Beached Whales, False Balance, And Borrowed Environmentalism

It’s impossible that photos of magnificent, beautiful whales lying dead on beaches couldn’t elicit strong emotional reactions from those who view them. Stories that carry sadness and anger are far more likely to be shared with others, and everyone can agree that no one wants tragedies like this to happen: the whales need to be helped at all costs. But it is extremely important we don’t allow our emotional reactions to dictate our decisions. We should separate feelings from facts.

In much of the coverage

I’ve read, there’s mention of some environmental groups who are demanding an immediate halt of off-

Parents Shouldn’t Teach Sex Ed

In the recent craziness surrounding the state’s new sex education policy, some parents are deciding to take matters into their own hands. This is one of those things you should leave to the professionals.

The parents want to be the ones to tell their children about sensitive materials. I can get behind this in theory. But there’s a difference between theory and reality. The reality is, they won’t really do it. They’ll say they want to have these conversations, but they really won’t. The kids will make it to adulthood without shore wind development, and other environmental groups who support the development with no stops because there’s no evidence of it causing the deaths. What I haven’t read a lot of is about the quantity of groups on both sides. I find it incredibly admirable to see journalists give both sides of an issue an equal voice to present neutral coverage without bias, especially for political and community issues. With scientific issues however, facts must be proven. Although it hurts to see this issue happening right on our own shores, I believe most could agree that the majority of people reading on the current topic aren’t professionally trained biologists, bioacousticians or whale experts. Neither are the journalists. Politicians and the fossil fuel industry bank on this, because public misunderstanding leads to doubting the facts. While I have no doubt that the few environmental groups who are against the offshore development have the best of intentions and already do so much for the whales, it’s important to note the quantity of environmental groups who ARE for the offshore wind development with no stops: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Commission, Clean Water Action, Environment New Jersey, The Sierra Club, New Jersey Audubon are just some…and many of these organizations link to their open letter of support of ongoing development, with proof and explanation of why the surveying isn’t harmful, on their websites or social media. There has been NO proof by the opposing side that the surveys hurt the whales, and all the proof that there are already known killers to whales (climate change, vessel strikes, plastic and entanglement). Research shows that seismic blasting, which goes kilometers into the ocean floor, kills marine life - that’s used by the Navy and oil boats. What’s being used right now for the wind development uses geophysical survey (all sonar, no air gun, only goes a few hundred meters), is emitted in short pulses, and isn’t even audible

Letters To The Editor

by some marine species.

Science isn’t a popularity contest or mere difference of opinion: science is based on evidence. To support a viewpoint with no evidence due to how badly we want to not kill anymore whales is deeply misguided and dangerous. Whale deaths have been on the rise for 7 years. Why would certain politicians, who are the greatest recipients of oil and gas companies’ lobbying expenditures, only start caring about the whales exactly when the offshore development started? The rise in whale deaths has been going on since 2016.

As just another whale-lover whose not a scientist and invested in this ongoing issue, I wholeheartedly believe read- ers expressing their pleas of stopping the development have the best of intentions. Clean energy is not something the public should be driven against. Deploying low-carbon energy sources like offshore wind combats global warming: a proven threat to whales. What would be really sad is allowing more harm to whales and other marine life due to emotional reactions, misinformation, and believing politicians who are using environmentalism for their personal gain over scientists who genuinely care.

Sara Zorns Layout Designer

ever knowing things because the parents don’t want their kids to know about sex.

Well guess what? Sexual assault happens to young kids, and if you don’t teach your kids that certain touching is bad they might never know. The world is a scary place and parents trying to protect children from this scary place are just helping them become victims. The parents decided thought they knew more than the teachers.

Everyone in the world who has ever gotten “the talk” knows just how awkward and bad it is. Parents don’t know what to say and they don’t tell you everything you really need to know. Some people never even get “the talk.”

