The JACKSON Times Vol. 21 - No. 52
In This Week’s Edition
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Community Bids Goodbye To Christa McAuliffe Middle School
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Community News Pages 8-11
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Inside The Law Pages 17
Classifieds Page 19
Photo by Bob Vosseller (Left) Teachers who have taught at the McAuliffe Middle School for many years gather for a group photo on the day of the school’s farewell ceremony. (Right) 8th graders Bianca and Brianna Kosarin were part of the last graduating class of the Christa McAuliffe Middle School. By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Staff, students, former students and parents came out to say goodbye to the Christa McAuliffe Middle School during a recent “Honoring McAuliffe” open house event. A ceremony was held where memories were shared to note the many years the school has served the community. The district is closing the school and selling the building and property to make up for a budget shortfall created by cuts in state aid funding. This farewell ceremony served to honor Christa McAuliffe Middle School, named after a teacher who went into space and lost her life in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Her motto “I touch the future, I teach” encapsulated her belief in the profound impact
teachers have on shaping future generations and it served as the theme of the 90-minute event. Two 8th grade sisters finishing up at the school came by for the final goodbye. “It is really sad being the last graduating class even though we have been here for three short years it definitely had an impact on us,” 14-year-old Brianna Kosarin said. “Being here allowed us to introduce ourselves to all the different teachers and we’ve kind of become a bit of a family with them. It is sad as it is kind of like losing a home,” Bianca Kosarin, 14, remarked. Bianca also served as class president and spoke during the ceremony held later in the evening. “It definitely had a big impact on our lives.” (Goodbye - See Page 4)
Taxes, Excess Money Discussed By Officials By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – A budget preview, credit ratings, found money (and how to spend it) were parts of a question-and-answer period that members of Township Council had recently with Jackson’s financial officer and auditor. New Chief Financial Officer Stephanie Marlin said she was committed to learning quickly and working hard and providing the community with transparency and accountability. She and Auditor Matthew Holman spoke about this year’s budget at a recent Township Council meeting. Councilman Giuseppe Palmeri said he felt
the budget “was coming together well.” He asked about the tax rate and what residents might expect from this year’s spending plan. The budget showed “there has been increases to the tax levy over the past several years. It is around the 50% mark for the increases that have happened,” Marlin said. “When you are dealing with a reassessment like the one the township has right now, the rate is usually something you can look at and the rate that you will be seeing this year will be cut in half. It is tough to give an apples-to-apples presentation. The best place to look is at your total tax levy and that is what she is referencing there,” Holman said.
“The total tax levy over the past six years has changed between one and two percent per year.” Holman explained this meant “generally as $700,000 increase has happened in taxes over that time. The effect that can be felt on the taxpayer level can vary because while the tax levy is increasing every year, ratables can be growing, and have been growing at a rate that would exceed the amount that is being increased.” “A taxpayer may well experience a decrease in their taxes from year to year with that slight increase that has been happening,”
June 28, 2025
School District Gets New Fiscal Monitor By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – A new face will be present at the next Jackson Board of Education meeting. Dr. Alfred Savio will be serving as the school district’s state monitor, a position ordered by the New Jersey Department of Education last year. According to a contract established on April 14 with the township school district that is required to pay his salary, Savio will replace previous State Monitor Carole Knopp-Morris. Last year, the township Board of Education voted down a property tax increase of 9.9% but Morris overruled their decision to reject the proposed budget. That spending plan included the sale of the Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School as a means to balance the budget. Morris had previously stated during a Board of Education meeting that the Jackson School District “doesn’t have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem” which BOE members and administrators say was created by the state’s inequitable distribution of school aid. Nonetheless, Morris overrode the board’s votes and approved that property tax increase. “The state caused the problem with its funding formula, and now the state has stepped in and overrode the elected officials who refused to initiate a property tax increase on Jackson residents, and to close a school,” 12th District Assemblyman Alex Sauickie said at the time. New Monitor To Be Paid More Savio, who resides in Northfield, will be compensated at the rate of $125 per hour, not to exceed 32 hours per week, without vacation, holiday or fringe benefits. This represents an increase in salary for the position from his predecessor. Morris’s initial contract term was from 1-23-24 to 1-22-25 and under that contract, the state-designated monitor rate was $96 per hour for 849 hours which equals $81,504 having been paid. The second contract period began 1-23-25 and was for a term through 1-22-26, however Morris left the district in April 2025 and Savio began in May 2025. Under that contract, the state-designated monitor rate was $125 (the new rate for all state monitors) per hour. Morris was paid for 220 hours during that (Fiscal Monitor - See Page 5)
(Taxes - See Page 12)
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