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The hot topic, apparently, for years: would consolidating the 566 towns, or consolidating the 616 school districts, cut taxes. I live in an area with 5 sending districts and a regional high school (Rancocas Valley) - just why are my neighbors paying for six superintendents and 5 town managers?
I have the same situation. I live in Chesterfield. We have our own Elementary School. We end up going to the Northern Burlington Middle School and High School along with North Hanover, Mansfield (2 schools), Springfield, and McGuire. We all have our own Superintendants.....not only that - but each school is teaching a little differently and at different levels which makes the transition to Middle School a little harder too. Its ridiculous. I think we should all be a part of the same district.
My district is big, and a single one, but I'll jump on the bandwagon and agree with the above. There is a ridiculous amount of waste. Isn't there a town somewhere with a superintendent and "school district" but is so small it actually has no schools? WHAT is the point apart from "jobs for the boys"?
Actually, there are 23 school districts like that. Pemberton Township and Pemberton Borough have two superintendents who work in buildings next door to each other, on the same street. No joke.
The hot topic, apparently, for years: would consolidating the 566 towns, or consolidating the 616 school districts, cut taxes. I live in an area with 5 sending districts and a regional high school (Rancocas Valley) - just why are my neighbors paying for six superintendents and 5 town managers?
Come on now, you know the answer, yes. But people don't want to do it unless it benefits (THEM). This is why people run for the suburbs for their own little best school district. Lets face it most wealthy people that live in suburbia don't and won't send their children to a poor urban school district. If that happens they will send little Johnny to a private school.
I don't know if you can really blame them for this one. The NJEA represents the rank and file teachers who wouldn't be at all affected by school consolidation. For example, let's say hell froze over and New Jersey consolidated all of its schools into county districts tomorrow. You're still going to need the exact same number of teachers because the number of students won't change. However, you will need to fire A LOT of Superintendents and support staff-THERE'S your problem. Hell hath no fury like a Superintendent who loses his cush $100K+ per year job-let alone 500 of them. The other part of the problem is New Jersey's stupid backwards fixation on home rule. Try telling people from Princeton and Hamilton that their children will be attending a new county high school with children from Trenton and watch the fur fly.
Come on now, you know the answer, yes. But people don't want to do it unless it benefits (THEM). This is why people run for the suburbs for their own little best school district. Lets face it most wealthy people that live in suburbia don't and won't send their children to a poor urban school district. If that happens they will send little Johnny to a private school.
or, they don't support it unless it DOESN'T affect them! classic NIMBY. people want change, but don't want TO change.
I don't know if you can really blame them for this one. The NJEA represents the rank and file teachers who wouldn't be at all affected by school consolidation. For example, let's say hell froze over and New Jersey consolidated all of its schools into county districts tomorrow. You're still going to need the exact same number of teachers because the number of students won't change. However, you will need to fire A LOT of Superintendents and support staff-THERE'S your problem. Hell hath no fury like a Superintendent who loses his cush $100K+ per year job-let alone 500 of them. The other part of the problem is New Jersey's stupid backwards fixation on home rule. Try telling people from Princeton and Hamilton that their children will be attending a new county high school with children from Trenton and watch the fur fly.
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the administrators and support staff belong (or can belong) to the NJEA as well. My mother was the chief clerk at one of the schools in Woodbridge, and she got the monthly magazine, got all of the NJEA discount programs, etc.
I don't think the problem of home rule would be as big of a deal as you think- the kids from Princeton would still go to a high school in Princeton, and the kids in Trenton would still go to a high school in Trenton. The difference is, they'd have a common curriculum and calendar, they'd share some support services (purchasing, business administrator, payroll, personnel dept., etc), and there would be one superintendent over them all.
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the administrators and support staff belong (or can belong) to the NJEA as well. My mother was the chief clerk at one of the schools in Woodbridge, and she got the monthly magazine, got all of the NJEA discount programs, etc.
I don't think the problem of home rule would be as big of a deal as you think- the kids from Princeton would still go to a high school in Princeton, and the kids in Trenton would still go to a high school in Trenton. The difference is, they'd have a common curriculum and calendar, they'd share some support services (purchasing, business administrator, payroll, personnel dept., etc), and there would be one superintendent over them all.
you're giving people more credit than they probably deserve. you're right, but that (major) point would get lost in the hysteria sure to ensue if this was to take flight.
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classic NIMBY. people want change, but don't want TO change.
