Merge these two overpaid baby sitting indoctrination statist boondoggles.
I am sick of all you public takers. This time is different. There is no money. Your false threats will no longer work.

Sounds like the Berkeley Board is playing their games again and trying to bully people to believe what they want them to believe. Merging makes sence.. And ALL the kids still need to be picked up and one fleet can not do it alone. So how could the drivers think they will loose their jobs.....Lets listen to the possibilities and then decide what is best!!!!

There should only be one Board in Berkeley. Amato should be worried about the entire township instead of a few friends on the Board. We all know taxes are going up with Amato in office. We need someone to make the right decisions about cost cutting measurements instead of playing games and making threats.

This is in response to fears about high schoolers riding the bus with grade school kids. My children attended St. Joes grade school and rode a Central district bus with kids who attended Mon Don. (K-12 ride the same bus). The high schoolers weren't a problem but those in 5 6 7 were a little rough (in language and behavior). It was the older ones who watched out for the younger ones. Most juniors and seniors also drive to school rather than take the bus.

What is Fran Siddons doing? She easily could pick up phone and schedule to meet with Superintendent of both districts to voice her concerns and to find out the facts. Fran, if you want to be a private citizen, then resign from Council. You can't shed the office when it is convenient for you. When you go to any public meeting, you are representing the Town Council because of your office. Sorry but it is the truth. And Fran do not compare concerned tax paying bus drives to a "lynch mob" A horrible reference for a paid elected official to make.

typical political scare tactics, and once again the little guy falls for it, time for this to happen and the only ones looking at a possible job loss are the ones at the top and lets face it most of those are political a$$ kisser jobs, so Im sure they will be placed somewhere else by their political offiliates

Wow, bus drivers can't assemble at a town meeting. If they do, then they are there to bully and intimidate? Bus drivers are taxpayers too....income tax, property tax etc. so please don't tell me that they aren't. I bet most of them do live in town. I believe three tier bussing should be explored so I am not arguing that. My issue is with Councilwoman Siddons and her quote. Thank you Voice of Reason for posting my comments from September 6th. I stand behind it and unlike you, I am a supporter of the Berkeley Township School District.

Ms. Siddons voiced her opinion at a Berkeley Township Board of Education meeting but doesn’t like it when her opinions are brought up again. She can’t have it both ways - as a public figure she opened herself up to this. Did she also go to a Central Board meeting and express those same views? Since Berkeley is the larger of the two Districts any shared services should be dictated by that District. Any change in administration should be done on the Central side as the smaller of the two entities.

Wow ok so the bus drivers went to the meeting as concerned tax payers READ THe ARTIClE its about merging buses and pissible bus drivers loosing there jobs i dont doubt they are taxpayers but dont tell me they went to that meeting as concerned taxpayers and fyi i support cutting taxes and useing tax $$$ for what they are intended to educate the kids not to employ people including bus drivers if they are not needed

Here is the proposal for Berkeley Township Schools and Central Regional School District for Shared Service Agreement for Busing

Comparison:
Lacey Township Schools: Total Student Population k-12 4500 students
Buses: 38 buses

Berkeley Township Schools: Total Students Population K-6 2300 students
Central Regional School District 2000 students
Total: 4300
Berkeley Township Schools: 32 buses
Central Regional School District: 38 buses
Total: 70 Buses

INITIAL COST SAVING THE FIRST YEAR: 200,000 TO 400,000 FOR EACH DISTRICT

STEPS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN:

1. HIRE BARBARA SARGEANT AS THE SHARED COORDINATOR. THIS WILL SAVE ON HEALTH BENEFITS AND SALARY FOR BERKELEY TOWNSHIP. CENTRAL WOULD BE PAID $50,000, WITH $30,000 GOING TOWARD THE SHARED COORDINATOR’S SALARY AND $20,000 GOING TO CENTRAL.

2. NO ONE WILL BE LET GO!! WE CAN USE ALL DRIVERS IN JOINTURES TO BRING MONEY INTO BOTH DISTRICTS!

3. IF A BERKELEY DRIVER IS DOING A JOINTURE THEN BERKELEY BOARD OF EDUCATION GETS THE MONEY. IF A CENTRAL DRIVER IS DOING A JOINTURE THEN THE CENTRAL REGIONAL BOARD OF EDUCATION GETS THE MONEY.

4. IT WOULD BE A 5 TO 10 YEAR PROCESS TO MERGE THE FLEETS. AS PEOPLE RETIRE, THEY WOULD NOT BE REPLACED.

5. BUSES MUST BE REPLACED EVER 15 YEARS. THIS MEANS BOTH DISTRICTS ARE PURCHASING 3 NEW BUSES A YEAR TO MAINTAIN BOTH FLEETS. BY MERGING THE FLEETS, WE MIGHT NOT HAVE TO BY FOR A FEW YEARS OR ONLY PURCHASE 3 NEW BUSES A YEAR INSTEAD OF 6 BETWEEN THE DISTRICTS. THIS IS A SAVINGS OF $300,000.

