First, take a look here at the agenda for Monday's Public Meeting. Seems there's nothing about the $238.2 million School Budget for 2017-18, which is up $4.2 million over last year's $234.0 million and which we locally fund some 90%. You know, their latest 'Bloated Pot of Money' offering they call a school budget that comes with a School tax rate of $2.988, which is up 5.6-Cents over last year's $2.932.
...until you get to the end, that is, of the agenda and you see there's a Public Meeting scheduled for the 2017-18 School Budget (a budget document they've left off and not provided for on Monday's agenda) on May 3, 2017!?! Now, maybe it's me, but how is it you schedule a Special Public Meeting on a budget in 10 days or so when
You've NOT Provided the Budget to the Public?!?
So, what now? Are they going to add it to Monday's agenda and you have to be at the meeting to know it's going on or are they going to delay the May 3rd Special Meeting? Guess we'll have until tomorrow night to see what the heck they're doing over there on Mythomania Lane.
Second, seems from their Wednesday caucus meeting (you can watch it on their website), they were unable to pick a replacement to fill the vacant seat on the board. Looks like Dr. Frank couldn't come up with the 5 votes necessary to fill the spot. So, the saga continues on into tomorrow night's meeting where, I guess, they'll try again.
Now, make no mistake. It really doesn't matter what I think since I don't get a vote and they'll pick whoever they want anyway - but, for what it's worth, I'm aware of most of the candidates and from what I know and have seen over the years, they're all fine people in their own right who would bring a unique talent to the board. Would never question any of them wanting to help the district.
Having said that though, I don't really see anyone on the list fulfilling what's important to me in a candidate - someone looking out for and making sure all the stakeholders in the school district are heard in the decision-making process, and that includes the often forgotten one - us, the bill-paying taxpayers in the decision-making process.
So, as they say, while I don't really have a horse in this race - here's the 6 candidates again, and according to Dr. Frank in the order they sent in their application (left to right, top to bottom):
My only concern is we, once again, have Margot Harris - a former board member and the Vice-Chair of the EDO looking to fill the spot. Now, as I said before, I don't know of anything that prevents anyone from holding these two positions and not suggesting there's anything wrong with it but it just doesn't seem right that the Vice-Chair of a Local Political Party that controls the entire Muni-Government side of town should also be part of the decision-making process for the Edison School District. These are autonomous entities and kind of think there should be something in place that says maybe that's not something you want to do - even if you can.
Anyhoo, someone has to be picked in the World of Mythomania so here's my picking-pecking order - either Elizabeth Conway or Joyce Ship, then Carol Bodofsky, Paul Distefano, William Araujo, Margot Harris.
But hey, what do I know? Since they like me so much over there on Mythomania Lane, they'll probably pick from the bottom of my list!
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