Edison Board of Ed President Jerry 'No Public Comment Allowed' Shi needs to Step Down!

For calling a public meeting on insurance costs which asks for public comments and then blocking those public comments before the board vote, Jerry Shi should step down as Board of Ed President. The precedent that this sets is mind boggling dangerous!

Your comments only matter to this guy after they vote:

So, Wake Up People. This is as bad as it gets when the public is blocked from commenting on any action the board is about to take. I have sent Mr. Shi an email requesting that he step down as Board President and you should consider doing the same.

'Board President Shi,
With all due respect, I find your decision to block public comment before the vote on the above to be quite disconcerting and unacceptable. It sets a very bad precedent and what, every time you think something is the way to go, you’re going to block public comment before the board votes?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for getting the spending efficiency under control and applaud the board for seeking out opportunities to do so. A claim of reducing insurance costs by some $3.5 million is quite admirable if it turns out to be true as you say -  equal to or better than the existing policies for medical, dental and prescription. Both the district and and those employees contributing to insurance will see a reduction in costs.

I also recognize that the resident/taxpayers will not see any of this $3.5 million in reduced costs come back to them in the form of school tax relief but it will just repurpose to another budget line. Let’s hope the $3.5 million is put back into the classrooms and not buried away, hoarded or used for some other less than efficient purpose.

However, just because you had timing and board member problems or you had the right to do something like this doesn’t justify your calling a public meeting and then excluding the public from asking questions and making comments on something this important to all the residents/ taxpayers and all the stakeholders before you voted.

What? Trust you, it’s the right thing to do? The end never justifies the means unless you’re hoping the means are forgotten. Whether you’re right or wrong on this exclusion, you should never presume the public shouldn’t have an opportunity to be heard before you vote on any issue in the school district.

Right, wrong or indifferent, I find what you did to be shameful and I disrespectful to all the people of this town and I call on you to resign you position as Edison Board of Education President.'

Anyhoo, if you're a taxpayer in this town, this action by the board should send shivers down your spine!

Wow - that was an interesting Board of Mythomania Special Meeting!?!

Well, the Board of Mythomania had a somewhat unorthodox special meeting on insurance costs last night.

First, the good news - seems they were able to reduce the costs for medical, dental and prescription insurance by some $3.5 million by switching brokers and bringing in Cigna.

Seems they also claim it's a real reduction in costs by stating it conforms with the equal to or better than clause in all the respective collective bargaining agreements. So, it seems that both the school district and those employees contributing to their insurance should see a reduction in costs.

Now, before you get to excited, they may have reduced costs by $3.5 million but don't expect to see any of those reduced costs come back to you in the form of school tax relief. As I understand it, the $3.5 million will just repurpose to another line item in the budget.

Let's hope they use this under spending in the insurance budget line and put it back in the classrooms.

Whether you believe it or not, the Board of Mythomania doesn't have a revenue problem to support these bloated and out-of-control $pending budgets they come up with every year, it has a $pending efficiency problem. Let's hope these type changes are a step toward addressing those problems and they put this $3.5 million to good use back in the classrooms.

Now, for the bad news - the Board of Mythomania, after calling for a public meeting, didn't allow any public comment before they voted to approve these changes.

WHOA!

Let me say that again - they didn't allow any public comments before they voted to approve these changes.

WHOA!

Why call a public meeting if you're not going to allow the public to speak before you vote? KUDOS to Andrew Hibell (apologize if I spelled it wrong) and all the others who called this out for what it was.

While I recognize the board had timing issues and board member issues to deal with last night, those issues don't rise to the level where you block any public comment before you vote.

A most disturbing public display of public exclusion in the school board voting process.

A very disconcerting precedent and Board President Jerry Shi should Resign!

SHAME ON THE EDISON BOARD OF EDUCATION!

Anyhoo, the Board of Mythomania has gone over the edge on this one - and Jerry Shi should Resign. Whether you're right or wrong, you should never presume the public shouldn't have an opportunity to be heard before you decide. Just SHAMEFUL!

PS: just received from an OPRA Request the schedule they referred to at last night's meeting for the $3.5 million. Treat it as you will.

$17,781 for Señor O'Malley..Cha..ching - Board of Cap Bank Munchers Unanimous with Your Money!?!

Well, he got a Big Goose-egg for dealing with the Board's Goal for addressing the Overcrowding but he still walks away with $17,781 from the the Board of Mythomania, aka Board of Cap Bank Munchers, Board of EDems, Board of Hoarders, Board of Silence, Board of Dysfunction and finally, Board of It's on a Need to Know Basis and You Don't Need to Know.

Not bad when you think about it - if you're not a taxpayer. Both the Board and O"Malley failed to address the single largest issue of concern in their 2017-18 goals for the school district yet they don't even bother to tell you about it when they hand out the money.

They just show you which of their Board Goals they say have been achieved.

Anyhoo, what do I know? I still can't figure out why they even bother with Board Goals!

Super O'Malley picks up $17,781 in bonus money - on his way out the door!?!

Well, looks like Señor O'Malley's Merit Bonus for the 2017-18 School Year is up to $17,781 tonight from $10,141 the last time they brought this up for a vote.

