2014 Elections - Go Vote!

Elections are being held in Aberdeen and Matawan today.

FEDERAL

For US Senate, Cory Booker (D) is up against Jeff Bell (R), Joseph Baratelli (L),  plus 4 other candidates.

For US Congress,  Frank Pallone, Jr (D) is up against Anthony E Wilkinson (R) and Dorit Goikhman (L)

COUNTY

For Monmouth County Freeholder, Lillian G Burry (R) and Gary J Rich (R) are up against Larry Luttrell (D) and Joe Grillo (D)

SCHOOL BOARD

Aberdeen-Matawan School District offers two board slots for Aberdeen and one for Matawan.

For Aberdeen, Allison Friedman (Bailey Road), Weymouth D Brittingham (Orchard Street) and Todd Larchuk (Ayrmont Lane) are vying for two available seats.  Larchuk is an incumbent. The second slot was held by Dennis Daniels, who is not running.

For Matawan, Africa J Nelson (Main Street) is running unopposed. The slot was held by Charles Kenny, who is not running.

QUESTIONS

There are two public questions:

1) There's an effort to amend the state constitution to allow courts to hold offenders without bail if they choose. The current constitution requires judges to offer bail.

2) Another amendment to the state constitution would increase the percentage of business tax revenues dedicated to open space preservation, and air, water and soil conservation.

Steps For Joe

Over 600 people came together today at Matawan Regional High School for a fundraiser to help a student named Joe Ahmed get treatment for Stage IV Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare, aggressive bone cancer.

Marchers walked a circuit from MRHS down Atlantic to Little, across the bridge, then a right on Broad, a walk along the lake, a left on Main at the doughboy in the park, a left on Little and a right on Atlantic back to the school. This water stop got creative with the arrangement of the cups.

The event was organized by Tim Makalinao and Adam Elliott and assisted by officials of the township and borough. CERT assisted with traffic control.

Joe's treatment is experimental and very expensive. You can still donate online at Steps for Joe.

Mrs Buchen's 4th Grade Class and Matawan Past and Present (1971)

A dear reader provided me with a copy of Matawan Past and Present: A Look at Our Town, prepared by Mrs Dorothy Buchen's 4th grade class (1970 - 1971) at Strathmore Elementary School. The paperback contains 114 pages of local history and then-current information about local businesses, government and society.

Old Cliffwood School Is No More

Eleanor Van Brakle, Teacher (1869 - 1956)

Public School, Matawan, NJ

I purchased a post card this week of the old Matawan High School on Broad Street. The image is of the building before the 1908 addition, suggesting that the photo was taken between 1895, when the building was built, and 1908. You can see an image of the building in 1909, after the addition was constructed, in Around Matawan and Aberdeen, by Helen Henderson, pg 118.

The post card was addressed to an Eleanor Van Brackle of Keyport. Someone named Mary, perhaps her student or a fellow teacher, thanked Ms Van Brackle for the "postal" (post card or letter) and "the lessons you sent". The card is postmarked October at Keyport, but the precise date and year are illegible.

I found the following about Eleanor in the census and local newspapers:

The 1870 Federal Census showed Ella Van Brackle (2) in the Matawan household of her parents, Thos E (34) and Elizabeth (30) Van Brackle. Thomas was a farmer. Also in the household were Ella's elder brother Frank Van Brackle (4), (her uncle?) George Van Brackle (28), and (her grandmother?) Ann Van Brackle (60).  Note: Thomas and Elizabeth had another son named Frank born about 1863 who died 18 Dec 1864 in Matawan.

The 1880 Federal Census showed Eleanor Van Brackel, age 11, daughter of Thomas (44) and Elizabeth (39) Van Brackel. Thomas listed no occupation. The family was living on Broadway in Raritan. Eleanor's siblings were Franck (14), Mary (8), Fred (7), and Thomas (2). Note: Son Fred was born 22 Sep 1872 in Matawan.

The 1900 Federal Census showed Eleanor Van Brakle born Aug 1869 in New Jersey. She was living with her parents, Thomas (Dec 1835 NJ) and Elizabeth (Nov 1840 NJ) Van Brakle, and sibling Frank Van Brakle (Feb 1868 NJ), in Raritan. Her parents had been married 39 years and her mother had four surviving children from among the six she'd borne.

