Dear Residents of Middletown,
My name is Vincent S. Brand, and I serve on the Board of Education in Middletown N.J. I have been a Board member for four years and was recently re-elected to that post in November of 2013. Tomorrow, March 11th, the Middletown BOE is holding a referendum election to decide whether or not to fund essential repairs to 15 schools and thereby fully utilize 20 ROD grants awarded to Middletown Township Public Schools by the New Jersey Department of Education. This referendum, should it pass, will help the district address some of the critical needs within our buildings, with the benefit of state assistance.
To fully evaluate whether or not to support the referendum, it is important to understand the intent of ROD grants as they relate to our facility needs. These grants are not available every year in N.J. In fact, this round of ROD grants is the first to be issued in over three years. Additionally, these grants are not issued to every district, but rather awarded based on critical need. In order to qualify, a district must apply and substantiate that their need is greater than any other district. In Middletown, we applied for 39 such grants and we were awarded every one. Twenty of these grants are included in this referendum. Essentially, Middletown argued successfully that these funds were best spent in Middletown to address urgent facility repairs. What is important to know is that these funds were generated through statewide taxes. Monies awarded to any district come in part from Middletown tax payers. Therefore, it is noteworthy that we are voting to get back some of our own hard earned money. It is also important to know that these grants do not cover the entire cost of any one repair. These funds are supplied only if the district pays for roughly 60% of each facility project. If we cannot do this, the ROD grant is simply returned to the state and awarded to another district. We lose our tax money to someone else; our loss is their gain.
As for the facility projects being planned, it is fair and accurate to point out that these repairs are needed. Good schools require heating systems that work and roofs that keep the water where it belongs. Without question these repairs are needed, or schools may need to be closed. If unaddressed, our heating systems will fail and our roofs will continue to leak. The question becomes not should we make the repairs, but when will we make them?
This makes the referendum question an easy one for me. Right now, we can make these repairs for 60% of the cost to the taxpayers of Middletown. We can do it now, in 2014, when bond interest rates are low and labor costs are more reasonable. We can make these repairs AND get some of our tax money back while doing so. We can do it before systems fail and force us to both close schools and fully fund these repairs through our own budget with no help from the state.
The other option is to push this problem down the road and pretend it doesn’t exist. We can wait for systems to fail. We can let the ROD grants go. We can let some other district, whose need is not as great as ours, get these grants, and they can benefit. Then, when our heating systems fail, we can fully fund the repair.
I vote for the former. I want to fix our problems before they force us into school closures and we pay higher repair costs. I want to let the state return to us some of our taxes, and I want Middletown, for a change, to be the beneficiary of state ROD grants.
I am asking that you support this referendum, and please urge your friends and neighbors to do the same.
Vote yes on March 11th.
Thank you for your time,
Vincent S. Brand III
Monday, March 10, 2014
On the referendum, Vinnie Brand
I found the following open letter to Middletown residents, written by Middletown School Board member Vinnie Brand on Middletown Patch and thought that I would share with you all here. His open letter urges residents to support tomorrow's school referendum :
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26 comments:
Mr. Brand,
Please address all the questions that surround this referendum,e.g. were the roofs on the 2 high schools and Harmony replaced just two years ago? Also why is there such panic about these projects this BOE neglected in favor of constructing turf fields ? That certainly reflects negatively on the whole crop of BOE members.;If the roofs were leaking why is it more important to neglect them in favor of what a great deal of the public considers frivolous projects. And why can't this BOE get it's priorities in order and stop playing footsie with the TC ?
Can't help but feel our kids have been neglected for political reasons and the evidence certainly points in that direction !
How about the truth ,the whole truth and nothing but the truth if you want the voters in this community to approve this referendum !
So far there are more questions than credible answers and the public is not fooled by the scare tactics. and rhetoric. The law states the kids must go to school for 180 days per year !!
How did a relatively affluent school district like Middletown become one of the state's neediest cases as far as basic infrastructure? Could it be that our board members, for many years now, are nothing more than political hacks, doing the bidding of individuals who don't care about our public school children?
The problem the taxpayers have is that we don't trust the current board of education, many of whom were more concerned with funding turf fields while the infrastructure needed repairs. If my neighbor puts in a swimming pool while his roof is leaking, then puts out his hand for help in paying for a new roof, I would be loathe to give that individual a handout.
We all know these turf fields were a boondoggle for someone, and no doubt this geothermal upgrade business will be a boondoggle for some other individuals and their cronies. As a taxpayer and parent, I am tired of the bull. Perhaps the next time there is an unexpected opening on the board, they will appoint someone who has an interest in the solar panel business. History has a way of repeating itself. And here in Middletown, it has been repeating itself for years.
