Advance Advance

We are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Robbinsville Advance is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Gazette does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staff sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.

EDITOR

Bill Sanservino (Ext. 104)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ann LoPrinzi, Rich Fisher

AD LAYOUT AND PRODUCTION

Stacey Micallef (Ext. 131)

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Jennifer Steffen (Ext. 113)

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In the letter, the community members are also asking the governor to allow the Robbinsville Board of Education to use the previous years’ expired bank cap for operating expenses in the upcoming year.

In their request, they described how the reduction in veteran teachers is affecting the school district, as well as the planned budget cuts.

Jhansi Sadula, the mother of a sophomore at Robbinsville High School, said the letter-writing campaign began on May 11. More than 70 volunteers fanned out through the neighborhoods, knocking on doors, attending youth sporting events and canvassing businesses on Route 33 that residents frequent.

“People are very angry,” Sadula said. “We are losing teachers and extracurricular programs and sports programs. We are all very frustrated and need the governor to allow us to use expired cap funding from the past three budget years to close the deficit.” to be made if our school district does not receive the adequate funding required,” Betze said.

“Since we learned in March about our state aid amount, we have been meeting with our elected representatives on the state level, as well as the community, to discuss this quandary,” Betze said. “It is widely agreed that the right solution is for the state to review our state aid figures, recognize the problem and reconsider before the state budget is adopted next month.”

Robbinsville is not alone in its financial struggles. Other school districts and politicians on both sides of the aisle are expressing frustration over the randomness of the state’s school funding formula, known as S2. It seems that no one can explain the metrics applied, as some school districts received substantial increases in state aid, while others, of the same size and demographics, sustained major cuts.

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Sadula said the volunteers have also held Zoom information sessions and created an active text string, in which more than 700 community members have joined to commiserate and discuss potential solutions.

Electronics Recycling Event

“We are so appreciative for the outpouring of support from the community, which recognizes the difficult decisions that have

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023

“I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all the residents who have helped amplify our message during this difficult time,” Betze said. “During my time in Robbinsville, I am continually impressed by the proactive nature of our school community, as well as the heavy parental involvement. The community cares deeply about the quality of our schools, and it is my responsibility to fight for all the support in which this district is entitled.”

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