Kudos to Hammonton’s School Board for trying to preserve Hammonton’s standard of education by moving to avoid layoffs with the coming budget cuts from the State. In today’s Hammonton News, a report outlines the Board’s hopes of a yearlong salary freeze that will offset the perceived cuts Hammonton will have to deal with from the State of NJ.

It’s been easy to take shots at teacher’s because of their strong unions, but children are under the care of public schools for the majority of their childhood. Hammonton’s, and the rest of Jersey’s teachers are not only educators, but second parental figures in the lives of our children. Layoffs would do vastly more harm to the youth of Hammonton than any other drastic measure.

Let’s hope the Board is successful, and will avoid having to lay anyone off at our school system.

For once, perhaps New Jersey is rewarding districts for not overspending:

TRENTON – School districts with growing enrollments and those spending far below what the state believes is adequate will get more state aid for 2009-2010 based on state aid data released today by the Department of Education.
State aid to all other districts will remain at the same level as 2008-2009, but most districts will also get some extra money from the federal stimulus plan. Districts that plan to expand preschool will also be eligible for state grants to help pay for it

In Atlantic County, Hammonton is listed along with Absecon, Atlantic County Institute of Technology, Buena Regional, Egg Harbor Township, Folsom, Greater Egg Harbor Regional, Hamilton Township, Northfield and Somers Point.

Cape May County will not get any bonus dollars this year for their school districts.

Joe Giralo 940
Stephen DiDonato 886
Johanna Johnson 827
Thomas Costa 333

Budget:
Yes 732
No 364

Voter turnout: 14.24%

Full story at The Hammonton News. buy a house in columbus ohio test