R' Aron (Arthur) Lang, who has tirelessly devoted countless hours over nearly a decade advocating for fairer school funding for Lakewood, is once again turning to the New Jersey Appellate Division as the State Education Commissioner continues to rebuff all his hard efforts. Faa news reports
See the newly filed appeal HERE
While R' Aron continues to work tirelessly for fairer funding for all of Lakewood, Township and School District officials - including the incumbent Board of Education members who previously claimed to openly support R' Aron - remain silent regarding the Commissioner's continued efforts to subterfuge fairer funding for Lakewood.
The state report blamed Lakewood BOE for mismanagement and that Lakewood is undertaxed.
Mr. Lang's long time 2 simple arguments are; 1) Lakewood's students are not receiving a constitutionally sound education (known as a Thorough and Efficient education, or T&E), and; 2) the fault of this lies squarely in the fact that New Jersey's School Funding Formula (SFRA) is unconstitutional as applied to Lakewood's unique demographic situation (which has many nonpublic students who need transportation but whom are not counted towards funding).
The state refuses to acknowledge a funding issue
The petition suggests that the court should launch an appropriate state-level remedial process as expeditiously as possible so that the longstanding and inexcusable denial of the Lakewood public school students' fundamental constitutional right to T&E can be remedied. dee ful backfround to the case HERE
While R' Aron continues to work tirelessly for fairer funding for all of Lakewood, Township and School District officials - including the incumbent Board of Education members who previously claimed to openly support R' Aron - remain silent regarding the Commissioner's continued efforts to subterfuge fairer funding for Lakewood.
There has been lots of support here and irl for Mr. Lang.
ReplyDeleteBut we need translate that support into action. First, he has been discriminated against in the school district. Can someone hire him so that he doesn't suffer financially? Maybe retain him as a lawyer for something, ask him.
Also, we can discuss him positively with others and try and ensure that at the next elections, his candidates are voted into office.
He already has a new teaching job in another district.
DeleteAnonymous 7:33 AM
DeleteLet's get going!
I am very concerned about how this will play out on the ground. Even though the DOE report had nothing to do with answering the question of the Court, it did confirm what I have been saying for over a decade. There is a culture of fear on all levels of the corporate ladder; the bottom line does not matter; BOE members do not pay attention to the finances or the fact stakeholders; submissiveness, mediocrity and inability to solve problems is rewards while innovation, vision, and genius are punished. Lakewood is hefker. No one knows who is in charge or who gives the marching orders to the polls, the public trust has been violated, and the residents have been encumbered with over $200 million in debt that has increased every year. A L
DeleteTypo: BOE members do not pay attention to the finances or the welfare of stakeholders; submissiveness, mediocrity and inability to solve problems are rewarded, while innovation, vision, and genius are punished.
DeleteHopefully two of the candidates are going to run again. This time, they will need a war-chest, a political committee, press coverage, commercials (I guess on the Internet?), newsletter, and just simply, a professionally run campaign. Once the BOE will be reformed, voters will comply with their civic duty to make wise decisions after learning the issues, and good government will be restored (inaugurated) in Lakewood.
Before all of your needs, you need to clarify your mission to the unlettered. Most people do not know the issues, and do not have the head space to take a course on it.
DeleteYou need to prepare a one page handout with bullet points, a five page detailed manifesto, and find ways to publicize them.
Only afterwards can you begin to think about committees, press coverage, and commercials. And remember, the establishment will want you to fail without officially admitting it. So it is possible the press coverage will not be favorable, or your commercials will be 'forgotten'. Your handouts are in your control, not theirs.
Wrong. I don't need to do anything. I am not running for office. It is up to the honest men among you to recruit and support candidates. It's better if I just keep doing the same.
DeleteHe's a good guy but wasting his time
ReplyDeleteI you say I am wasting my time, you did not read the brief. It is a davar pashut.
DeleteWhy is there no support for from pliticans? Igud? Vaad? Does nayone represent us the taxpayers?
ReplyDeleteWhat are those BOE members that were voted in due to the VAAD endorsement?
Things need to change in Lakewood
There is no support because everything is compartmentalized and hefker for the taking. Rabbi Balsam and Inzelbuch take care of BOE, Rabbi Blech and Dr. Cohen of the Vaad, and no doubt others, do not participate in their meetings, the Rosh Yeshiva is compelled to do what the nursing home tycoon and his manager says in politics, our legislative assembly has not clue of how close we are to victory, IY"H, the voters are chicken and don't live up to their civic duty, there is too much hakaros hatov, meaning chanifa, and all the talmidei chochomim, except my chaveirim in our old chabura, either get a check from the yeshiva and can't go against corporate leadership, or are not man enough to take a public stand. There is no one person, like a mayor in the mayor-council form of municipal government, where the buck stops there. In our form of government, no one is held accountable because it is always someone else, whom you are never able to confront, making the decision. I am not sure that we should switch away from the municipal manager/ committee form of government since we are mostly a homogeneous community (you want the mayor/council form when there are disparate groups and commissioner form of government will acerbate the lack of accountability), but something is not working right. I was shocked in 1985 when I came here that Rabbi Schenkelwski, and now the Vaad, told people how to vote. I set out in BMG to prove this wrong, and it is pashut wrong in Ch. M. 163. Elections are dinai mamonos.
DeleteEvery time you see an ambulance struggling through traffic in lakewood, say a prayer for the injured and remember the evil doers that caused the gridlock enriching themselves
ReplyDeleteYou may be right, but this has nothing to do with that. This is about the funding formula for the BOE.
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