Sussex-Wantage district should close a school

Concerning the article, "Vernon school could close" as printed in the Aug. 13-19 Advertiser, it appears Vernon's taxpayers should take pride in interim Superintendent Arthur DiBenedetto, at least on this issue.

Sussex-Wantage Regional had 1,770 students in October 2001, and the S-W school board is estimating tthat the student enrollment in October 2015, will be 1,154; that is a reduction of 616 students or 34.8 percent.

Sussex Borough: Oct. 1992 — 306; Oct. 2014 — 163; for a reduction of 143 students or 46.73 percent.

Wantage Township: Oct. 2001, 1,527; Oct. 2014 — 1,033; for a reduction of 494 students or 32.35 percent.

Even this major reduction in student enrollment, in an apparent attempt to bankrupt us Sussex and Wantage taxpayers, for the last two years, the S-W Board has increased its local tax levy by the state's cap of 2 percent; thereby avoiding us voting on their budget while increasing the per pupil cost by $3,336, or 21.7 percent in just two years. This should be criminal.

Based on this, at their budget hearing on May 6, and again at their board meeting on May 20, I had recommended that the board use this summer to either mothball or sell one of the three school buildings. Begin the 2015-16 school year operating in only two school buildings, not three.

But, no, the board continues to force us taxpayers to pay to not only staff, operate and maintain, but also to improve all three school buildings; when, based on the student enrollment, only two are required.

How many hundreds of thousands (millions) of our tax dollars could we save yearly by closing one of the three school buildings?

In November, please only vote for those board candidates who promise to vote for Tom Card NOT to remain as the board president and to NOT renew Superintendent Apryasz' contract.

Also, please remember that it was presidential candidate (part-time Gov.) Chris Christie, who took away our right to vote on school budgets.

William H. Gettler
Wantage Township