Guess he improved communication and understanding with the Edison Public School community (and picked up another $7,640) since last they looked at it.

But hey, at least we're comforted in the knowledge that overcrowding remains a top priority in the school district.

Anyhoo, maybe next time around the Board of Cap Bank Munchers can come up with some more substantive, meaningful and perhaps, less sophomoric goals for both the Super and themselves.

Edison Super O'Malley finds the exit ramp - in Florence, South Carolina

Well, it looks like Super Dr. Richard 'Looking for the Exit Ramp' O'Malley finally found the exit ramp with his acceptance of another Super Gig in South Carolina, see here. Seems he has a start date of not later than August 3, 2018, so I take it he has given his 90 day notice to the Board.

Good for him and good for us.

Having never been much of a fan of Super O'Malley for all the reasons you can read about in this blog, I still recognize that he's done some good things for the school district.

So, I wish him well in his future endeavor and to put a twist on an old U2 song, 'I hope he finds what he's looking for.'

Smiles all around:

Anyhoo, let's hope for better times all-around.

Edison Board of Cap Bank Munchers Extraordinaire Sticks it to You Again - by 7-2 Vote!?!

Well, here we go again. At last night's Budget Meeting, the Edison Board of Education, aka Board of Mythomania, Board of Cap Bank Munchers Extraordianiare, Board of EDems, Board of Hoarders, Board of Silence and self-described Board of Dysfunctional - have once again passed one of their Bloated, Out-of-Control $pending, Pots of Money they call a School Budget. It's so bad, they had to eat into the cap Bank to fund their excesses.

It comes with $pending of $250.7 million, which is up $12.5 million or 5.3% over last year's $238.2. Further adding insult to injury is the Local Tax Levy they're passing on to you. The Local Tax Levy is $222.4 million, which is up $9.8 million or 4.6% over last year's $212.6 million.

Yup, that's right! They passed along $9.8 million or some 78% of that $12.5 million in increased $pending bloat right onto Your tax bill.

Kudos to the No Votes on the Board for recognizing this budget for what it is - an unnecessary and egregious attack on pocketbooks of the residents and taxpayers of Edison.

You should really recognize the need to take back Your Right to Vote on these School Budgets.

Here's the Board Vote and My thoughts on it:

And here's the May 2nd Budget Meeting:



Anyhoo, enough is enough with these Out-of-Control $pending Cap Bank Munchers over there on Mythomania Lane.

'New Jersey Schools in limbo: Districts unsure whether they'll gain or lose funding.' - northjersey.com

Saw this piece in northjersey.com here about competing school funding scenarios. Interesting and informative piece on the funding differences between the Governor's budget and the Legislature's funding scenario. Please take the time to read this article in northjersey.com.


Here's the table presented in the piece:




Anyhoo, any changes to the Governor's budget are running up against the May deadlines for the school districts.

Edison Board of Cap Bank Munchers Extraordinaire make a slight reduction in your school tax increase

Well, looks like in this final version here of the School Budget for 2018-19 up for Board Vote tonight comes with a slight reduction in your school tax increase for 2018.

Seems they reduced the $pending by $450,000 bringing it down to $250,683,456 for an increase of $12,528,765 or 5.3%. Apparently, they decided that we didn't need the $450,000 in new Elementary School Textbooks.

They also took another 1,000,000 out of the Free Balance to offset the Local Tax Levy.

So, that reduction of $1,450,000 in the Local Tax Levy takes the increase down to $9,836,495 or 4.6% and the CY tax rate down to $3.044 from $3.055 or 1.1-Cents.

If you live in that imaginary home assessed at $178,300, then this change reduces your school tax increase by some $20. If you don't live in that imaginary home assessed at $178,300, then take your home's assessed value divided by 100 and multiply that number by .011 to get your reduction to your school tax increase.

With all due credit to the School Board Finance Committee for making a reduction in their proposed school tax increase in this final school budget for 2018-19, it's still a Whopping $pending increase that is so Out-of-Control that they had to dig deeply into the Cap Bank to support it. Hard to believe they would sit there with a straight face and Raise the Local Tax Levy by 4.6% to fund their excesses - but they're doing it. All the reason to move the BoE elections back to April and take back your right to vote on these bloated budgets. What do you get when you just let them increase these bloated budgets every year by some version of the 2% Cap - you get bloated budgets that grow exponentially.

And it's good to know that they're passing along some 79% of that Out-of-Control $pending increase of $12,528,765 right on to Your School tax bill. Kind of gives you a warm feeling all over!

And really, cutting textbooks and using the Free Balance doesn't do anything to get the $pending under control.

But hey, at least we're comforted in the knowledge that elementary school textbooks aren't important and that this board was perfectly willing to let you pay more rather than use the bloat they have built-up in this bloated, pot-of-money they call a school budget.

Pay attention to the vote on this school budget tonight.

Here's what the final School Budget does to your school taxes:



Anyhoo, it is what it is over there in the Land of Cap Bank Munchers Extraordinaire over there on Mythomania Lane and just to remind my friends over there - a reduction in an increase is Not a Savings, it's still an increase.