I am not Mr. Brand.
Anon 5:58
Harmony and Port Monmouth Schools both have new roofs which are under warranty and not part of this referendum.
The high school roofs have had band aids put on them, they did not get new roofs.
Anon 6:01
You want to know how a relatively affluent school district like Middletown became one of the state's neediest cases?
Why is it that you can count the number of parents at a board of education meeting in a town of nearly 70,000 on one hand?
Why do the residents complain about the BOE and then re-elect the same people they complain about to serve on the board for a decade or more?
Why can't you even name the board of education members that you criticize?
This is easy stuff. Pay attention to what the BOE is doing and they will act like you are paying attention. Ignore them and some of them will act like you aren't watching. This town has been ignoring the BOE for a very, very long time.
Don't paint all the BOE members with a broad brush. We have some excellent members, like Mr. Brand, and we have some members that need to go.
This vote is not a referendum on the Board of Education members. This is a referendum to accept $13 million in state aid or turn it down so some other town can get it.
Turning down this money will not address any of the things you are complaining about. It will only end up costing you more in the long run.
Mr.Brand,
Thank you for taking the time to publicly comment on this. I applaud you for your last minute effort given you ran as a fiscal conservative and stated at the Lincroft candidate forum that there were no real issues, other than overcrowding of course, that needed fixing. Should I assume you lied?
At least you have the courage, unlike other board members, to be public in your support. We have not seen any of the other board members publicly speak on this since voting to move it forward. We have not heard from them at Thompson, the board meeting and at Bayshore and none of them are public in their endorsement. Why are they so silent? Is this because we only get them to make deals in the backroom?
No where did you ever mention that the schools were in such disrepair (if in fact they are..wink wink) when you were glowing about your new turf field.
Excellent members like Mr.Brand?????
You must be joking with that. The guy said that by building turf fields, people would want to move to our town over others because of turf fields?
The guy was basically kicked out of the soccer league cause he couldn't get along with the other coaches.
The guy says he's a fiscal conservative, but then votes to raise our taxes after failing (along with the rest of the board) to address the concerns the schools so we didn't need a referendum
The guy ran with a former board president who was responsible for crying kids lamenting the move of several principals because he didn't listen to the people. AND YOU PEOPLE VOTED THEM IN!!!!!
Now we've Dawn Diorio supporting them and running around supporting this referendum when she was the President when they put in the geo thermal that going to cost us so much money and has given us so many problems.
you people are nuts
Vote NO
Funny that the only Board member mentioned by name here who is deemed "excellent" is Mr. Brand himself, the author of this post.
Perhaps voters would be more receptive to this referendum if all the board members offered to resign so the same individuals who brought us the pathetic "honor" of Monmouth County's neediest district weren't now making decisions on where and to whom this new money was paid.
Anon 9:31:
You say we shouldn't paint all BOE with a broad brush but you just painted all the voters in Middletown with that same broad brush. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but many people vote for the losing BOE candidates in Middletown- often the winners prevail by a handful of votes. I vote in every election and it's been a long time since I voted for a winner. So in my case, and no doubt many others, the current line-up of the BOE is due to bad luck, not apathy.
Anonymous:
Our shared services agreement with the TC has led to savings for all of Middletown. We do a great deal more than fields. We share vehicle maintenance, building services, garbage and recycling and we are constantly looking for new ways to save the public money. The turf field you mentioned cost the BOE 125,000.00 and is a facility improvement valued at about 1.4 million. Additionally it addresses a need of the community at large and is widely used, as this past Saturday would prove. Furthermore this BOE acted on roofing as our budget allowed during the same time period. Simply put, the facility improvement the field represents was a great bargain for the BOE and showed tremendous courage by our TC as well.
We have 17 buildings and many did receive roof repairs, the referendum addresses needs that we could not meet at that time.
There is no panic at all. We have an opportunity, clearly addressed in my letter, to get back some of our hard earned money in the form of ROD grants while simultaneously addressing critical needs. There is no scare tactic in my letter. If our roofs fail, or our boilers, we will have to fix them and we will bear the entire cost. Yes, by the way, we might have to close them during repairs in the event of a complete failure. Boiler failure almost never happens during the summer since they are not being used then. It is almost always a winter event. Roofing also tends to fail under heavy snow laying on the roof - a winter event. Winter is when we have school.
