Binnie a . Davi Dow, e sq. ( r et.)
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” – the quotation in Ecclesiastes 3:1 of the Old Testament is as true today as it was when written centuries ago. The time has arrived for the corrupt career politicians to seek other employment or retire. It is a must in the 2024 Election.
It is time to infuse the 3rd Congressional District with a refreshing new vision espoused by Dr. Rajesh Mohan, a highly regarded interventional cardiologist in his community and beyond. His invaluable service to humanity includes tirelessly working 18-hour days in a hospital at the frontlines, saving lives during the pandemic. He has served the public for more than 20 years and received the Humanitarian Award of the year from his peers.
Dr. Mohan’s expertise in many fields makes him eminently qualified and wellprepared to represent the 3rd Congressional District. As a former chief medical officer who transformed a hospital from mediocrity to excellence, he offers first-hand knowledge of the financial and medical arenas of healthcare administration. In the area of medical school education,
Dr. Mohan excelled at teaching new generations of doctors. In the area of healthcare reform, his business acumen will help Congress resolve the complex problem of unaffordable healthcare.
America is hemorrhaging and decaying from lack of leadership. American cities are almost unrecognizable from crime waves and homelessness. Inflation is destroying the middle class, while millions of illegal migrants have been given housing and financial support by the government. The list of failures goes on and on.
Dr. Mohan will bring intellect and integrity to the House of Representatives. He will work for the residents of Burlington, Mercer and Monmouth Counties with the same perseverance he has had serving as a physician. With his leadership and vision, the citizens of New Jersey will experience a renaissance of growth and prosperity.
Dr. Mohan has been endorsed by his peers and patients, the best endorsement anyone can get and, several congressmen and elected officials from surrounding communities who recognize and welcome his commitment to the future of New Jersey and our country.
Obituary:
Johnny Franklin Epperson, Jr.
Johnny Franklin Epperson, Jr., (Epp), of Hainesport, NJ, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.
He was born on March 20, 1957, in Lexington, Kentucky; he lived most of his life in Hainesport.
Johnny was preceded in death by his parents, Johnny Sr. and Delores, as well as his sisters Brenda and Jo Ann. He is survived by his sister and best friend Margie Serad, along with his sons Johnny lll (Jaime) and Jason (Lauren), and his cherished grandchildren: Jordyn, Joslyn, Spencer,
Averie, and Lennan.
A skilled welder since his teenage years, Johnny joined the Operating Engineers Local 542 C branch in 1986 and remained a member until 2007, working for Wel-Fab, Inc. as a welder/fabricator on various job sites across Pennsylvania, including GROWS landfill.
After purchasing a farm, he relocated to West Virginia. Eventually, he made the decision to live a simple life. He returned to Hainesport on his bike, leaving everything behind, and he began working locally at Triple D Enterprises, in Southampton, where he was still employed. He took joy in teaching others the craft he mastered. He loved his friends, family, and riding. He died doing what he loved.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his viewing on Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Perinchief Chapels, 438 High St., Mount Holly. A service will follow at 6 p.m. at the funeral home.
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doing this tonight,” Stuart Brooks pointed out, calling the suggestion that the county is somehow to blame for the delay “just wrong.”
“I take great offense,” he declared.
It was during the preceding Tabernacle committee session when Fran and Stuart Brooks chastised the governing body and its officials for attempting to adopt the 2024 budget without a public discussion or presentation on the particulars, with Fran Brooks pointing out that there were a number of line items that were due to remain the same, despite those line items having not had the monies in them fully spent in the prior budget year.
“After the last meeting and public hearing, the township committee heard the responses of the residents, and I met with the mayor and Committeeman (William) Sprague (Jr.) and discussed areas that could be cut in the budget,” Haines proclaimed. “We reduced the tax levy down.
“Basically, the previously introduced budget was going to have a tax increase of 2.8 cents per $100. The new budget still has a tax levy increase, but is only 1.9 cents per $100. That 1.9 cents is raising less than the amount needed to cover (paid) firefighters and insurance increases. But we are using additional surplus funds to cover the budget.”
