Residents can't handle cost of referendum

Many people have written about the upcoming referendum. There is no doubt that Brick Township High School could use some work and that there are other schools within the district that need help too. But there is something about this referendum that bothers me greatly, and that is the lack of any sense of the reality of life for the average person in Brick.

I hear and read a lot of whining about what we do and do not have. But the fact is that there are many schools in New Jersey that are in far worse shape than ours, despite the government money sent their way. Often it does not go where it should because those in charge do not use it wisely. And all of this money that everyone thinks we are going to get — where do they think it is coming from?

If it comes from the state, then it comes from our taxes. So we are being asked to pay more money to get what is in reality our own money; and since our state is having financial difficulties, our taxes will inevitably go up again. If it comes from the federal government, either it will be money from a loan from China or from our taxes, which will continue to go up to pay off our huge debts.

Last April, the people of Brick voted "no" on the school budget. But our government being what it is, we were forced to accept it anyway. That is not fair, in my book.

Now those same people, the Board of Education (BOE), want to spend more of our money, and our children and grandchildren's money too! This referendum could spread out over the next 25 years, and there are no caps on change orders, which means that expenses could go up almost without limit. That means more and more taxes in an endless cycle of debt. When will it end?

Next spring there will be another school budget shoved down our throats, like it or not. And who knows what else on the state and federal levels. We

need to face some facts here. We cannot afford to allow the BOE to take more of our money, nor can we trust them with the wise use of it.

Whatever happened to the solar roof panels that were supposed to not only be paying for themselves by now but also making money for the town? And why do we need yet another administrator and his/her secretary when there is declining enrollment? And why did the teachers get unusually high pay raises compared to the rest of the state and the country, when some teachers are electing not to take raises to save jobs for others or to help their town's economy?

In an ideal world, I think teachers should be better paid than they are. My husband is a teacher. But he did not get a raise anywhere near what the raises are in Brick. And his benefits were decreased. I am not against the teachers, but how can we afford all of this?

Those of us who are over 40 and have lived through a few economic ups and downs, or waited in gas lines because of rationing, or are single parents who have to count every cookie or slice of bread to make sure they have enough for the week, have learned that when you cannot afford something, you either make do or do without.

Why is it that we have to do everything all at once? Why couldn't we create a list of the top 10 worst things and start with number one? Why couldn't funds be raised for that instead of trips to Disney World or Europe?

Perhaps companies and local workers could donate time and materials. Just like in a hospital, we could have the Clayton Science Center or the La Fontana Culinary Institute — just examples, folks. A tax deduction and permanent advertising for them. Some students in schools around the country have raised money on their own for repairs or supplies instead of extravagances. What are our priorities?

If we took the money to be paid for another administrator and secretary, we could buy a whole lot of new computers, or we could fix up a bathroom, or replace some lighting, or buy lots of books and supplies.

Also, why isn't someone working on finding out about the possibility of companies like Microsoft or Apple making donations of equipment? Let's get creative here!

When the magic solar panels start making the town all those millions, then we can do all of the expensive projects. And when the housing market is better and more people move down the Shore, then we can hire more administrators and give better raises and benefits.

And why couldn't honor students or athletes serve as hall monitors instead of spending money for them? Or what about teachers taking turns on hall duty? That's the way we used to do things, and it worked.

It seems to me that our BOE has made a lot of poor decisions over the past year or two that have cost us a lot of money and did not turn out to be such great investments. They also seem to have problems with simple concepts like transparency and integrity, and a huge problem with lack of respect for the people they were elected to serve, not rule over.

I am a parent with students in Brick schools. I would love for my kids to have the best just like everyone else. But let's face reality. We cannot afford this referendum. If we blindly accept it because it seems like we don't care about our kids, we may be the ones losing our homes, and our enrollment will plummet.

Let's face reality and deal with our problems realistically, and one at a time. Let's not mortgage our future and the future of our children. Having no place to live is far worse than having an old school building.

Bonnie Jean Fulcher is a resident of Brick Township.