NJ school tax hikes may be smaller, but passage isn't certain

The citizens and taxpayers of New Jersey have no control over public spending, except for the school budgets. Unfortunately, not enough voters turn out to make a difference. Maybe this year, with all the fiscal lunacy coming from Trenton, the voters will make a difference. But don't count on it.

Well I live in New York and I will be voting my budget down.

Don't think voting the budget down will mean it will not pass. The state will come in and look over the budget and decide what gets cut & what don't.
Sometimes it's worse than if they didn't pass it.
Voting down a budget is a statement from the taxpayers, unfortunately your elected school board spent thousands of dollars to get elected to a seat that don't pay back what they invested. Those budgets have much more than the municipal budgets do and that leaves a lot of opportunity for wasting taxpayer's money on no show jobs, salaries of family members working for the school, patronage jobs for unqualified candidates, vendors selling supplies and services to the school.
Get the picture? It's your money and your kid's education. You both lose if they win. Public Education is BIG BUSINESS IN NEW JERSEY.

A couple of weeks ago I received a flyer from the regional school district that indicated they will be looking for a .09/$100 increase in the tax rate for our boro - the highest in the district! I can't understand why our rate is increasing disproportionately more than other towns in the same district. This increase also doesn't include the increase that's certain to occur as a result of our bor (less than 5000 residents) losing all state aid, nor do I believe it includes an increase being requested by the boro school district of over $50,000. I'm voting against both these school budgets. I know th town or the state Dept of Ed will probably override and certify the budgets, but we need to send a message that enough is enough!! These guys have to start belt-tightening like all the families and businesses do when faced with less coming in and higher expenses. I don't have the luxury of telling my employer how much of raise he has to give me, and neither should the government and the school districts!

We need more dicipline in our schools than money. We throw excessive money against a wall to see if ANY sticks?
People older than 50 years MUST be stupid!! We had 35+ in a class!! BUT we had dicipline. The teacher ruled NOT the thought of "WHO WILL I INSULT!. Our teachers are more concerned with what is "politically" correct than what is best for the student... Our teachers think "what can I say or do that won't upset things or get me fired".
In "productive" times the teacher diciplined the student and if the student went home and told their parents, they were diciplined again.. Today, unfortunely, the parents SUE!!
THEN(!) the TEACHER is punished???
It is a wonder we have qualified teachers??