Invest in the children of Sparta?

We as parents do invest everyday in our children, we chose to live in Sparta based on the community, affordability, and the school. But the taxpayers spoke out for the second time in a row. Not against putting money into the classroom, but against paying administrative costs. Jennifer Dericks pulled a slick move when she knowledgeably (unless she doesn’t read a newspaper or watch the news) pushed the superintendent’s salary through when the Governor was placing a cap on superintendent salaries. So we have a superintendent in the top 10 in NJ, while the school itself isn’t. The same Jennifer Dericks took away school busing/safety for the children, at a cost that would have been only $33 a family? How was that fair for the children? Home values are not solely based on passing a school budget. We have a good-sized budget. Maybe it’s not wisely appropriated. Who wants to buy a home where you have to add $1200 or more to your monthly mortgage payment? People will choose another town with a good school system because of taxes. The number of homes for sale and in foreclosure are also a factor in the value of your home. When people shopping for a house see a lot of homes for sale, vacant and/or in foreclosure — that’s a red flag and the potential buyer will keep moving. How can we ask people to dig deeper into their pockets when there is nothing there to pull out? Drive around Sparta — not everybody’s business is flourishing. Business is down, rents and taxes are unaffordable, people have moved on. To the township committee members: You have the right to send the school budget to Trenton when no compromise is met, you didn’t last year. What’s a few more empty houses? Constance Bolzan Sparta