The 1910 Federal Census showed Eleanor Van Brakle, age 40, born in New Jersey to NJ parents, single, living on Warren Street in Keyport. Her occupation was listed as teacher, high school.

The 1920 Federal Census showed Eleanor Van Brakle, age 51 NJ, as vice principal in a high school. She was living on Holmdel Turnpike in Holmdel and was listed as the sister-in-law of the head of household Charles I Young (50 NJ) and his wife, Mary (48 NJ). Charles owned a farm.

The 1930 Federal Census showed Eleanor Van Brakle, age 61 NJ, as a teacher at a school. She was born in Matawan to parents born in Holmdel. She was still living with Charles and Mary. Note that Mary was also born in Matawan to Holmdel parents and is very likely Eleanor's sister.

The 19 Jun 1936 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 3 col 3) contained a society piece saying that Donald Van Brackle, of Crown Point, NY, was visiting his aunt Eleanor Van Brackle to attend a class reunion at Rutgers University.

The 1940 Federal Census showed Eleanor Van Brakle, age 71 NJ, living at 138 Main Street in Keyport. She was not employed and was not seeking employment.

The 27 Feb 1941 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 23 col 4) said that Eleanor Van Brakle was elected to the board of trustees of the Keyport Free Library in the position of treasurer.

The 3 May 1945 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 20 col 3) said that Eleanor Van Brakle was re-elected secretary of the missionary society at the First Baptist Church in Keyport.

The 18 Sep 1947 edition of The Red Bank Register (pg 17 col 4) said Eleanor Van Brakle attended a meeting of the Women's League of the First Baptist Church of Keyport.

Eleanor Van Brakle (2 Aug 1869 - 2 Oct 1956) is buried at Green Grove Cemetery in Keyport, according to Distant Cousin. (Image of her gravestone)

The First Baptist Church of Keyport had an Eleanor Van Brakle Girls' Guild, according to the 19 May 1960 edition of The Matawan Journal.

2012 Marching Huskies Have Winning Season

The Matawan Regional High School Marching Huskies did so well this year in marching band competition that they qualified to attend the Tournament of Bands 2012 Atlantic Coast Championships at Hershey Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the impact of Hurricane Sandy on our community kept the band from participating in those early November championships. Just another local victim of the storm.

On the bright side, congratulations to Livingston High School, which was able to compete and took the prize. And I recently heard that the Marching Huskies held a special performance of their championship show for parents and friends. Nicely done.

Matawan-Aberdeen School Board Write In Election Results Remain Incomplete and Inaccurate at County Website

The Monmouth County Clerk continues to display preliminary results for the 6 November 2012 elections as of 21 November. After more than two weeks, why don't we have official results?

So far, the preliminary data on school board write in results are not only delayed, they are incomplete and wrong. They display the Matawan 3-year slot results as if they were the Aberdeen 1-year results. As a consequence, the site has no heading for Matawan's 3 year slot and displays no results for the Aberdeen 1 year slot. See below for the erroneous posting as of Wednesday afternoon.

Matawan-Aberdeen Reg BOE (Aberdeen) (1Yr Unexp)
13/13 100.00%
Under Votes 6144
Over Votes 0

Vote Count Percent
Write-In 181 57.28%
- James Shea (Write-In) 56 17.72%
- Kathleen Gentile (Write-In) 79 25.00%
Total 316 100.00%

The Matawan-Aberdeen Patch reported that Kathleen Gentile was running as a write-in candidate for the Matawan 3-year slot being vacated by Gerald Donaghue. Gentile is a Matawan resident and ineligible for the Aberdeen slot.

Even if Aberdeen residents incorrectly wrote her in, why are there no posted results for Matawan and no posted results for any of the Aberdeen write in candidates? I hope the county gets their act together soon and gives us our BOE write in election results, official or otherwise.

UPDATE (27 Nov 2012)

The preliminary results have been updated at the Monmouth County Clerk's website.

