The Edumafia needs to be reined in---first step--DUMP ALL THE INCUMBENTS who all agreed to the exorbitant salaries paid to administrators---America's highest paid part-time workers................................VOTE HENKEL

Each candidate needs to be asked about the deferred school taxes that the Middletown Township Committee has taken (borrowed) for many years from the taxes collected to fund education. Last year the Middletown Township Committee borrowed, with no intention of repaying, $1.3 million dollars from the Board of Education and over the years has taken about $52 million dollars from education funding. The money could be collected and rolled into the Board of Education budget for the following fiscal year. This situation occurs because the Board of Education and the Township Committee are on two differeent fiscal calendars. Once enough taxes are collected to fund a Board of Education budget for a fiscal year, the Township continues to collect educaton taxes and then takes/borrows this excess(deferred taxes) and supplements the municipal budget with the funds that were collected for the purpose of educating Middletown students. I'm very interested in how each candidate would respond and even more interested in how many candidates know about the practice.

the Pilgrim (aka Middletown Democrat activist) loves to throw out lies and hope they can stick. There is absolutely no truth or validity to his assertion on the Township Committee is borrowing money on deferred taxes. The Township collects school taxes for the schools via the tax bill and sends ALL of that money to the schools just as is done in every other municipality throughout the state of NJ. If the town wasn't giving the money to the schools, I am quite certain the schools would send out their own tax bill instead.

What the Middletown Democrats, excuse me Pilgrim, also fail to mention is that for every tax appeal that is filed (for which over $5m in awards have been filed since 2008) the Township must refund 100% of the appeal despite only receiving 25% of the total tax bill in the first place. The schools do not pay their share back. Therefore, the schools would have owed the Township over $3m over the last three years if we want to get technical.

Maybe Pilgrim should run for Board of Education or Township Committee if he is right and everyone else is wrong? Or has he already?

They are too busy stealing signs and running into traffic...............

Mayor Fiore, given the limitation on characters in any single comment, here is a complete version of a deferred tax resolution that authorizes the TAKING of Board of Education funds, which you and other Committee members signed; and then spent. I wonder, COULD YOU STAY WITHIN the 2% cap without access to millions in school funds, library funds and Sewerage Authority funds, as part of your tactical financial planning process? Do you think a finance committee could improve your strategic financial planning?

"RESLOUTUON 11-121
DEFERRAL OF LOCAL SCHOOL TAX
WHEREAS, the Local School District Tax for the year July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 was raised in the 2010 Tax Levy in the amount of $126,229,463; and WHEREAS, the statutes permit [not require] the deferral of cash liability of such school Tax up to fifty percent (50%) of the School Tax Levy or $59,884,638.00; NOW, THRRERFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township Committee of the Township of Middletown, county of Monmouth, State of New Jersey, that the deferred School Tax for the Local School District be increased from the sum of $59,750,000.00, which was deferred as of December 31, 2010 to the sum of $61,050,000.00. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be files with the state of New Jersy, Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services."

Mayor, I do apologize for my error in stating that $52 million has be taken over the years when your own resolution indicates over $61 million.

Tony, it really isn't fair for you to continue to use 'Hate Facts"-aka facts that make Dims uncomfortable--in your arguments.
Remember--this has nothing to do with actually saving $$--it is always, always, always the same--Edumafia and Redundant Library walk on water while Tomsa and you are the entire reason we have Middletowners starving in the streets and now because you are sooooo cruel, they can't even read their library books since you closed all the schools.
Thank God we can restore sanity by voting for people who run in traffic and steal signs to right these wrongs---and Rutgers still has ugly uniforms.

Deferring school taxes is not only common, it was at one point mandated for municipalities by Democratic Governor Florio.

http://raressential.com/Deferred%20School%20Tax%2002.pdf

Now can we please discuss the BOE candidates?

Mr. Fiore,
As a taxpayer of Middletown, I find your comments about democrats disturbing. You are the mayor of the entire town of Middletown, not just the GOP voters. If you are going to be this partisan, maybe the job of mayor is not the one for you.

Anyone of the incumbents (Caminiti & Minnuies) that voted to remove Dr. Anthony Shallop as Principal of MHSS should be voted out. They ran a great principal out of town and they need to be removed.