Fran Brooks was receptive to the announcement, declaring, “It is great you sliced a penny off, as there were a lot of line items that were packed,” but ripped into officials for it taking a resident to bring this to light.
“I spent three hours reviewing the budget, and I am not a budget person, and don’t have
a financial certification,” she said. “But it didn’t take me long to find that a lot of line items … lacked justification.”
The line items and budget, she maintained, “needed to be addressed a lot earlier.”
Fran Brooks then yet again assailed Brown, this time for “not asking for proposals” from the engineer all while the “engineering bills have been outrageous,” charging, “Nobody has been reviewing them!”
“That is her job as administrator!” Fran Brooks declared. “She has done nothing to review the bills, nor did she ever make the suggestion to the committee that perhaps you should be asking for proposals before going ahead and assigning them a job!”
Fran Brooks also observed that up until June when the committee had a different set of individuals in the majority, “every time an issue came up, it would get immediately turned over to the ‘professionals’” for $8,000 to $9,000 a pop, charging that a “competent administrator/clerk” would not have allowed that to be done.
It caused Brown to limitedly break her silence.
“Ms. Brooks, how am I supposed to tell the committee how to run things?” Brown snapped. “I am curious to hear your opinion! When the committee says you need to have X, Y, and Z done by the engineer – am I supposed to tell them ‘no’?”
The two began talking over each other, with Fran Brooks retorting, “You have been the administrator for 22 years and you can’t take criticism!”
One man, in response to the public spectacle, asked the committee to return to the township business at hand, with McNaughton slamming the gavel and See FALLOUT/ Page 12
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3, had yielded, this time around, 78 motor vehicle stops over a period of only three or four July weekends.
“And they issued summonses in at least three quarters of them, with warnings in some cases,” the mayor maintained.
The department’s focus, according to Gadd, has been “primarily on the problem roads we have been complaining about forever.”
But Gadd noted that when the Sheriff’s Department is not in town, “it’s like they were never here.”
“It is helpful,” said Gadd of the Sheriff’s Department’s patrols. “But it is not a longterm solution. We will be attempting to work again with the state police, getting them to do what they should be doing.”
Deputy Mayor Daniel James described
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he maintained.
The widow of a former state trooper, Karen Belk, spoke of riding her bicycle on the shoulder of Route 542 toward approaching traffic and having to veer into the woods “because I have a truck coming right at me.” (In a recent wellpublicized tragedy, a hockey star and his brother were killed riding their bikes on the shoulder of a Salem County road by an alleged drunken driver).
“Lou is right, they drive terrible in our town,” declared Belk, who recalled her late husband making the same observation years ago while stopping by the barracks after he retired. “And a lot of them are outsiders,” she contended, even while acknowledging that she herself had once been stopped for going over the speed limit while driving to the beat of music without realizing it.
Belk also told of helping her granddaughter exit the school bus on the same road, only to be passed by two cars in a blatant violation of state law.
“That is scary,” she said. “Those are the kind of people you’d like to catch.”
Also weighing in on the issue was Councilwoman Allen, who in response to Aaronson’s assertion that he doesn’t like “to see police all over town all the time,” declared, “I personally feel very secure
that the Sheriff’s Department has been “busy, busy,” with the mayor noting that there have been as many as three or four sheriff’s officers in town during the details.
“They were sitting at Old Church Road, and someone blew by doing 50 or 55 mph, and they were on them,” James observed.
The deputy mayor then posed these two questions to the mayor: “Do we still have more money?” and “How long are they staying?”
Gadd said he would have to “double check,” but that, “I think they had set a couple days in September” to be patrolling in Washington.
“It probably will end,” Gadd said. “It all depends on their budget. We have to reevaluate and see how much money is left.”
James also inquired of the mayor as to whether he had received any report back from the state police after the committee had apparently relayed prior complaints of drag racing on County Route 563 to the
that they’re here.”
While Allen attributed the number of moving violations to commuters or “just people trying to get to work” who are “on their phone and not paying attention,” she conjectured that “when they think they’re going to get a ticket, maybe they’ll think twice when they do it again.”