The one-year unexpired term as an Aberdeen representative on the school board looks to have been won by Joelle Nappi with 91 votes (21%). Art Perri came in a close second place with 82 votes (19%), followed by Pat Phillips with 49 votes (11%) and L William Lamb with 17 votes (4%). 192 write in votes (45%) were not elaborated upon by the county clerk, presumably because voters chose to write in Mickey Mouse, themselves, et al. If there is some other reason behind nearly half the votes not being attributed to particular candidates, such as voter errors or machine errors, I wonder if and how that might possibly come to light?

Check the updated and as yet still unofficial results here.

Monmouth County Publishes Sample Ballots for 2012 General Elections

I received my Aberdeen sample ballot in the mail yesterday. (If you live in Monmouth County, you can find your sample ballot here. Here's a link to the Matawan sample ballot. And, by the way, you might want to bookmark the place where you can find results of elections.)

If you think the presidential election is Obama vs Romney, you'll want to check the ballot, which has ten candidates for President. Likewise, the US Senate race isn't simply Menendez vs Kyrillos; there are eleven candidates for the job, including a Libertarian candidate on the second line. Pallone and Little aren't alone either; they are joined by four others running for the House of Representatives post. No one petitioned to compete against the Republicans and Democrats for County Clerk and Board of Chosen Freeholders. I'll be voting for Obama, Menendez, Pallone, French, Shea and Lavan.

Matawan has openings for two members of the Borough Council.

The Matawan and Aberdeen ballots also include candidates for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District's school board, an election which used to be held in April. Macomber and Martinez are running against incumbents Hayward and Aitken  for a pair of full term Aberdeen positions on the board. One Matawan full term slot (Donahue isn't renewing) and one Aberdeen one-year unexpired term slot (Phillips resigned) have no registered candidates but a number of write-in candidates (Perri, Nappi, and Gentile and others are out there) are campaigning for one or the other of the two slots. The mood in the district is grim after a series of bad decisions by the board, so lots of people are running to kick the bums out. Everywhere I turn I seem to find someone mad as hell and unwilling to take it anymore. I agree with that sentiment and, while not running myself, I will be voting in Aberdeen for Macomber, Martinez, and write-in candidate Art Perri.

If you want to support one of the write-in candidates for the one-year unexpired term on the Aberdeen ballot, be sure to click WRITE IN next to the words NO NOMINATION MADE. The Matawan ballot offers little confusion for write-in voters. Just make sure you're supporting a write-in candidate in your municipality.

When school board elections were held in April, the winners would be sworn in that June. When do the November winners get installed? Also, we used to vote on the school budget in school board elections, but I don't see the budget on the list of public questions. What happened to that? Can someone tell me if we and when we vote on the school budget? Or have we lost that right?

Lastly, you'll want to review the public questions on the sample ballot before you go to the polls.

• Question 1 asks us to support a $750 million state bond initiative to provide matching grants to public and private colleges and universities in New Jersey to increase academic capacity in the state. The so-called "Building Our Future Bond Act" is well intentioned but directs public monies to private institutions over which the state has little if any control. Public institutions might support this initiative because they see dollar signs, but the taxpayers ought to think twice about sending money out to private schools. I'll be voting against.
• Question 2 asks us to allow the state to withhold for benefits out of judges' salaries. The State Constitution includes protections for judges to keep the government from reducing incumbent judges' salaries, presumably to prevent retaliation against judges. The issue for voters is to decide whether the state is in any way retaliating against or punishing its judges by making them contribute to pensions and health insurance benefits. Even if you think our judges should bear these costs, you need to consider whether state officials are using this action in response to some judicial action or you will be overturning their constitutional protections. I'm personally unsure of the situation and will likely vote against unless convinced otherwise.

I encourage you to vote on November 6th. I especially urge the African-American and Latino communities of Aberdeen and Matawan to turn out on Election Day. There are Republicans in other states who have tried, some successfully, to keep blacks and Latinos from the polls by passing legislation establishing identification rules or reducing polling hours. Official literature and websites have been published with incorrect information about voting rules. Many of these efforts have been reversed by the courts, but confusion reigns. Make sure you know when and where you can vote. And vote. Exercise your rights and make a statement.

Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District Forms Packet 2012-13

The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District (MARSD) has issued its 2012-2013 school year forms packet for parents to sign by 7 Sep 2012. The "complete packet" is 24 pages long and paperless.

Parents are told the rules about:

• pp 1-3: Student use of computers and the possible consequences for abuse
• pg 4: Student attendance
• pg 5: Asbestos hazards
• pg 6: Pesticide hazards
• pg 7: Bias incidents
• pp 8-16, 22: Harassment, intimidation and bullying
• pp 17-19 - Cyber bullying
• pg 20 - Parent Portal - communications with the school
• pg 21 - Rules regarding late arrival and early dismissal
• pg 23 - Authorization for family physician
• pg 24 - Consent to use your child's image on school website and/or Huskievision

A few points of concern:

1) The Internet Safety/Protection section (pg 2) makes a simple if fundamental error in its application of the Miller vs US three-prong test of obscenity. The US Supreme Court ruling calls for all three prongs to be met, not just one or two of them. The current "either/or" rendering of the school rule erroneously leaves each prong to stand alone as a violation of obscenity. The individual elements cannot stand alone but must be applied and met together to add up to obscenity. And for good reason. Notice that the third element -- images are deemed obscene that lack literary, artistic, scientific, or political value to minors -- certainly doesn't on its own necessarily add up to obscenity.

The rules ask parents to give the school permission to act reasonably in the area of computer use, which sounds okay until you realize that individual teachers and school district officials are left to apply their own values when they enforce what is "generally acceptable in the community."

One day we'll all look back at this aspect of these guidelines and gasp.

2) Notice that bullying gets the lion's share of attention here. Lots of detail. But at the same time they want you to sign 1) that you're aware of a vague plan to deal with asbestos in MARSD buildings and 2) that their use of pesticides won't be discussed this year but isn't any big shakes.

3) Parents have to grant the school permission to post their child's image on the school's website and on Huskievision. The form doesn't allow a parent to say no. Instead, a parent would have to sign the form granting permission, then take the second step of writing a letter to the school rescinding that permission. The simple answer is to have a form that offers yes or no checkoff boxes to grant permission or not. Most parents, if they read these 24 pages, will throw up their hands and grant this permission.

Fear Overcomes Wisdom

Superintendent Healy made it very clear at last night's Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District board meeting that he feels that his job hangs in the balance when test scores fluctuate in district schools and he will therefore move heaven and earth to see that those statistics are favorable to his ongoing and prosperous employment. Board President Kenny then repeatedly told the public that his board would only consider 1) Mr Healy's presentation that night and 2) confidential discussions the board conducted in executive session when they voted on the personnel array later that evening.

After standing in the hallway for 2 1/2 hours listening first to Mr Healy and then to a long line of teachers, staff, parents, and other members of the public, I saw the writing on the wall and went home in disgust. Mr Kenny had outlined his guidance to the board on how they should weigh their vote, and it didn't include listening to the public. (Feel free to post a note if the outcome of the vote was unexpected.)

I've come to realize that emotion, not reason, moves today's agendas, and no amount of intellectual argument will change anything. Lies and misrepresentation can be exposed eloquently but to no avail. And poor decision making will never be amended or reversed as a result of well-timed guidance. The fearful, more prevalent than normal in these uncertain times, lust for power. They do not seek wisdom but comfort, and none can be found where they are looking.

Matawan-Aberdeen School District - 2012-13 Draft Calendar, June Meeting

The 2012-2013 MARSD Calendar is available in draft version at the district's website. The calendar provides the planned holidays, training days, parent-teacher days, testing, and the days that the school year is expected to begin and end.

The regular meeting of the school board is scheduled for 7 pm this evening at Crest Way. Regular is probably a misnomer as teachers are expecting word on the board's reconsideration of its plan to  reassign many teachers out of and into Lloyd Road Elementary. Sources tell me that the board plans to stand its ground on the matrix. And who said there would be no fireworks this year?

Lloyd Road Donnybrook at Crest Way

Charles Kenny and his Board out in Executive Session at 10 pm on Mon eve.