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Imagine if everything you ever learned about sex came from your parents? It’s a hilarious thought but that’s exactly what’s going on all around us. Because the politicians and parents are too scared to have icky conversations or acknowledge that gay people exist, generations of kids are going to grow up without knowing anything more than the basics of sex ed. Does the average parent know about all of the sexually transmitted diseases? How they represent? How to treat them? Do they know how to teach children about sexual violence and bad relationships? Maybe, but are they going to teach them anything other than abstinence? Do they know enough about biology to be able to tell their kids what’s really happening in their bodies? What are they going to do if their child feels different than others? If the parent is against schools even acknowledging that there’s such a thing as homosexuality than they probably will treat their gay kid horribly. Their gay kid will probably keep it a secret, and move out the first chance they get.

Parents shouldn’t protect their kids so much that they become soft and stupid. These same parents are going to be the ones complaining that kids aren’t tough enough.

Melanie Dwyer Toms River

Central’s Reputation Hurt By Media

I just wanted to thank you for your most recent editorial (“When The Media Descended On Central Regional” on March 4) about the vicious public attack (fueled by the media) on Central Regional. The reputation of that school has been unfairly damaged by what many would consider INCREDIBLY irresponsible reporting and journalism.

After this recent string of events, I am now very hesitant to believe just about ANYTHING I read online or through the local news outlets. It was a breath of fresh air to finally read something that MADE SENSE and that acknowledges the fact that there is a LOT missing from the original story. It is heavily one sided and completely void of many facts, much background, and a ton of details. Your article may never be able to repair the damage that has been done to that school district but I thank you for the article and its intent nonetheless.

Name Withheld Ocean County

Let All The Generations Unite

Are generation gaps naturally divisive, or are they nurtured to achieve a more nefarious goal?

There are seven living generations in America. I’ve come to the conclusion that naming of generations has meaning and seems to be subtly demeaning for each subsequent generation. The Greatest speaks for itself having vaulted the USA to the world’s first super power, its status unchallenged.

Next comes the Silent generation forever in the shadows but having reaped the most benefit America has enjoyed. They were followed by the Baby Boomers who broke the mold becoming the original radicals challenging the establishment, and sparked the sexual revolution. For all their differences these generations all maintained an America first mentality and work ethic.

Then come the X,Y,Z generations as though in a countdown to chaos. The Gen Xers came in under the shadow of the Boomers yet still maintained the patriot fervor and work ethic even as the China factor emerged. Next are the Y/Millennials, the original entitled “me generation,” many of whom have adopted the mentality the world somehow owes them a living without sacrifice. The Zers are the first lost generation, with the last in the alphabet status, without a catchy name they seem mired in hopelessness with studies showing 75% of them feeling they have been handed a raw deal, the last vestige of American exceptionalism, as globalism looms. Lastly are the Alphas, yet to come of age but are being indoctrinated and primed to adopt the New World Order of so called Democratic Socialism as if such a thing can even exist.

Seven generations living in a precarious harmony. Liberty has been the common thread yet is in mortal danger. The New World Order has gained much power during this era, with deceitful definitions of safety and freedom through equity and claims of promoting the “general welfare.”

Power derived through division of the populace has been the method of socialism through the ages, always resulting in violence and death of the innocent. 247 years ago America made a 5,000 year leap away from the oligarchies toward individual liberty. We must resolve our differences to reignite the brush fires of freedom as one Greatest Generation, resolute in saving our American culture and in turn humanity.

James M. Spickard Little Egg Harbor

Murphy’s School Budget Cuts Blasted By Legislators

TRENTON - Senator Jim Holzapfel, Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, and Assemblyman John Catalano (R-10th) blasted huge cuts to several school districts in the 10th Legislative District that were just announced as part of Governor Phil Murphy’s FY 2024 state budget proposal.

“Governor Murphy’s massive school aid cuts to Brick and Toms River are malicious and unnecessary when he’s building a $10 billion budget surplus and putting $1 billion more into schools in other parts of the state,” Holzapfel said. “There’s absolutely no reason that schools in Ocean County or anywhere else should have their funding cut when the state is so flush with cash.”