6. WE CAN ALSO SELL SEVERAL EXTRA BUSES FOR A PROFIT TO BE DIVIDED BETWEEN THE DISTRICTS.

7. WE CAN SET UP A THREE TIER PROGRAM: ALL THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ARRIVE AT 8:45 A.M. , MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BTES ARRIVE AT 8:05 A.M., AND THEN THE HIGH SCHOOL ARRIVES AT 7:05 A.M.

8. STATE REPORTING WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT.

9. MERGING WOULD PROVIDE MORE SUB DRIVERS AND MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR TRANSPORTATION.

10. WE WOULD ALSO SAVE ON BUS PARTS AS WE CAN STRIP OLDER BUSES FOR USED PARTS/.

Pellecchia needs to go so that the boards can work together.

Berkeley currently operates with 21 drivers, 21 routes for all students. The other busses ar
e spares.

The two districts, along with the town council need to put their heads together and where it is possible consolidate some departments-they have an obligation to the taxpayers. The next area that needs to be consolidated are police forces. Ocean Gate, Pine Beach and Beachwood should be one force. This would eliminate 2 chiefs and many sergeants and captains all making well over 100K.

Berkeley Township may have 32 total busses and vans, however currently there are 21 run packages, and 21 contracted drivers transporting all of the berkeley students, the other busses and vans are spares. New busses are not necessarily purchased each year, only when they "age out" by regulations. Central Regional occasionally will use Berkeley spare busses/vans and also spare busses are used by Berkeley Recreation. The bus maintenance/garage/mechanic services are shared . Lacey Twp. also has a much higher percentage of "walker" students as there are sidewalks and crossing guards to allow a larger number of students to be non-bussed.

Mrs. MeelHeim,

I’m answering your last comment on this article. I never mention in my proposal that any bus drivers were not doing there jobs. I feel that every single one of our bus drivers in both district are doing a wonderful and great job with our kids. You should know that considering you drove both my kids to school at one time.

As for your comment on this seems to be a political game. I think you know that I’m know longer sitting on Berkeley Township Board of ed. because of the exact comment you said. I don’t need any political game for me. What I do need is things to be done right for the taxpayers of this town. Considering that our own town council president and Mayor made a comment in the Berkeley Patch about a week and ½ ago that this town is in dire straights and that our taxes will be going up again.

The only way that we can look at saving money would be through shared services with the bus fleet through both our school districts. Considering most of our taxes come from our school taxes.

I understand that you are employed by the Berkeley School district, but being a long time well know resident and a taxpayer. I would hope that you would consider looking at all options.

Dawn Parks

Dorothy, the gate swing’s both ways. I would hope that you know that my door is always open if you needed to speak to me. If you saw when I placed this post, it was way before the council meeting, actually 10 days ago.

If you needed to speak to me at the council meeting, all you needed to do was ask me if you could have a minute. As you know it was very crowed when I arrived and if you heard my husband saying are you coming .

There was no ignoring anyone. Just please ask next time.

By the way, I wasn’t even there for the bus issue on Monday night. I signed in to speak about debri and construction from Hurricane Sandy.

As I stated there is no agenda. Just things to get done the right way and to start saving the taxpayers money.

Hello Dawn, You have once again challenged me on this public forum so I feel the need to reply. I have no idea why you were at the Berkeley township Committee meeting on Monday because you left early. You posted your public comment to me on Sunday night and I didn't see it until today when I made a public reply to you. Apparantly YOU had an issue to discuss with ME, so why would I go to your door? I live practically across the street from you and you have my phone number. I do commend you for using your name as many who post here are cowards who hide behind screen names. If I have a personal issue with someone I will always address it privately and on a personal level. iI don't need to use a public forum to make a point PUBLICLY. You are correct in the fact that I am a long time and well known resident of Berkeley township. As a matter of fact I am in a five generation family spicifically in the Holly Park My pride and love for this town goes way beyond my job as a school bus driver for Berkeley Twp Schools, something you may never understand. continued

My father the late Richard "Dick" H. Dickhaus sat on every board, committee and office here in Berkeley Township with the exception of scool and Mayor. A lifetime of dedication of my father and our family was instrumental to what Berkeley Township has become today.

Dorothy Dickhaus - Meelheim

Bill Suskevich
If Fulcomer and Siddons have proposed ideas for reducing expenses and maintaining or reducing the tax burden on the citizens of Berkeley the plan should be looked at and judged upon it's merits. Merging services has been proven to reduce costs with no loss of service in many towns. The "deals" were to heve ended with Verano. A new beginning of honesty was presented and elected. That is what we expect. A room full of bus drivers was arranged by someone, they just didn't happen to be passing by. Lets all get real and honest. Thank you, Fulcomer & Siddons.

ENOUGH, DOROTHY AND DAWN. LET IT GO GUYS...........

As for DD; he was a shady guy and everybody knew it.

I think all bus driver positions should be eliminated and let the kids walk to school. Save alot of $$$$$ there........

I did let it go on Feb. 13...And who might you be? If you have something negative to say about someone publicly, be man enough to use your real name and don't cower behind a screen name.

That's what i thought, sorry if you were offended