Mayor, saying I fail to understand the word deferral does not make it true. Explain it to me and ALL other MIDDLETOWN RESIDENTS reading your comments: impress us with your expertise. Be sure to expalin how the municipality uses the taxes it collects for the Board of Ed and postpones, "defers", giving back to them; WHY it doesn't give it back to the schools; HOW it uses the taxes collected for the schools. Do you spend it or is it placed in surplus? A few years ago Gerry Scharfenberger and yourself attacked the Board of Ed and teachers for the amount of money that they take out of taxpayers pockets and never mentioned how much of that money collected for education has been used by the Republican majority on the Committee as an annual dedicated revenue stream. Shed some sunshine on the deferred school tax process for Middletown taxpayers. What other municipalities do or don't do is NOT JUSTIFICATION for what Middletown does -- another red herring on your part. Share non-fabricated facts that prove your point that All other municipalities defer school taxes, be sure to include Lacey. Pointing at former Committee minority membership is just another red herring. By my calculation the Committee couldn't stay within the 2% cap without using deferred school taxes: 2% of 61 million is $1.2 million--slightly less than the $1.3 million taken in deferred school taxes. What happens if the school budget doesn't increase? By-the-way, strategic manipulation is not strategic planning.

Mr Fiore: If you don't like my comment, then keep your comments civil and to the point. You are the one dragging all the Democrats into your arguement.

I agree Marie12, I found the mayor's comment to be a cheap off topic shot and not very mayoral.

But I disagree that all the board members should go. First of all they are not all up for re-election.

The issue is not who to vote for, it is who not to vote for.

Vote for anyone but Joan Minnuies if you want this district to have a chance at moving forward.

Sorry that my comment wasn't clearer. It was both Minnuies and Caminiti that voted to remove Dr. Shallop. They need to go. Donlon voted against removing him, so I am voting for him.

Although I don't agree with your reasoning, I agree with your choices.

Whatever it takes to get Joan off the board works for me.

As Vinnie Brand once said during a BOE meeting, she is poisoning the school district.

http://middletown-nj.patch.com/articles/schools-superintendent-george-awarded-13k-in-merit-pay#comment_5157443

What a Joke:

•For his goal of Reduction in Special Education Costs, which is defined by saving the district $100,000 in special education out-of-district tuition primarily by making Middletown in-district programs the first choice by parents, the board did not find enough evidence to award the full amount, so they gave George 25% of his possible raise in this area, or $898.41.

I have a severely disabled child in the district. He needs to be placed out of district and we have had to retain an attorney for this ongoing matter. Mr. George needs to meet his entire school population and do what is right for them. Not fatten his already inflated wallet.

In district placement is by no way my choice! Believe me it will cost the district more in the long run. Wake an smell the coffee Middletown Administrators and the Board of Education.

Thanks,
Jim Smith - Father of Kyle Smith

Removing Dr Shallop may be the only thing I ever agreed with Minnuies and Caminiti on. Just tell us you are supporting Obama too Marie12 so you can make it a hat trick.

Jim, It was not a raise, it was a one time bonus, or merit pay.

I think that making all of Dr George's merit pay dependent on saving the district money was ill advised and I thought at the time that the impression would be exactly what your impression is, that he would deny out of district education to line his pockets.

That was a bad call by the board.

I don't believe that is the case and I hope everything works out for your kid.

BTW, Jim, maybe not the best idea to use your last name.

According to charges made during the public portion of the BOE meeting Wednesday night Joan Minnuies was at a PTA meeting at Thompson School the other day soliciting for funds for her campaign.

She is not a member of the PFA and has no children in the school. She admitted being at the meeting and she admitted seeing the campaign literature but made no effort to remove it. She denied bringing the literature to the meeting.

It is illegal in New Jersey for candidates for elected office to solicit for campaign funds on school property.

Mayor "Not All Residents Are Equal' Fiore, have you decided to no longer be part off this conversation? Did Peter Carton tell you to back-off because you were bringing too much attention to the deferred school tax issue. Why haven't you answered any of my questions or commented SPECIFICALLY on my assertions? Have you read Polygraph's attachment written by Robert Roth and found it helpful?

Pilgrim, the mayor has left the building.

According to the grapevine the ex-board member who accused Joan Minnuies of violating campaign law is following through and is seeking to have charges brought against Joan for campaigning on school property.