Letters
Movement of pupils deserves more coverage

Howell has recently been embroiled in a dispute with the Freehold Regional High School District regarding a redistricting plan imposed on the community in September. This issue, which has played out over the past two months, has garnered the interest and support of residents throughout Howell, yet has not once reached the pages of your newspaper. This is the fourth redistricting thrust upon Howell since 1998 and the third high school my neighborhood is sending its children to in eight years.

Residents of Howell discovered errors in the projections used by the district demographer, and after two months the Board of Education acknow-ledged this and amended the original plan.

There is much more to the story, most importantly the fact that the current projections used in this latest move have also been called into question. The data being used to justify this latest plan was presented to the public at the Nov. 7th board meeting but varies widely from data posted two weeks later on the district’s Internet Web site.

This latest redistricting plan will move Howell students from one over-capacity regional high school into one that is projected to reach capacity in the second year of the plan, while two other district high schools will have a combined under-capacity of 500 seats.

It is very puzzling to the residents of Howell as to why this board chose this time to return Howell students to two high schools (we have had students in three district high schools since 1998), when district enrollment is at an all-time high. In the last redistricting efforts of 2002 the district had 1,900 fewer students than today yet Howell students remained in three high schools.

Howell will assuredly be redistricted yet again in two years. A disturbing point is the flip flop by the administration regarding longevity of the plan. In July, the superintendent committed verbally to a three- to four-year plan. By August, he committed to a three-year plan. It is now November and he has acknowledged the attendance boundaries may need revision in the second year of the plan.

This disruptive movement of Howell neighborhoods has been occurring at the same time the district quietly embarked on an ambitious plan to add numerous specialized programs which serve only 15 percent of the student population. These programs clearly have unseated our students. It is apparent that the need to permanently house these 15 percent supersedes any effort to permanently house the 85 percent of the regular students here in Howell and throughout the district.

Three years ago when the Freehold Regional High School District was enmeshed in litigation with another community in the district over this very same issue, media coverage was abundant. Why hasn’t this story been significant enough for you to report today?

Joan Leimbach

Howell

Minorities have a chance to run for office

How sad that some residents of Freehold continue to frame all discussions of the future of Freehold Borough in racial and ethnic terms.

It seems that Marc Le Vine was appointed to the Borough Council solely on the basis of his experience and integrity and not on other criteria. Isn’t and shouldn’t that be paramount?

Any citizen of the borough is free to run for office regardless of background, and whining about the lack of “minority representation” is indeed disingenuous when our political system is open to all.

We need thoughtful capable individuals in office who are willing to tackle difficult issues such as the plethora of of illegal (or as Steve Richter prefers to euphemistically put it, undocumented) workers and the drain on taxpayers that they present. I hope that the mayor and council continue to do the right thing and buck the pressure being placed by outside groups .

Dr. David Giffler

Freehold Borough

Be wary of Verizon campaign about New Jersey cable television

Now that the election season is done, most of us are happy to not have our mailboxes filled with glossy fliers manipulating information to serve some hidden agenda.

However, recently I started to receive these high production advertisements from Verizon and another group of unknown backing that try to encourage the reader to “Vote yes for cable choice, competition and lower prices.” I understand these same groups are also advertising in other media.

Before you go to these Web sites, or send in your ballot with all of your personal information (so they can send you more junk mail), it is helpful to understand the whole story.

Currently, cable television companies that operate in New Jersey must have a franchise agreement with the township they provide service in.

These franchise agreements are nonexclusive, meaning that if (and that is a big if) a second cable provider would like to do business in any town, all they need to do is make a request to the township committee for a franchise agreement.

There are currently no legal restrictions that stop Verizon or any other cable television provider from competing anywhere in New Jersey.

However, Verizon feels they will be better served if they are granted a statewide franchise eliminating any ability for local towns to negotiate these deals.

Allowing each local town to negotiate its own franchise has some advantages; mostly, the ability to ask for grant money from the cable provider that can be used to fund pubic, educational and government (PEG) broadcast facilities.

The advertisements are misleading in that they imply the current law is the cause of the “30-year Cable Monopoly.”

This is not true at all. The cause is that for some unknown reason the cable companies in New Jersey refuse to compete.