Concurring with Allen’s sentiment was another local resident, Pam Heinrichs, who even while conceding that the township is “known to be a speed trap,” credited the heavy state police presence for providing a better idea of the volume of violations on local roads and said she personally thought having all those drivers pulled over was “a good thing,” especially since she had grandkids on North Maple Avenue.
That prompted the mayor to note that he was attempting to have two more flashing signs showing when cars were exceeding the speed limit installed there prior to the temporary shutdown of the Route 542 bridge, as well as to get the two that are already in the vicinity of the former elementary school (soon to be converted into a yeshiva) turned back on, both of which he said cannot be done without the permission of Burlington County, since North Maple is a county road.
When contacted about the situation by the Pine Barrens Tribune a week after the meeting, however, Adams said the township had made “no progress” in getting that accomplished.
“We’ve made many calls but have been
Tuckerton Barracks of the agency.
“As far as the state police, we had a chat with them after the last meeting and I will just say I did not anticipate a call from anyone in charge of that station, and I was correct,” Gadd declared. “… Maybe it (the racing) has slowed down, and that is why we haven’t heard any new complaints, or maybe people just got tired of complaining.”
Gadd added that two State Troopers had intended to be at the August committee session, but that they were an “hour late and missed the meeting,” but that they were told of the relayed concerns outside the municipal building.
“We have not heard what the outcome was,” the mayor emphasized, noting that there has been a report that the barracks has a new station commander.
A woman living on River Road in the Lower Bank section of the township, meanwhile, in what was the lone public comment of the session, inquired of the
unable to get a call back or an answer,” he said.
The amount of money the township is being assessed for the rental of the containers at the local “Convenience Center” (the official name for the town dump) was raised by Rothchild, who noted that he used to haul trash and contended that residents were told the “brand new beautiful backhoe” the township had acquired “would reduce our garbage fees,” only to find that such costs had risen dramatically in recent weeks.
“Have dumping fees gone up?” he asked. “Because these trash bills are skyrocketing.”
Adams replied that the problem is “not the dumping fees,” but rather the transport and rental of the dumpsters. He pointed out that only one contractor, Mathis Construction, had submitted a bid for the work and had been awarded the contract.
“What it says, I don’t know,” said the mayor, who noted that he is not an attorney, and that the township solicitor was not present at this particular meeting. “I am looking at some bills here for the last five or six weeks. I think $21,000 for trucking is a lot of money. But I will look into it.”
Despite the use of the center’s open-top containers having to be limited to one load per day for residential users, he noted, “the bills show it is out of hand.” As a result, he said, “the commissioners will get together, look into contract that was signed with Mathis, and if there is something we can
committee whether the speed limit in the residential area of the road, closer to where the road comes to a dead end, could be lowered to 15 mph, with Township Engineer Kevin Dixon explaining that it could, but that there are statutory requirements that have to be followed by the municipality in implementing any new speed limit.
But even greater signage, the resident maintained, could be an effective deterrent to stop speeding.
The Sept. 3 Washington committee session ended with Gadd announcing that a flashing, solar-powered stop sign has been installed by Burlington County at the intersection of County Routes 563 and 542, which was the subject of concern beginning last November, given a purported serious nighttime crash there, one of several reportedly in the last several years, in addition to near misses.
do about it, we’ll do it.”
When Rothchild asked whether cameras couldn’t be installed at the center to record any abuse of the one-load-per-day rule rather than have its workers “putting their necks on the line to fight with people,” Adams replied, “When the guys (there) say you can’t dump, you can’t dump. It is as simple as that.”
On the matter of permit fees, Bourguignon instructed residents who plan to do any building to pick up their zoning applications “here at his office” (the Bass River Municipal Building) and to also get their packet of instructions there once they’ve returned the completed application, which “we will deliver to Tuckerton Borough.”
He also advised any residents who had already paid Little Egg Harbor Township (LEHT) for an electrical, plumbing, or other kind of permit, and might be encountering any problems on that score, to contact the deputy Bass River clerk, Savannah Beaulieu, “and we’ll get them straightened out.”
“If they give you the runaround, let us know,” he added.
But any such arrangements already made, he emphasized, will have to be completed with Little Egg Harbor personnel.
When asked by this newspaper why Bass River had suspended its service-sharing relationship with LEHT, Bourguignon replied, “Too many people waiting too long to get their permits.”