I don't know what political reasons you might think of that kids are being ignored. My fellow board members and I, even when we disagree, are concerned about the kids. That's why we put in the hours we do. We are volunteers and there is NO advantage to being on the BOE. None. No pay, no health benefits and certainly very little respect, as your letter demonstrates.
I wish that anonymous was not a signature allowed on forums like these. I wish people were forced to put their names on their venomous, unfounded attacks OR I wish they had the courage of their convictions and did so willingly. I do.
Vinnie Brand
Proud Member of the Middletown BOE and
Proud Middletown Resident.
Anon 8:5p.m.,
Why were turf fields priority number one ?
It has been like a aging fever for over six plus years?
The schools did not get into such bad condition overnight, so why have they been so neglected ?
We pay the salary of a school superintendent and a business administrator. Are they both incompetent or is it all to blame on the BOE ?
Since there is a 2% cap imposed on tax increases unless referendums are approved, threats won't gain the approval of the taxpayers in this town.
The time is long past for integrity in all arenas of government, in this town,in this county,in this state and in Washington,D.C.. That's something that is non existent or hard to come by currently.
I published a lengthy response. I assume it's being read for acceptability?
At the Lincroft Candidates night I mentioned several times that we had begun addressing the physical plant needs of the district. We have 17 buildings. They will always need maintenance and they will need repairs. This opportunity to take advantage of ROD grants is unique and was not discussed at the Candidates night because the grants were not awarded at that time. The minute they were awarded this board, collectively, acted on them. Good governance.
As for not getting along with other coaches and getting "kicked out" of MTS that simply is not the case. I chose to leave the organization over differences - this is true. However, I continue to work with that group on field improvements and on fostering a good relationship between the TC, BOE and that group and ALL youth athletic groups in Middletown. My work for that group, and the fields, will yield me no benefit when it comes time to play a game. I left MTS and accordingly, my home games are not on Middletown Fields. I do, however, continue to work for the kids, parents and coaches that do use those fields. I am proud of that and your anonymous libel (look it up, I'm certain you'll need to) is unfortunate.
This referendum is too important to allow lies and subterfuge to derail it. Support the bond. Attack me any other way you'd like but here, for the sake of all of Middletown, do the right thing. Vote yes.
Sincerely,
Vinnie Brand
Mr Brand, as a board member, why didn't you write such a public and impassioned plea to the taxpayers to address the apparent dire physical needs of our schools before the issue of grants? If it is a dire need today, it was a dire need before the grants.
I think you would do your cause more good if you stopped posting.
Mr. Brand,
As a very long time resident of the community I can tell you that intimidation and character assassination is the hallmark of those that currently serve in government in this town. It is classic in elections and it is classic against anyone who disagrees with or challenges the TC. Therein you have the reason that most posters here post anonymously.
Forums like this inform and expose some of the nonsense that takes place in Middletown. "Anonymous" just protects the poster as long as the discourse is civil and not libelous. To think otherwise, one must be oblivious to the reality of the situation and the vicious attacks on those with the courage to disagree..
Have lived in Middletown for five decades and government here has never been worse !
Voting no on this proposal because no clear course of action has been presented. The fiasco with Sandy funds is an indication of how badly projects are managed even by state officials. It's a disgrace !!! The taxpayer in Middletown doesn't need more fiscal mismanagement by anyone !
The only thing clearly apparent is that this BOE can't wait to get their hands on 32 million dollars and in the two and a half months since it became known the money could be available ,the preparation has been to schedule a referendum in spite of the questions raised by the voters and many remain unanswered...
Never forget, it's our money on the line and not too many of us have any reassuring reason to trust government in this town or even in N.J. anymore !!!
Libel= slander,malign, asperse, defame, denigrate
Don't believe anyone libeled anyone here, we just DISAGREE with you, Mr. Brand !
Perhaps the BOE member posting here needs a little education because he fails to realize he is doing exactly what passes for government in this town does when it is disagreed with. He is trying to intimidate with accusations of "anonymous libel".
Anon 10:50, you are absolutely right. The time for the public passion was before not after the grants were applied for. The timing is suspect and to question is the right of the taxpayer as stated by another poster
Respect for the people of Middletown who pay the bills is almost non existent and is perfectly evident when attending any public meeting. The condescension exhibited towards the people is a profound disgrace !
Our "proud Middletown BOE member and resident" needs to have spent some time watching our TC and it's attorney in action . He'll understand why the people here mistrust government.
The reason I did not write an impassioned please prior to this because we were not presenting a referendum to the public for voting.