According to school aid data provided by the New Jersey Department of Education, nearly half of the school districts in the 10th Legislative District would have funding reduced under the governor’s budget proposal.

The largest cuts in state school aid include $14.421 million to Toms River Regional (-31.8%), $2.542 million to Brick (-14.8%), and $215,059 to Seaside Heights (-31.8%). Smaller cuts will impact schools in Lavallette (-3.5%) and Point Pleasant Beach

(-0.6%).

“Increased funding for schools shouldn’t come at the expense of other children’s education,” said McGuckin. “All children deserve a thorough and efficient education, but Murphy’s budget and funding formula picks winners and losers. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been taken from Ocean County school districts to increase funding in Democrat districts. If Murphy really wants to address the learning loss all students experienced from his draconian lockdowns, he has to fully fund all schools.”

Total state funding to schools in the 10th

Legislative District would decline by 18.8%, according to the Murphy administration.

“How do you cut state aid to Toms River by 32% and Brick by 15% and expect them to survive?” Catalano asked. “After absorbing years of aid reductions by the Murphy administration, there’s nothing left for these districts to cut. Unless you want classrooms without teachers, the governor’s budget cuts will lead to huge property tax increases in these towns. It seems crazy these harmful cuts are being proposed while Governor Murphy is building a $10 billion budget surplus that isn’t helping anyone.”

Governor Highlights Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Plan

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy and Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan highlighted the $20.5 billion in the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal to support New Jersey schools. This funding will help grow New Jersey’s education workforce, support academic recovery, increase the availability of college-level courses in high schools, and advance the Governor’s goal of reaching universal pre-K.

The proposed budget will provide historic levels of School Aid, with an increase in $1 billion over the prior year for a total of $20.5 billion in school funding. This amount includes pre-K funding, pension and benefits funding for school staff, and an increase in $832 million in total K-12 formula aid. District allocations of state aid are available on the DOE’s School Finance webpage.

“My Administration remains committed to providing students throughout our state with the world-class education they deserve,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Ensuring equitable access to high-quality education not only prepares our children for successful futures – it benefits us in the here and now. Investments in education represent investments in working families, school communities, and so much more. This year’s budget proposal demonstrates our ongoing commitment to working towards fully funding our schools, expanding pre-K throughout the state, growing our educator workforce, and promoting the success of our students.”

School Funding

The FY 2024 budget proposal marks the sixth year of the seven-year phase-in to fully funding New Jersey’s school funding formula, established under P.L. 2018, c. 67 (S-2). New Jersey’s school funding formula is designed to address inequities and meet the needs of growing districts. By adding $832 million in K-12 formula aid, the Governor is proposing to maintain the phase-in as planned for FY2024.

In addition, the Governor proposes $20 million in Stabilization Aid to help districts that are experiencing a reduction in State aid or are otherwise facing a budgetary imbalance.

The FY2024 budget includes an increase of nearly $110 million in pre-K funding compared to the prior year, for a total of $1.1 billion. The increased funding includes $40 million to expand high-quality full-day programs into new districts and support other preschool expansion needs, such as workforce development.

Since Governor Murphy took office, high-quality preschool programs have been introduced to over 160 school districts, open- ing seats for more than 12,000 additional children. Recent federal funding announced by the Administration also included $120 million in preschool facilities funding to help expand preschool infrastructure throughout the state.

In concert with the launch of the New Jersey Partnership for Student Success last year – which will continue to recruit coaches and mentors to accelerate student learning in FY2024 – the Governor is announcing additional funding for the recently-announced high-impact tutoring and RAPID learning acceleration professional development initiatives.

The Administration has already committed over $20 million in State and federal funding for these programs. The Governor is now proposing an additional $10 million in ARP State Fiscal Recovery Funds for the tutoring program and a continued commitment of $2 million for professional development in the FY2024 budget.