Worship Guide
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Brooks responding that she is in fact discussing public business – by pointing out of Brown “how costly she has been to us!”
Stuart Brooks, in following his wife during the public hearing, maintained there was “no analyses where we experienced shortfalls and surpluses – and I would think our administrator would be on top of that.”
“I think there is an opportunity to improve, and until we do, we are going be stuck in the same rut we have been for the last several years,” Stuart Brooks maintained.
McNaughton responded, “I can guarantee we are going to try to do a hell of a lot better next year” with preparing a budget, and one that is on time.
The public hearing on the budget, however, was not over, with Burger returning to the microphone. She, in pointing to a recent shared services agreement between Tabernacle and Pemberton townships for code enforcement services (which is reportedly being canceled in the wake of the recent alleged firing of Construction Official Tom Boyd by Pemberton), asked why the agreement “says $11,385 a month” and “on the revenue side, it states $113,850 based on $11,385, but on the appropriation side, you have $99,000.”
“Why the different amount?” Burger asked. It caused Haines to confirm “ultimately, yes,” the difference between $113,850 and $99,000 is the amount of revenue the town is getting from the agreement, with Boyd (or the person who holds the code position) having been due to get “$99,000 in salary and wages” through the agreement, should
it have been continued, on top of what he already earns as a “full-time” code enforcement official in Tabernacle.
“This is to the committee – that is nuts!” Burger declared. “So, you are paying this man an annual salary to be a full-time employee for Tabernacle, and now they are getting an additional $99,000 in salary and wages! And you are paying their benefits, which (by entering into this arrangement) says they do not have enough work to do to be a full-time employee. This is crazy guys! Was this ever explained to you when this was brought to you guys? I am going to think you were never told!”
Burger, given her past experience as a township clerk and manager, acknowledged “she looked at this today, and already knew the answer” and “cannot believe it.”
In response to Haines having made an earlier comment about the surplus being drawn down further given the committee’s desire to lower the tax levy increase following public comments, Burger retorted given the revelation about the shared service agreement, “Well there is your freakin’ money!”
“I can’t even tell you how mad I am right now about how the ship has been running!”
Burger declared.
She, later in the session, demanded to know if the same arrangement is in place with Woodland Township, given Boyd also provides code enforcement services to that municipality. Officials maintained they didn’t have the information readily available.
Haines emphasized that Pemberton is paying the code official the $99,000 salary, plus an administrative charge, but Burger shot back that Tabernacle is “already paying him to be here full time” and that he is “missing stuff on our time,” maintaining she
has had to “call and complain” about things “because he is not spending time here!”
In yet another moment that raised eyebrows, McNaughton appeared unfamiliar with just how many hours Boyd is currently working weekly, initially giving three different figures: 36, 34 and 28 hours.
It led Tabernacle Deputy Mayor Joseph Barton to question if Boyd is actually a fulltime employee in Tabernacle, to which Haines responded that Boyd works 28 hours a week for Tabernacle. The CFO emphasized that Boyd “receives a salary for how many hours worked” and not on the premise he is full-time.
“He gets a salary for 28 hours,” Haines contended.
After McNaughton maintained he recalled that Boyd assists the other towns he works for during his “off-time,” Burger shot back, “It doesn’t happen guys – I can tell you when he is in other townships. If you think I am not having him watched, you are nuts! I am telling you; you were fed a line of crap!”
In turning to the undercurrent of all of this – the Tabernacle Town Hall debacle, McNaughton pointed out that Judge Richard Hertzberg recently ordered the “emergent” shoring up of Tabernacle Town Hall, in the wake of finding independent, court-appointed engineer J&M Preservation Studio “credible” with its finding that the building is not in imminent danger of collapse, and therefore does not need to be demolished.
McNaughton announced he already signed a proposal by J&M for $6,762 to develop plans to shore up the building, as directed by the judge, and is seeking the committee’s ratification, which it gave Sept. 9.
J&M, he said, was due to re-evaluate the structure on Sept. 11 in preparation of the
plans, and would work on an expedited basis with hopes to have work commence by Sept. 23.