Grant writing is a normal business practice for BOE's, TC's etc. The time to act on grants is after they are awarded, not prior because there would be no need for action on a grant that was denied.
As for libel, it is certainly libelous to state that I was "practically thrown out" of an organization for "not getting long with other coaches". Those are patently false statements, in written form, meant to harm my reputation, the very essence of libel.
As for respecting the taxpayers there is no greater form of respect than the referendum vote. We have placed the people of Middletown in the drivers seat. This only happens if you support it. I see no greater way to truly exercise the democratic process or greater way to show respect. Simple majority here dictates the day.
Character assassination? Yes, I see plenty of it in this post. I wrote a letter supporting something I believe in, signed my name and continue to stand by it. I didn't malign anyone in doing so. That was met with such mean spirited, subterfuge based lies that I can only assume the whole point was to attack me personally.
In addition to the attack on me, Dawn Diorio, who is not currently a board member, is attacked and labeled as the Board President when Geo Thermal was installed. This in inaccurate. She was not the president during any geo thermal project and I don't believe she was even on the board during the projects. So yes, there is plenty of libel and character assassination posted here.
Attack away. I still stand by my letter and I'd publish it again tomorrow and as always, sign my name.
Vinnie Brand
Vinnie,
Thanks for comments and dialogue here. I have two questions that aren't meant to be negative or any type of "gotcha' that I hope you can answer.
1. How much is the BOE spending on this referendum?
2. What is the plan if the referendum fails?
I ask this because it seems that instead of having a referendum now a referendum question could have been placed on the ballot for the June Primary and again on the November ballot if the question failed.
If these grants require a match from the taxpayers, minimally, the taxpayers should have been advised of the urgent need before the grants were even submitted.
If the grants had been denied, would the need have disappeared?
Mr. Brand,
Have you ever heard the expression "the lady doth protest too much " ? It might just be relevant here. And also relevant is " silence is golden".
When misinformation is stated that misinformation is not libel unless it slanders,defames,or maligns a person. No statement I saw about you or Dawn ( a very distinguished former BOE member ) appears to meet that criteria and you don't do yourself any favors embarking down that trail. with veiled threats . Appears no one should question Vinnie Brand and if that's the case you should not serve in a public position.. All public servants are subject to scrutiny and often times criticism by those who elected them to serve !
If my memory serves me correctly , you were -a part of the group of three that ran to defeat Dawn.Laura and Rose ,all who served this town and it's kids with a great deal of integrity.Are you changing your tune NOW because " the shoe is on the other foot".
Mike is right, the expense of this referendum was unnecessary as it could have easily been put on the primary ballot.in June.......wasteful spending is clearly an issue and the taxpayers fear just that....wasteful spending and mismanagement !!
Any subterfuge in this whole scheme seems to be an endeavor of this BOE. The only real urgency seems to be this money is burning a hole in the BOE's pocket before it is even received !! That alone is reason for caution.
Mr. Brand,
Have you ever heard the expression "the lady doth protest too much " ? It might just be relevant here. And also relevant is " silence is golden".
When misinformation is stated that misinformation is not libel unless it slanders,defames,or maligns a person. No statement I saw about you or Dawn ( a very distinguished former BOE member ) appears to meet that criteria and you don't do yourself any favors embarking down that trail. with veiled threats . Appears no one should question Vinnie Brand and if that's the case you should not serve in a public position.. All public servants are subject to scrutiny and often times criticism by those who elected them to serve !
If my memory serves me correctly , you were -a part of the group of three that ran to defeat Dawn.Laura and Rose ,all who served this town and it's kids with a great deal of integrity.Are you changing your tune NOW because " the shoe is on the other foot".
Mike is right, the expense of this referendum was unnecessary as it could have easily been put on the primary ballot.in June.......wasteful spending is clearly an issue and the taxpayers fear just that....wasteful spending and mismanagement !!
Any subterfuge in this whole scheme seems to be an endeavor of this BOE. The only real urgency seems to be this money is burning a hole in the BOE's pocket before it is even received !! That alone is reason for caution.
Wait a minute, they could have put this on the June or November ballot with no cost to the taxpayer?
Referendum apparently passed...must be due to lots of parents of the little ones not yet familiar with how this board and township operates.
Isn't it a shame that only a little over 4100 votes were cast on such an important issue ?
8:57 percent of the registered voters in Middletown. That's not just a shame, it is a "crime" that able bodied people are either uniformed , oblivious or don't give a damn about a referendum about this important issue.
And don't claim it is any kind of mandate because that would be a crock of #2 !!
Just remember, 1200 votes against each member running for re-election.
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