School Budgets are less than transparent as is but it's worse without effective Oversight

 Well, in case you didn't know, School Budgets are different. The way it works is the Administration puts together a preliminary budget and is reviewed by the School Board's Finance & Facility Committee who then brings it to the full Board for a vote. That is scheduled for March 20, 2025

But it's not a vote for You to see the proposed School Budget or have a say. It's a vote to send it down to the County Super for approval. Once approved by the County Super, it's then scheduled for a Public Meeting, which is scheduled for April 29, 2025. 

But that's just a formality since once approved by the County Super, it rarely matters what the Public thinks or has to say. There's more oddities and opaque structure of these School Budgets that will be made apparent again when they put out their 2025-26 School Budget.

So, it becomes critically important that we have Oversight with School Budgets now approaching some $400 million.

Unfortunately, we have Jerry 'ReferenDumb' Shi, aka Mr. Shi-shed, Mr. Pac-Man again in charge.

Anyhoo, you need to pay attention to what goes on over there on Pierson Ave., at the junction of Dysfunctional & Political Cesspool Streets. It's Your money and all that state aid money they're mis-spending and pissing away with their Bloated and Out-of-Control $pending Budgets, without properly addressing and solving the Overcrowding problem.

Transcript of Remarks from Edison Resident Joel Bassoff at the February 27, 2025 EDO screening session

 A Big Shout-out to Joel for telling it like it is.

Transcript of remarks to the Edison Democratic Organization screening session:

I’m Joel Bassoff, and I’m here because I’m angry and I need to vent.

· I’m angry that Sam Joshi is spending almost $12 million on the Sports Complex in Papaianni Park – a rectangle of artificial turf and a prefab steel building that was supposed to cost $5 million. Our full-time Mayor let the cost balloon to $12 million!

· I’m angry about the Silver Lake lawsuit. Sam Joshi spent almost $13 million for land that the next door property owner has a legal claim to. Our full-time Mayor testified under oath that reading the documents would have been, quote, “a complete waste of my time.” A waste of his time to find out what he was buying for $13 million of our money?!

· I’m angry that Sam Joshi brought an entourage of four police officers on a trip Chicago – at taxpayer expense!

· I’m angry that Sam Joshi gave a million dollar no-bid contract to an engineering firm – after the firm hired the Business Administrator’s husband.

· I’m angry about the water main breaks in South Edison. Our full-time Mayor had no plan to replace crumbling water infrastructure? Running water is about as basic as it gets.

· I’m angry that the Mayor held a campaign fundraiser at the Ray Catena dealership – while Ray Catena has a case in the Zoning Board to expand their parking lot into a residential neighborhood. How would you like it if a car dealer put a parking lot next to your house?

· I’m angry that Sam Joshi let Edison miss a crucial deadline for affordable housing. He’s opening up Edison to builders remedy lawsuits, which means that outside developers decide where to build their apartment complexes regardless of what’s best for the residents.

· I’m angry that Sam Joshi tried to take the library away from the Clara Barton neighborhood, and that he fired the Library trustees who stood up to him.

· I’m angry that Sam Joshi evicted the Arts Society from the Municipal Building so that he could turn the space into a shrine to himself.

· See this refrigerator magnet that says “Mayor Samip Joshi” in big letters? I’m angry that Sam Joshi uses taxpayer money to mail his campaign materials. I’m angry that we have to pay for campaign brochures like The Illuminator.  I say: Pay for your own campaign flyers with the money you got from Ray Catena.

· I’m angry that Edison is an international laughing-stock because Sam Joshi’s yes-man tossed a resident out of a Council meeting – for holding up an American flag!

You can cross my name off the ballot. I’m not running for anything. I just needed to vent.

I just want Edison Democrats to nominate candidates that we can be proud of.

Thank you for listening. Good night.

Anyhoo, we need more Joel's and less Joshi's in this politically-corrupt town. 

FY 2026 - NJ State School Aid K-12

 Well, just saw this on the NJDOE Website. Looks like Edison Received State Aid of $91,542,019, which is a reduction of $2,831,196 or 3% from LY's $94,373,215.

However, from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 this brings the total State Aid received by Edison to a Whopping $342,858,061 over the last 5 years - and they Still Haven't Solved the Overcrowding Problem.

