The JACKSON Times Vol. 21 - No. 27
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Officers Give Special Present To School Children
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Pages 5
Community News Pages 6-7
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 11
Classifieds Page 15
Photo courtesy Manchester Schools Manchester Township police officers present a generous $1,500 donation check to Regional Day School Regional Day School Principal Lisa Michallis during a recent holiday program at the school. By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – A holiday party at the Regional Day School featured visits from special guests, including police officers who brought a special gift for the students.
The Manchester Police came by to not only spend time with our students and staff but also to present P r i ncipal Lisa M ichallis with a $1,500 donation check for the students. The Regional Day School is in Jackson but it is run by the Manchester Township School District. The donation was made by the Manchester P.B.A. 245 and all the funds will be used to prov ide w i nter coats, jackets, and other outerwear needs for Regional Day School students. Principal Michallis and Super intendent Diane Pedroza thanked the Manchester Police officers for their continued support of the schools of the township and the students who attend them. The holiday gathering (Donation See Page 4)
NJ Wants Input On School Funding By Chris Lundy JERSEY SHORE – The New Jersey Department of Education is asking the public to comment on the way state aid is distributed. There is a link to submit comments at the bottom of this page: nj.gov/education/sfra. shtml. All comments must be received by January 17.
ing formula changed with a bill called S-2 in 2018. Toms River has lost millions of dollars and dozens of staff positions during the course of this process. In the last round of funding, aid dropped by $2,798,243 after years of cuts. Jackson lost millions every year as well. The most recent cut was $4,459,769. That district had to sell a school this year. Lacey is another district facing a crunch. School Aid Impact Their most recent cut was $3,205,902. OffiMany local districts have been severely cials put forward a $92 million referendum impacted by cuts in school aid. The fund- this spring for capital projects like roofing
and HVAC. Barnegat, Little Egg Harbor, and Pinelands Regional all saw cuts in excess of $1 million for this year. Long Branch lost $10,401,402 this year, while Neptune Township lost $4,448,559. Part of the problem is that these cuts are cumulative. This year’s cuts reduce state aid from last year, which was reduced from the previous year, and so on going back until 2018. Another law states that districts can’t raise (School Funding - See Page 16)
January 4, 2025
Police Chief Alleges Power Grab By Safety Director By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – A recently filed lawsuit by the township’s police chief has called into question just who is in charge of the police department. One of the controversies this year within the governing body was the creation of a public safety director position at a salary of $200,000. Councilmen Steven Chisholm and Nino Borrelli opposed the idea, expressing that more consideration was needed and they also questioned whether it was actually necessary. Some residents agreed, calling it a further cash drain on taxpayers. A majority of council members, however, voted it into existence. Council President Jennifer Kuhn, and Councilmen Scott Sargent and Mordechai Burnstein supported the creation of the position. They stated it was also needed to address some personnel issues that had arisen between the chief and police personnel and that the new position would allow the chief to address other matters of the department. The position was said to have been created to assist and not replace Police Chief Matthew Kunz. Prior to Public Safety Director Joseph Candido’s hiring, the township’s insurance provider agreed to a $1.2 million payout to a family of a bystander who died during a police pursuit. A settlement was reached shortly after the chief’s testimony during the trial where Kunz was asked about the driving record of the officer who chased the suspect. That officer had more that 12 incidents of reckless driving on his record and they included several incidents while on duty, operating police vehicles. Kunz also received some criticism by the department’s police unions for hiring practices and expressed that there had been a lack of communication between the chief and police staff. A requirement of the position was for all applicants to have a minimum of 20 years (Police Chief - See Page 4)
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