Outraged teachers and office staff stormed the Matawan-Aberdeen Board of Education meeting at Crest Way on Monday evening. They complained about a rash of notices administrators handed out late last week calling for the compulsory transfer of personnel between schools within our district. Public comments went on for well over an hour and a half until Board President Charles Kenny abruptly called for an executive session and pulled the Board into a nearby room to seek a short term solution.

When the meeting resumed after 10 pm, Kenny announced that the Board, with MRTA concurrence, had agreed to withdraw a thorny staffing array (Appendix 1A) from Monday night's vote in order to review their decision in light of the immense controversy. Kenny cautioned, however, that this did not signal weakness on the part of the Board nor a change of minds. Much thought had gone into the array and the Board might very well find it perfectly fine as presented. They might have even voted in favor of it on Monday evening if Kenny had pressed on, he argued.

So, where did this leave things? The Board could review the staffing array and leave it intact, in which case they could solidify their arguments in answer to the many questions posed on Monday night. On the other hand, after consultations the Board could end up amending or even eliminating the most hated of the planned staff moves. Keep in mind that the arguments were all one-sided on Monday evening; the Board's opinion on things was never revealed. One way or another, the array will come before the Board at its next stated meeting on 25 June 2012.

Overall, people wanted to know if the Board had seriously considered who would handle the transition at Lloyd Road Elementary with so many people in key positions leaving all at once. After all, the school is set to lose its principal and his office assistant, a guidance counselor, librarian, and 12 teachers, so who will guide the school through the more practical intricacies of operating the Lloyd Road school next fall when all administrative experience at that venue is gone?

We never learned the Board's rationale for moving so many teachers out of Lloyd Road after the district paid to train so many of them to use a new reading curriculum. People were irate that Board members didn't know how much they'd spent on the reading program training that they were seemingly now tossing down the drain. Likely the Board realized they couldn't justify pressing ahead with a vote without satisfactorily explaining the whole reading program training issue. The Board never explained why they thought kindergarten teachers could step into 4th grade teacher roles and vice versa. Ultimately, they didn't attempt to explain why this game of musical chairs was necessary in the first place. Beloved staff were being tossed around like rice at a wedding, and for what?

I was struck by how little of this drama was made clear in the mounds of paperwork handed out at Monday's meeting. The community at large could have had no idea what was up. Most in attendance had at least heard rumors of a brewing fight between the teachers at Lloyd Road and the MARSD. The uninitiated wallowed in nearly a hundred pages of seemingly detailed exhibits. Regular folks had no time or opportunity to learn what was buried in those pages. No matter; it would have required more statistical analysis than most could muster to find out what was really going on. Lucky for us, some of the teachers had crunched those numbers all weekend to assess the staffing changes being proposed.

Testimony from teacher after teacher revealed that the Board had waited until the last moment to hand out reassignment notices, seemingly hoping that Monday evening's meeting would come and go before an organized fight could be waged. But the word had gotten out on Facebook and the room was packed. The politicians on the Board huddled after it became evident that the Board's reputation was in the balance.

While I'm inclined to think it's always difficult to sort out who is right and who is wrong in these instances, the "resignation" of a string of key administrators in recent years and now this sudden effort to transfer  teachers and staff between schools suggests on its face that something is wrong.  As someone said last night, Somewhere along the line, the district has lost its way.

Will Howard Marine Lab Closing Affect MAST? Matawan Regional? Fisheries?

Today's Asbury Park Press features an article about how the James J Howard Marine Laboratory at Sandy Hook is to be closed soon due to budget cuts. The lab is under NOAA, which needs the $3 million to run other programs.

The article says the Jersey Coast Anglers Association is upset at the closing, calling it a disaster. The association says the lab was opened in 1961 to demonstrate federal and state support for local fisheries. State budget cuts have already impacted programs that monitor fisheries sustainability in New Jersey waters, so Federal cuts will put the nail in the coffin. No one will know whether particular breeds are being overfished, for example.