In addition, the Governor’s budget proposal includes $1 million for the expansion of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in New Jersey, as well as $500,000 for wraparound supports and additional class offerings for students in Dual Enrollment (DE) courses in New Jersey, which will allow our students to take more college-level courses in high school to better prepare them for higher education.

The expansion of these courses will be targeted to help students from low-income communities by increasing their opportunities to gain college credit in high school – making a higher education more accessible to students who may not have previously felt college was within their reach. These targeted expansions are based on recommendations from the Wealth Disparity Task Force.

Teacher Shortage

As part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to address the shortage of educators in New Jersey – an issue currently seen around the nation – the Governor also proposes over $20 million in new investments and other supports to help ensure our state has the trained and dedicated workforce necessary to provide top-quality education to public school students.

This includes $10 million in stipends to support student teachers while they work and study, and $5 million to waive certification fees in an effort to help bring more qualified and diverse individuals into the education profession.

An additional $2 million will go towards a Culture and Climate Innovation Grant opportunity to help districts support educator quality of life, while $1 million will go towards a public awareness campaign to help encourage interest in teaching and raise the profile of the education profession. $1 million in funding will aim to develop local partnerships to help train paraprofessionals and offer tuition assistance to those seeking to become teachers.

Similarly, the budget proposal includes $800,000 for a teacher apprenticeship program and maintains funding for the Men of Color Hope Achievers program and the Minority Teacher Development program to help support a diverse educator workforce.

Additional Highlights

Municipal aid and school aid funding combined represent more than 42% of the entire FY2024 budget proposal. This funding will not only help schools keep up with rising costs, but will ultimately help keep property taxes from significantly increasing.

Additional highlights include: $80 million for capital maintenance and emergent needs in traditional school districts and charter schools; $250 million for Schools Development Authority projects, drawing from the $1.9 billion appropriated to Schools Development Authority (SDA) from the Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund last year; $3 million to implement a community schools pilot program; and a continuation of $420 million in funding to support Extraordinary Special Education aid that helps defray the cost of educating students in special education classes.

Brick Police EMS Employee Spotlight

BRICK – Each month Brick Police EMS will randomly select by drawing numbers, an EMT from their staff to share a little bit of their background and shed some positive light on their contribution to the Brick Township Community. For the month of March 2023 EMT Ricardo Lopez #5321 number was drawn.

Ricardo joined the unit as a Full Time EMT in August of 2010. Ricardo has been an EMT since December 2006 eventually completing his Paramedic Certification August 2019. Ricardo currently serves BTPD EMS as a Field Training Officer where he is largely involved in training staff members and is a member of the Tactical EMS Team. Ricardo previously served as an EMT with a neighboring municipality and a private ambulance company and currently works for a large hospital-based program as a part time Paramedic. Job well done EMT Ricardo Lopez. Keep up the excellent work!

Brick Township Historical Society Upcoming Meeting

BRICK – The Brick Township Historical Society will host their next meeting on March 14 at 7:30 p.m. The guest will be T.J. Fallon, founder of the Dead History YouTube page. He will be presenting a program on the gravesites of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and the 39 signers of the U.S. Consti - tution.

The meeting will be held at the Herbertsville Firehouse, 601 Herbertsville Road. The public is welcome to attend. Anyone attending is asked to park in the rear of the firehouse and use the door on the right. For more information call 732-785-2500 or visit the Historical Society’s Website.

Groovin’ On A Sunday Afternoon

BRICK – Church of the Visitation Presents Groovin’ On A Sunday Afternoon with OC Jukebox on March 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Church of the Visitation Parish Hall.

Tickets on sale now: $25 in advance/$27 at door. Light refreshments, deserts and hot and cold beverages will be available. Reserved tables for groups of six or more. For more information call 732-4750048. Visit visitationRCchurch.org/social-events to purchase tickets.