$33 million for busing? Taxpayers deserve answers (Opinion)

The proposed budget for Lakewood schools in the coming school year is more than $309 million.

There are approximately 5,000 public school students, and more than 42,000 students enrolled in private schools.

Over the past few budget cycles, the district has borrowed nearly $200 million from the state taxpayers with another $100 million requested.

A $309 million Lakewood school budget raises familiar taxpayer questions

One of the biggest challenges in the budget is the high cost of private school busing.

According to reports, the Lakewood schools are spending more than $33 million of taxpayer money on private school busing.

One of the things that I've asked about is how many buses are being used to accommodate the separation of girls and boys on the buses.

While I respect the religious tenet of separation as an American valuing the First Amendment, it doesn't mean the New Jersey taxpayer should foot the entire bill.

“Lakewood String Theory”: a low-cost workaround using an Orthodox tradition

There is a workaround to allow for boys and girls to ride on the same bus; I call it my "Lakewood String Theory."

One of the accepted practices in the Orthodox community is called Eruv.

The idea behind the Eruv is to allow the practice and observance of a religious principle without interrupting the practical needs of people in the community.

The Eruv involves a string to be attached to an outside pole, thereby extending what is considered a private domain.

This is the workaround to the Shabbat rule that nothing can be carried by an observant religious person from a private domain to a public domain, so the Eruv allows for the extension of the private domain.

The cost of a roll of string currently on Amazon is $5.99 for 600 feet. That's enough for 13 45-foot-long buses.

I'm offering my "Lakewood String Theory" as a practical solution to showcase the kind of practical thinking we need to apply to all budgets across the state.

Remember, I also proposed when I was a candidate for Governor and continue to promote today, that the state should immediately recognize religious marriages as equal to government-licensed marriages.

This would help to eliminate the fraud of married couples fraudulently applying for taxpayer-subsidized benefits as single parents.

From Lakewood to Newark: mismanagement, fraud, and taxpayer fatigue

Remember, fraud and mismanagement aren't limited to just one district. How about the more than $1.25 billion dollars from the state coffers going to the failed Newark school system?

This is a district where most grammar school kids can't come close to performing at grade level, and nearly a third aren't even showing up in school.

We know that there are thousands of kids in the failed system now who want to leave and attend charter schools. The new governor would be smart to open the door for new charter schools and liberate the families who want to leave.

That will accomplish the goal of helping kids get a better education, and equally important, save the taxpayers millions as charter schools get better results for a lot less money.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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