FY 2026 State Aid by District:

FY 2026 State Aid Middlesex County:

Anyhoo, let's see how they use this money in this year's FY 2025-26 School Budget.

NJ DOE School Budget Calendar for 2025

 Well, the FY School Budget is due down to the County Super for approval by March 19, 2025 (although the Edison School District Calendar has their Preliminary Budget Approval scheduled for March 20, 2025).  The Edison School District Calendar has the Public Meeting on the School Budget scheduled for April 29, 2025.

It's interesting and tad bit disconcerting to note that Board President Jerry ' ReferenDumb' Shi, aka Mr. Shi-shed, Mr. Pac-Man has stacked the Finance & Facility Committee with his 'Shi-bots' - Vishal Patel (Chair), Ralph Errico (former Boe Member), Ronak Patel (newbie) and of course, himself. You'd be hard-pressed to find a voice of reason in this committee.

With School Budgets now approaching some $400 million, staffing being the significant portion of the budget, lease-purchase agreements that come without state aid and bypass voter approval for capital additions and piecemeal capital projects pissing all that state-aid money away (some $251 million over the last 4 years, which will surely dry up soon) while not properly addressing the Overcrowding problem, there's not much to say about Oversight from this 'Shi-bot' Finance Committee other than you better pay attention to what the dictatorial Mr. Shi-shed does or doesn't do with his minions.

Here's the above mentioned NJ DOE School Budget Calendar:

Here's the School District School Calendar:

Anyhoo,  just a heads-up to Start paying attention since the School Tax (3.166 Per 100 in 2024) represents over 53% of your total property tax bill and it's where the bulk of your tax money goes to be mis-spent and wasted.

Back to the Future in 2025 with the inept and ineffective & dictatorial Leadership of Jerry 'ReferenDumb' Shi, aka Mr. Shi-shed, Mr. Pac-Man

 Well, you get what you deserve in this politically-corrupt town. This guy should never have been voted back on the Board and never allowed anywhere near the Board President position again. With School Budgets approaching some $400 million, piece-meal capital projects wasting time and money (while not solving the Overcrowding problem) you can believe this mistake will continue keeping the School District from moving forward.

Here's the Edison Board of Mythomania, Board of Ed-Dems, Board of Hoarders, Board of Dysfunction and now Board of Muck & Mire Meeting - January 16, 2025:

Anyhoo, pay attention to what goes on over there on Mythomania Lane - it's where the bulk of your tax dollars go to be mis-spent and wasted.

Edison Principals & Supervisors Contract (July 2021 to June 2025) Recently Renegotiated and not yet settled or Approved by the School Board

 Well, it's my understanding that the current Principals & Supervisors Contract has been Renegotiated and not yet settled or approved by the School Board.

A soon as possible when they settle and release it will get the financial cost of this new contract along with the new contract and all the non-financial changes.

Here's a summary of the number employees, salary amounts and salary breakdown in the latest salary file:

Here's the existing Principals & Supervisors Contract:

Anyhoo, hopefully this will come up for a School Board vote soon and they can tell us what this new contract will cost for public query and comments before the School Board votes.

Edison Board of Education - Salaries as of January 6, 2025

 Well, just received the current salary data file for the Edison Board of Education. This file has columns for Name, Primary Location, Department, Title, Step and Contract Salary. This file lists some 2,381 Employees totaling $182,878,505.

Put together some summaries of the file and this one shows the Grouping by Salary Range, breaking down the Employees and Dollars as a % of the total as well as the Mean, Median, High & Low Salaries and includes a Quick Salary Lookup of the 2,381 Employees by Name:

The data was also put into a Table so it can be sorted by any of the Column headings - Name, Location, Department, Title and Step.

Here's a snapshot of the Top 25 Salaries:

Here's a snapshot of the Principals (whose contract, I believe, is up for renegotiation but not sure if as yet settled):

Here's a snapshot of the Vice-Principals:

This is an Excel file and if anyone wants to have it, you're welcome to it. Just drop me an email.

Anyhoo, since Salaries make up the largest appropriation in the School Budgets now approaching some $400 million, it's always helpful to know how many employees there are by department, title, location etc. and the current salaries as they prepare the 2025-26 School Budget.