🚨So we’ve been doing a TON of digging into this bussing nightmare, and here are some of the bullet points we have so far:
1. The Township Committee knew about this missing $2.7 million MONTHS ago. For them to drop this on families after school has already started is absolutely 🤯.
2. There are approximately 10,666 non-mandated students in Lakewood. According to the LSTA letter, the $2.7 million the Township usually contributes would have covered these students at the $385 fee that families already paid.
According to our math, the shortfall should come out to approximately $254 per child — NOT $580 per child.
We still do not clearly understand why families are being asked to pay more than the actual $2.7 million shortfall that LSTA says it needs to cover its budget. The LSTA is saying if 50% of kids OPT out then the price of his routes will go up( and so will travel time) and LSTA needs money to cover that.
3. LSTA is no longer a nonprofit entity, which is why we could not locate current 990s. The last one we found was from 2021.
We wanted to see exactly where the money is going — how much the bus companies are being paid, what salaries are being paid at LSTA, and whether there are debts or other expenses that could explain why families are being asked to contribute more than the $2.7 million shortfall.
This is taxpayer-funded bussing. The taxpayers deserve transparency. The LSTA waas originally created to make sure non mandated kids get bussing, that was their mandate. If we have to pay $1,000 per kid for bussing then maybe we should just let each school add a small bus department and handle their own bus service.
LSTA has told us they will provide us with the books on Tuesday.
For now, we are advising people to opt out and carpool.
Yes, this will create a nightmare for the Township for a couple of weeks. But maybe that is exactly what it will take for the Township Committee and Avi Schnall to find the money to fund the bussing.
Or they can resign. I’m good with either scenario.
CBN is going to continue pounding away at the Township Committee and Avi Schnall until the funds are found to cover this shortfall.
The responsibility is squarely on them.
They created this mess. They approved all the development.They know about the “hazardous streets.” They ran for election promising bussing and tuition relief — and so far, they have failed on both.
There are thousands of families who are struggling to make ends meet. Dropping an unexpected bill like this on them after school has already started is simply unacceptable.
And where are the Rabbanim? Where are the askanim?
The school owners are afraid to speak up because they don’t want to risk losing their routes. Although they do agree that we should be opting out and that message should come to you shorlty. Additionally many of the people we’ve spoken to are connected to the system and don’t want to jeopardize whatever arrangements or deals they have in place.
So that leaves CBN.
Right now, we feel like we are the only ones willing to stand up and fight for the middle class and the Yungeleit of Lakewood.
As soon as someone else steps up and fights this battle, we will gladly step aside.
Until then…
We’ll do what we do. 🔥
Without getting into the LSTA mess, the shortage of funds could easily have been found, for instance, township just decided to spend $2 million to buy a snow melting machine. After last year’s unprecedented blizzard and freezing weather that followed for 2 weeks snow had to be taken to the blue claws stadium parking lot. So if they get themselves a snow melter they can just park it anywhere and use tractors to dump snow in and melt it. Well it’s a nice idea it probably will be used once in 10 years. And maybe those two million dollars could go give us buses for the year.
Additionally if you don’t give tax abatements, you’ll have millions more tax revenue.