As for Town Hall’s future, and the municipality’s needs for a municipal building, McNaughton, who recognized the committee is back to square one after having previously abandoned a plan to build a new complex on Carranza Road, revealed his desire to form a subcommittee comprising three residents and two committee members.
But raising this issue yet again led to criticisms of the public officials.
“Pennoni said whatever you wanted to hear,” Stuart Brooks charged. “Tom Leisse was almost apoplectic how dangerous that building was when the majority of committee wanted to take it down. And when the majority switched to wanting to preserve that building, Pennoni changed, and gave you a report that it is not going to fall down, and there is no problem.
“I remember in February/March, when Committeeman Sprague was speaking, and saying there has got to be a way to shore the building up, Mr. Boyd said ‘no, no, it is going to fall.’ Here we are in September, where we are planning to fix it up. We need more from an engineer than what you want to hear!” Stuart Brooks also maintained he “doesn’t understand” the “legal advice” given to open up the road adjacent to the municipal building and to allow people to “parade around the building” (on Memorial Day), all after the judge had been told by the township attorney it is going to collapse.
“And if he didn’t apprise you of risks …,” Stuart Brooks continued.
Fran Brooks also ripped into Burns, taking issue with his filing a Motion for Reconsideration of the judge’s injunction
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order, contending that “motion delayed us six months” after the township had submitted certifications to the judge that the building was posing an imminent danger of collapse.
“All the professionals who were part of that cabal,” she maintained, “cost us a fortune.”
“We want action!” demanded Fran Brooks, noting that while “I think we are on the right road” as “Mayor McNaughton is really working hard to make changes, these people have to be held accountable for what they did to this town over the last 10 months.”
She emphasized, “There really has to be a change to the professionals you employ and what you expect from them,” in urging the committee to replace them prior to the reorganization session in January.
Following an executive session, the committee returned to the dais with an announcement made that the township would put an “ad out for administrator/ clerk, and for CFO.”
When Fran Brooks questioned whether Tabernacle would also be serving notice to Woodland, McNaughton responded, “We will discuss that next meeting.”
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Meanwhile, Committeeman Samuel “Sammy” Moore, one of original three committee members who voted for the demolition of Town Hall, in light of things now moving along to rehabilitate Town Hall and associated costs now being incurred, asked, “Is anyone going to reach out to the donor?”
(When the demolition came about and the
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to donate $1.5 million toward the repairs in urging the committee to cancel its plans, but that the donor wants to remain anonymous. Moore, at the time, was skeptical, especially considering the committee didn’t even know the person’s identity.)
“I don’t know what happened to him,” McNaughton responded.
But Sprague maintained he does know what happened to the donor.
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“The night it was proposed, the donor was sitting in the audience and took such offense to how it was received, he walked out and said I am done forever, finished,” Sprague claimed. “So, it was those three people (Moore, Hartman and thenCommitteewoman Natalie Stone) who actually lost that money for the town.”
“It is gone!” Sprague further declared of the expected donation.
Pine Grove Tenants
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benefit from the newly-announced funding via the budget resolution are as follows:
• Bass River - $37,000
• Chesterfield - $17,000
• Eastampton - $3,000
• Evesham - $2,000
• Lumberton $99,000
• Pemberton - $10,000
• Rancocas Valley - $10,000
• Shamong - $56,000
• Tabernacle - $27,000
• Washington - $1,000
• Westampton - $5,000
• Woodland - $26,000
That is in addition to the restorative aid from A-4161, which, in addition to the LRHSD, benefited these school districts in the 8th Legislative District:
• Chesterfield - $78,235
• Evesham - $8,330.85
• Lumberton -$457,882
• Rancocas Valley Regional - $46,442
• Shamong - $259,385
• Tabernacle - $126,200
• Washington - $5,114
• Westampton - $20,001
• Woodland - $119,547
Katz vowed that “as a mom and an assemblywoman, I won’t sit back and see a problem like school funding go unfixed.”
“I just can’t do it,” the assemblywoman declared. “I won’t stop working until I see a long-term solution. And in the meantime, I am very, very thankful we were able to work with leaders like Speaker Coughlin and Dr. Birnbohm.”
