The JACKSON Times Vol. 20 - No. 46
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Hopeful Video Reminds It’s NOT The End of The World
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 12
Dear Pharmacist Page 13
Wolfgang Puck
─Photo courtesy Jackson Schools A screenshot of a YouTube video produced by Jackson School District administrators to bring a message of hope during the current challenging period of self-confinement and remote learning. By Bob Vosseller JACKSON - School a d m i n ist r ator s a nd instructors have had a chal le ng i ng t i me with the cur rent school closu re a nd remote learning, but they decided they also needed to provide a lesson in hope for the community as well. That lesson came
in the form of a fastpaced, fun-filled video shot around school facilities as inspiration to not only school staff and students but for parents and residents of Jackson to let them know that things will get better. The effort was led by Jackson Liber t y High School Principal
Geoff Brignola, who was also the lead singer. The group dropped a video with new lyrics to a song entitled “ It’s NOT t he End of the World as We Know It,” riffing off the R.E.M. song of the opposite sentiment. Brignola said, “we were working hard to get our students the
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t o ol s t hey ne e d e d , and we took a moment to convey the most impor tant lesson of all - which is that we are here for them and that everything is going to be okay. Letting them know in a lighthearted way seemed to work - the response was amazing.” (Video - See Page 7)
Local Man 3-D Prints Masks For Doctors
By Chris Lundy TOMS R I V ER – W henever there’s a big problem, everyday people often step up to the challenge. Wherever COVID-19 has struck, there has been a shor t age of personal protective equipment for fi rst responders. Globally, the story is the same:
as the numbers of infected rise, so does the demand for masks, gowns, and other necessities among the medical community. Township resident Er ic Mewe ng k a ng, is part of a group of people who have been using their 3-D printers to make masks for medical professionals.
T hese ma sk s a re a plastic shield that drops down from the forehead and creates a kind of splash guard for the wearer. They are not to be confused with the N95 respirator masks that look like su rgical masks and filter out particles from the air. His group is made up
of people from all over the world. There are about 8-10 people who collectively print about 200 masks a day. A 3-D printer builds an object one layer at a time until it’s complete. In this case, it is literally building a plastic object one tiny layer at a time until it’s real. The printer
is told what to make by giving it a design fi le. That fi le is open source, meaning that people share the file and make changes to it to fit people’s needs. They might get feedback like “it’s too tight on the straps,” and then they make the necessary adjustments. He
April 11, 2020
School Budget Includes $56 Tax Hike
By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Even with the Township Council coming to the school district’s fiscal rescue with a sizeable transfer in funds, the district’s proposed spending plan includes a raise in taxes as well as some deep cuts in programs. The Board of Education recently introduced a tentative budget that supports its curriculum but requires a number of cuts due to the funds it lost because of the state’s S-2 school funding formula. Superintendent Stephen Genco has been an outspoken critic of the S-2 formula, which redistributed money away from districts like Jackson because they were down enrollment. He has been involved in efforts to have Governor Phil Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney’s approved state funding formula reviewed. “This is the hardest budget I have worked on in many, many years. When you lose $3.6 million over two years, and are now losing another $3.5 million this year, it becomes impossible to handle without feeling the pain,” Genco said. The Current Proposed Budget The total school tax rate under this tentative budget is $1.390 per $100 of assessed home value, which is an increase of .0171 cents from the previous year’s budget. It will cost the average homeowner approximately $56 more per year in school taxes, based on the average home assessment of $328,520, as provided by the tax assessor’s office. The $152,661,707 tentative budget is up a total of .76 percent from the previous school budget. The general fund tax levy is increasing by 2 percent, or $1,723,423. The district will receive $44,291,564 in state aid, which is a reduction by $3,281,504 from last year. This will be Genco’s last budget as he is retiring as superintendent on July 1. He noted that the district’s position would have been even more dire if the Township Council had not voted on March 24 to utilize $1 million in surplus funds to help
(Masks - See Page 10)
(Budget - See Page 8)
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