The article doesn't talk about the educational side of the equation. How will the closing of the Howard Lab affect the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in March? How will the closing impact oceanography classes at Matawan Regional High School and other schools in Monmouth County? I doubt we'll be funding field trips to Connecticut, where NOAA is relocating its resources.

Take a look at this 2007 APP article about Liza Baskin, who teaches chemistry at MAST now but previously taught at Matawan. It shows how the programs at Sandy Hook, Rutgers and the county school system are intertwined, providing benefit to all. The closing of the lab could have a negative effect in so many ways.

UPDATE 4 March 2012:  There is now a Facebook page supporting the Howard Marine Laboratory and an online petition you can sign. If you'd like to see the lab stay at Sandy Hook, "like" and "share" the Facebook page and sign the petition.

Huskies Football: The Next Act Should Be Contrition

In a recent opinion piece, The Newark Star-Ledger's Steve Politi contrasted the polar responses of the Wayne Hills and Matawan-Aberdeen communities to the Bad Boys behavior recently displayed by members of their football teams.  He criticized Wayne Hills and applauded Mat-Ab for their approaches to the discipline dilemma. "In Matawan, they’ve taught their teenagers that there are consequences when rules are broken, and that protecting the integrity of an institution is far more important than hanging a silly banner on the gymnasium wall. What, exactly, were they teaching in Wayne Hills?"

North Jersey complained about the Wayne Hills approach over a week ago, saying, "[The Wayne Hills football coach] fought to have [his team] play in the run-up to the big game, making an emotional appeal at a recent board meeting to which he brought 60 uniformed players. It was then that the board stayed the decision of its own superintendent and let the accused play. Town and school leaders were largely silent during the ensuing controversy. Many of the coach’s fans in town rallied around the team, but the incident drew a raft of negative comments and media attention from around the country as Wayne became a local touchstone for a national conversation on the culture of football at schools."

The Matawan players' misbehavior was only recently revealed by the Manasquan Police to have been a bit more criminal and little less silly than Coach Martucci had been letting on. After all, breaking into student lockers and stealing things at a host school isn't aggravated assault, but it isn't filling a favorite teacher's car with bubble gum either.

So congratulations to our local school district for disciplining those players and to the public for its toleration of their actions. But to borrow Mr Politi's question, I must ask "What are we teaching here?" This can't be the end of the story. Missing some footballs games should only be the beginning of the Matawan players' penance given their sins. After all, theirs was an act of contempt for authority, different only in degree from the demonstration of hostility towards the Aberdeen Police by a menacing group of MRHS students that occurred back in October. Let's hope MARSD has concrete plans for a more direct response by those involved. Perhaps compulsory community service next summer in Manasquan would express adequate contrition?

History: Bids for Addition to Matawan School Exceed Expectations, 1907

According to the 12 Sep 1907 edition of the Matawan Journal, Matawan's school board needed more space in its existing school building, which had only recently been built. They drafted a plan for an addition and solicited for bids. Board members were aghast when the lowest bid came in at over $17,000 for a job they thought should be done for $16,000. They immediately set about seeking additional money from the electorate to fund it.

Below is a description of only part of this extensive improvement to the building they had. It's amazing what they could get built for under $20,000 in those days. The article contains floor plans but they don't reproduce well for this medium.

There will be two entrances, front and rear, in the new building, which, with the entrances to the present building will afford ample facilities for the quick emptying of the building in case of necessity.

The school has always suffered for want of an assembly room and the plan shows that a room 52 x 68 feet with a stage 18 x 25 feet have been provided. This part of the building can be used for public entertainments of various kinds and be the source of a considerable revenue during the year beside being of great benefit to the school. Provision is also made on this floor for two recitation rooms and while they are not needed at the present time the board has planned for the future in providing them.

In the basement will be a fresh air room 21 x 15 feet and a foul air room the same size, allowing room for the furnace between. Should manual training ever be introduced into the school two rooms in the basement 54 x 30 feet each can be utilized, thus keeping pace with the best schools of other communities.

. . . If the building is erected from the proposed plan our community will again have a building second to none in the State and one that should fill our needs for generations to come.

