Congratulations Kowalewski, Ferlise, and Fulcomer

The 100+ people who voted down the Central Budget, you make me sick.

Varnano is next to go down in November!

GREAT RESULTS TONIGHT !

A victory for all the people of Berkeley more to come in the future.

A victory... by voting down minimal tax increases (and in some places tax decreases) to fund public education? How can citizens complain or wonder why this country falls behind economically and academically when it is underfunded?

And please save me the tired unions/pensions/etc. argument. If you want the best teachers, you have to hire the best teachers, and that requires paying them a salary comparable to what is available in the private sector. It's not surprising that as teachers' salaries fail to rise with inflation and fall in public opinion it is drawing less qualified individuals.

As an employee of Central Regional HS I would like to say thank you to all that voted yes to our budget. It is with great disappointment that it was voted down. To those that voted yes, your support means a lot to the superintendant, administrators, staff and of course the students. For those of you who voted no, we understand. This is a tough economy and we are all looking to have some sort of control where our money is spent. Unfortunately, with the defeated budget will come massive cuts, not only to staff, right now the number stands at 20 + but also to freshman sports, numerous important programs, and services. It is my sincere belief that Dr. Parlapanides is trying to make Central a self-sustainable institution. (High Tech High, the cell tower, etc) We do not want to burden tax payer any more than what we already have. If there was another way to provide for us and the students, believe me we would try to find it. My property taxes are the roof, but I understood that when I bought my home.I know there have comments about the quality of education at Central. I can tell you with an unbiased opinion, I am not a teacher, that we have a great school. Students have been accepted into Notre Dame, Albright, Penn State just to name a few. Our alumni have become doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Their success is a reflection of the teachers at Central. In closing again, thank you for your support and hopefully, next year, I will be saying thank you for getting the vote passed!

Very pleased with the results - although a little close! As usual, the lack of voter turnout is alarming.
Congratulations Kowalewski, Ferlise, and Fulcomer.

To bring my point to an even more focused one, follow the link below from the APP that has election results. Notice how Central and Lakewood are the only two districts that voted down their school budgets? Are they not also two of the lowest scoring districts in standardized tests in the area? Please tell don't say there isn't a connection.

http://www.app.com/interactive/article/20110427/NJNEWS/110427033/2011-Monmouth-County-Ocean-County-school-election-results

And before you go off about me shouldering my tax burden, I am from Island Heights and voted for the school budgets, as did my mother. And yes, I went to Central.

Great results indeed,excellent voters choice,Kowaleske,Ferlise and Fulcomer. I just wished that the people who voted NO , with the Central School budget eat grass everytime they complain ,what they did was just plain shameful.

I thank the voters very much for their support of the entire Kowalewski, Ferlise, and Fulcomer team.
We will do our very best to fight for the ideas we advanced in our campaign. My best regards to everyone who voted and helped to make dialogue and democracy work in Berkeley Township.

Why should we be ashamed? What did you expect us to do after our taxes more than doubled last year? Just sit back and let our taxes continue to rise?

This is only the beginning! The State of NJ Constitution guarantees a “Thorough and Efficient Education.” No more and no less. If you want your precious children to be able to go on a field trip to Stokes or participate in any extra curricular activities, feel free to fundraise or pay for them yourself. But we won’t sit back as you continue to try to tax us out of our homes.

Just wait for our big voter registration drives we are planning for this summer to ensure we have positive change in the township this November.

Joe, thank you for your response, and freeze and decrease were discussed. The problem, or for some the solution is Governor Christie's reforms. We expect them to pass. His reforms have no "sunset clause" . So we will be paying 30 percent of our premiums which will be an approximate 15-20% decrease in salary, (depending on plan and current income). That decrease, will increase with every rise in insurance premiums FOREVER. Our benefits are no longer negotiable under his reforms.

Joe, I don't think it's a good thing. It's a necessary evil. I pay property taxes income taxes etc. My husband works in the private sector. Like I said, I wish there was another means of support. There's not. I am trying to remain classy here. So I will say thank you for paying a portion of my salary. I love my job.

But a quality education at the local level leads to acceptance into colleges/universities which leads directly into educating an individual who can enter the private sector, no? It's a self-sustaining system. Public servants provide the tools necessary for private industry to thrive.

The level now is going from sufficient to insufficient. I'd understand if students were living high on the hog but they're not. Even the most basic of supplies are lacking in the Central school system.

"And private teachers do a better job at a lower cost to tax payers. I don't like to use the word servants."

-How do you know they are doing a better job? If there is a statistic out there I'd like to see it.

-They are servants, just as police officers, firefighters, postal workers, etc are. People who choose to dedicate their working life to providing a service to the public are public servants.

Mr Mead if you are trying to incite me into an argument or hostile debate you will be unsuccessful. But I want to address the trolling comment. I am on a personal day. Not at work. Second I am not a troll. I chose this venue to express my thanks to all those that voted for our budget. There was nothing incendiary about my post so your responses and tone are unwarranted. My opinion is just as important as yours. This blog is not yours exclusively and is open to all who wish to comment on the article.I said my peace. I will now go about my personal business.

While the source doesn't seem like the most neutral of sources, lets use them. What I see there is that schools that have tuition based education are receiving better educations because they have finances available to pay the best teachers, keep up with textbooks, etc. The TEACHERS may be paid, on average, a lower median salary than public school teachers; but a school's budget obviously reflects much more.

Don't forget, a public school does not have the ability to turn down students, leaving school districts to work with any and all kids, regardless of their aptitude, potential, or desire.

@Joe Facts

when you talk, all i hear is - wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah .

KidFromCentral so glad our hard earned tax dollars have helped to educate you. You are a prime example of tenured over paid teachers.....pay attention and learn to spell