State Sets the Funding Laws for Regional Schools

To The Editor:
In all of the articles that have been in the local news media, Mayor Edward Mahaney and Councilman Jack Wichterman, then later on the rest of their council members and a few taxpayers of Cape May City complained they are being overcharged for the education of their children at the Lower Cape May Regional School.
All of the above know it is not the regional school board or the Lower Township Council who sets the way the regional school districts are funded. Our state legislature set the funding laws for regional schools, which is based on property values, and is the same funding system for individual school districts. If they want the regional school funding laws changed, they should petition the state through legislation.
Instead Cape May’s council hired Mr. Gagliardi and his consultants again, who specialize in dissolving or withdrawing from regional school districts, and they were paid $48,000 so far; with much more to be paid out as this continues. Their cases usually come from municipalities with high property assessments and a declining population of children.
The bottom line is it’s all about money. It’s not about what is good for the children or the school district itself. The winners will be Gagliardi and his consultants and all the other consultants and lawyers hired to take this to the end result, which will be exactly as it is now. Taxpayers should be upset over this continuing waste of their tax dollars. It’s not even about an overburdening school tax in Cape May City. The taxes are very low, especially when you consider how much of the municipal taxes are paid by the tourists in beach fees, parking meters and so forth.
I compared my Lower Township property tax bill for 2013/14, assessed value $511,700, to a Cape May property tax bill assessment $517,500. I pay school tax of $3387.46, the comparable Cape May property owner paid $1449; which is $1938.46 less than mine, so it makes no sense for Cape May to say they are paying more than Lower Township taxpayers. Actually, if my property was in Cape May and I use their tax rate of 0.838 cents per $100, compared to Lower Township’s 1.409 rate, I would pay $2,921.81 less property taxes.
I have been a taxpayer in New Jersey since 1964. My children all went to parochial school. For many, many years we had no children in the school system, but our school taxes were, and still are, paying for children being educated in Lower Township. Schools/education is funded through property taxes based on property values; that is it. When this issue comes down to a referendum, remember Councilman Wichtermans’ public comment, “I don’t give a damn about the people in Lower Township” and vote no to dissolving the school district.
ED BUTLER
Villas
609-886-4726