The BRICK Times Vol. 24 - No. 1
In This Week’s Edition
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Holocaust Survivor Speaks About Childhood In Hiding
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Photo courtesy Judy Smestad-Nunn Maud Dahme speaks about her youth spent in hiding. By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - Holocaust survivor Maud Peper and her younger sister, Rita, spent most of World War II hidden away on a farm in the Netherlands, separated from their parents and forced to adopt new names and new identities while being concealed f r o m t h e Na z i s by the Dutch resistance.
The girls were just 6 and 4 years old respectively, and during a recent presentation at the Brick Library, Maud Dahme (her married name) said she was forced to grow up quickly. Born in Amersfoort, H o l l a n d i n 19 3 6 , Dahme recalled her childhood and how life began to change for the Jewish residents after Hitler came to power
in Germany, especially after Kristallnacht (or the Night of Broken Glass), named for the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the Nazis broke the windows of Jewish-owned businesses. “Every Jewish person had to register, they had a list, and anyone over 6 had to wear a yellow star,” she said. “Every Jewish person who worked in
government, including teachers, was f ired. Jewish children were not allowed to go to public school.” Signs designed to isolate the Jewish population started to appear that forbade them from using the parks, using public transportation, going to the movies, eating in restaurants, socializing with nonJews and more. “Life became very difficult,” Dahme said. “We had to be very careful.” In May 1942, their rabbi summoned his congregation to the synagogue to read a letter that was written by the German command. “The letter said there was wonderful news: the Germans were going to take the Jewish population away from the war scene, that we should bring one (Holocaust See Page 4)
Bill Would Restore State Aid To Schools By Bob Vosseller TRENTON – Noting the devasting effects of the S-2 state aid formula, lawmakers hope their new bill would help restore some of the funding cut from local school districts. Assemblymen Alex Sauick ie and Paul
Kanitra stated that a bill they introduced would appropr iate $210.1 million to schools that previously received supplemental stabilization aid for their 2023-24 budgets. Supplemental stabilization aid was onetime funding given to schools that were hit
hard by S-2 and needed help to continue operating. Since 2018, hundreds of the state’s school districts have faced cuts under S-2, the name of a bill t hat redirected aid away f rom some schools toward others. Certain schools were consid-
ered “overfunded.” Jackson schools, part of Sauickie’s 12th Legislative District and just one of 16 school districts he represents, have lost $22.4 million in aid, leading to cuts of 214 positions, sports teams, AP classes and electives. T he d ist r ict wa s
forced to take a $10 million loan from the state, and pay a state monitor, to close budget gaps. The district needs $30 million to close its budget gap for the 2024-25 school year, but was infor med (Funding Bill See Page 5)
May 11, 2024
School District Receives $3.3M Grant By Alyssa Riccardi BRICK – The Brick Township School District has received $3.3 million in state grants to fund new HVAC units at three of its schools. The funds are provided through the New Jersey Schools Development Authority’s Regular Operating Dist r ict (ROD) grant program and will help pay for HVAC system upgrades at the Herbertsville Early Childhood Development Center, Midstreams Elementary School, and Osbornville Elementary School. The grants are part of the $450 million grant funding announced by the School Development Authority and the New Jersey Department of Education. The grant funds will pay for about 40 percent of the eligible costs of the HVAC projects, state officials said. The projects’ total costs come to more than $8.3 million, including state grants of more than $3.3 million. This leaves the remaining $5 million to be paid using money from the district’s capital reserve. The SDA has executed more than $18.7 million in grants to the Brick Township School District since the start of the State’s school construction program, officials said. “Through our partnership with local school
districts, this funding helps to ensure all students and school staff members across the State have access to high-quality learning environments that support positive learning outcomes. By addressing important school building upgrade projects, we are creating safe, healthy facilities for generations of young learners,” SDA CEO Manuel Da Silva said. The details of the state grants and the HVAC projects are listed below: • Herbertsville ECDC: Tot al project cost $2,392,309; ROD grant $956,923.60; Brick’s share $1,435,385.40. • Midstreams Elementary: Total project cost $3,443,374; ROD grant $1,377,349.60; Brick’s share $2,066,024.40 • Osbornville Elementary: Total project cost $2,520,399; ROD grant $1,008,159.60; Brick’s share $1,512,239.40 • Br ick Tow n sh ip School District Total: Projects costs $8,356,082; ROD grants $3,342,432.80; Brick’s share $5,013,649.20. Between state and local contributions, the total costs of the eligible projects across the state are estimated to exceed $1 billion, according to state officials. This impacts hundreds of local communities around throughout the state.
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