Verizon is already rolling out their fiber services in a number on New Jersey towns under the current laws. They can continue to do so and compete for our business. We do not need to “take action now” for the benefit of Verizon’s profits.

I don’t need to let Trenton know, I am letting Verizon know that I “want a choice of cable TV providers” by changing my telephone company.

When my town is good enough for Verizon to provide fiber service, I will be the first to sign up for FIOS as an alternative to the cable, telephone and Internet access.

Marc Levy

Manalapan

Writer suggests residents help to pay heating shortfall

I was surprised to witness the outrage expressed by some parents during the Nov. 15 Marlboro Board of Education meeting over a recent announcement that due to the unforeseen rise in fuel costs, the district is planning to lower school thermostats by two degrees in order to offset a projected $375,000 budget shortfall.

I am the mother of a small child in the school system, and if I thought that the school was about to harm her in any way, the board would be quick to hear from me. But when I saw the school’s note, my reaction was relief and gratitude that the board would take such fiscally prudent steps in an attempt to remain within the budget. In a town where almost everyone cries out about high property taxes, my confidence in the board was reinforced upon seeing that they try very hard to keep our taxes as low as possible, while at the same time maintaining a relatively high quality school system.

Understandably, parents are concerned about the actual temperatures in the classrooms. As parents, the care and comfort of our children is our highest priority. But before we accuse the board of trying to freeze our children, I suggest that parents talk to their children about their comfort level at school. I’ve done that, and so far the response has been a consistent “it’s too hot, mommy.”

Complaining about a problem without offering better alternatives is useless. Even after the projected savings resulting from lowering thermostats, the district still remains with a $235,000 shortfall ($375,000 less $20,000 savings per school in seven schools). So let’s put away our torches and pitchforks, and let’s think of some constructive “real” solutions to this immediate crisis.

One possible solution offered was for the school to ask parents to contribute toward the gap. The superintendent and the board refuse to do this, knowing that the tax burden is already an issue for many.

However, that doesn’t mean that those who are able and willing (or those who just want the tax deduction, be it an individual or business), can’t contribute voluntarily. Based on a population of approximately 38,000 of which 6,000 are children attending the K-8 public schools, if each resident were to contribute 62 cents per week between now and Valen-tine’s Day, or if each family of a child in the school system were to contribute 53 cents per day per child, this problem would go away before winter’s end.

Is it unrealistic of me to expect people to make charitable contributions to our local schools? Maybe, but I am hopeful that anyone who reads this will at least consider the option. It’s a time for counting blessings.

During the past year, this community has been extremely generous toward the victims of natural disasters in other states and countries. Now we have an emergency of our own. Surely we can pull together and do something. Let’s be part of the solution, not part of the problem. What better cause than our own children?

Those interested in making a tax-deductible contribution should make their checks payable to the Marlboro Township School District and mail them to the Marlboro Township K-8 Public Schools, 1980 Township Drive, Marlboro 07746.

Eva Costello

Marlboro

Fresh Air Fund relies on Monmouth County coordinator

This summer 28 New York City children found out just how special summer in the northern Mon-mouth County area really is. Thanks to the dedication of Fresh Air Fund hosts, volunteers and supporters, these inner-city youngsters spent a fun-filled summer vacation in your community.

None of this would be possible without Donna-lyn Zapcic, your local Fresh Air Fund volunteer leader, who works throughout the year to make sure summer magic happens with host families and children.

Donna-lyn’s generosity and commitment is an inspiration to us all. I invite you to join Donna-lyn next summer in planning fun summer activities, interviewing prospective host families and/or hosting a child.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to over 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. For more information on how you can help to continue this wonderful tradition of volunteering, please call Donna-lyn Zapcic at (732) 946-4195 or visit www.freshair.org.

Jenny Morgenthau

executive director

The Fresh Air Fund

New York City

Support for church event aids hurricane relief effort

The congregation of the Old Brick Reformed Church in Marlboro wishes to thank everyone who supported the Community Harvest Festival on Oct. 16.

Over 200 people explored the historic cemetery and church, which was built in 1826. The pumpkin painting, crafts, memorabilia and bake sales realized a total of $975, which was contributed to hurricane relief. We are proud to be a part of the Marlboro community.

The Congregation of the

Old Brick Reformed Church

Marlboro