History: A Salute to Our Teachers, Matawan

In the good old days, we saluted our teachers for their service and offered them our support where we could. We recognized that the future of our children was largely in their hands. This Matawan Bank advertisement appeared 50 years ago this week in the 7 Sep 1961 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Inside the Circle

The Asbury Park Press ran an article on Wednesday about how school districts in our area are slashing free courtesy busing to save money. There aren't any savings to be found in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District; our Board of Education slashed free busing to those inside a particular radius quite some time ago.

It's been such a long time since Trenton decided our pre-school and elementary school children should walk up to two miles to school that no one gives it a second thought. I doubt lots of parents of young children called their legislators and demanded that their kids be forced to walk to school, so this was a budget decision made in a backroom somewhere. Safety may be the district's mantra, but really, how can they tell us to send first graders two miles to school on foot? (How can they operate the schools when the sidewalks are snow covered, forcing the kids into the street? How can they start high school so early when teenagers need more sleep than any other human being? Ah, but I digress.)

Parents who can afford it pay for the busing or, if they can manage it, they drop their kids off themselves or make other arrangements. Who in their right minds lets their small children walk very far unattended these days?

It's the law, though, so your legislature obviously has thought it through. Title 6A, Chapter 27, Sub-Chapter 1 of the New Jersey Administrative Code (NJAC 6A:27-1) explains how to determine who receives free busing and who must pay for the privilege if, as is more and more the case, their school district won't pick up the tab for courtesy busing. Below are excerpts from the general provisions.

Transportation shall be provided to public school students who reside remote from their assigned school of attendance. . . . The words "remote from the school of attendance" shall mean beyond two and one-half miles for high school students (grades nine through 12) and beyond two miles for elementary school students (grades preschool through eight). . . . District boards of education may provide for the transportation of students who reside less than remote from their school in accordance with their local policies and at their own expense.

It's Always A Personal Choice to Serve

Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District has announced that it is looking for someone to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education. This person would serve only until next April, when the winner of next spring's election to fill Pat Demarest's unexpired term through April 2013 would be installed.

Resumes of those wishing to fill the temporary position must be received by 4 pm on 7 September. The Board will review the applications and conduct interviews of the best qualified candidates at a Special Action Meeting on 20 September.

The Independent says that in an email Ms Demarest explained that she resigned because she no longer has children in our school system. This makes it sound like a principled act of some sort when it is simply a personal choice to end her service. It would be too bad if people got the idea from this that one must have a child in our schools to serve on the school board.

MARSD Superintendent Names His Representative to Library Board

MRHS Library Media Center

Zach Gross, the Librarian at Matawan Regional High School (MRHS), has been named by MARSD Superintendent David Healy to represent the school district on the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library's Board of Trustees, according to MAPL Director Kimberly Paone's blog and the library's new online roster of library board members.

Mr Gross fills the vacancy left by longtime board member Kathleen Eovino, his predecessor at the school as well. He received his masters in library and information sciences from Rutgers University in 2010 and has just completed his first year at MRHS. His first board meeting will be on 13 July 2011.

Patricia O'Keefe Retires; New Principal Sought for Lloyd Road Elementary

The online podcast of the 27 June 2011 MARSD Board of Education meeting includes the following interesting pieces of information:

O'Keefe

• Ms Patricia O'Keefe has announced her retirement as Principal at the Lloyd Road Elementary School. (The job is already posted online.)
• The district has hired two new Vice Principals -- Mr Michael Wells at MRHS and Mr Mark Van Horn at MAMS. Mr Wells begins his duties 1 July 2011; Mr Van Horn on 1 August 2011.
• The Board has participated in two mediated sessions of negotiations with the Matawan Regional Teachers Association (MRTA), on 27 April and 6 June 2011, and plans to attend a third session on 8 August.
• The Superintendent of Schools and the Mayor of Matawan (on behalf of both Aberdeen and Matawan) each recognized Kathleen Eovino for her years of dedicated service to the community through her work in the school system and on the board of the Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library. The student representative likewise praised her service and thanked her on behalf of his fellow students. Ms Eovino, in turn, recognized the service of teachers in our district. She also recognized the library board for their efforts. She received a well deserved standing ovation from those in attendance.