TLS Reporting Rabbi Weisberg of Lakewood Community Busing Task Force: Carpool Drill Complete Success; Important Data Gleaned

You can read more on that site by clicking the link above, and then come back here for comments. 

As usual TLS is censoring, below is a comment submitted to The Lakewood Times unedited. 

This is a comment I posted on TLS (don't usually go there) under the name Libertarian, it stayed under moderation:
" It is always worse to pay the government to fund something, rather than pay for it yourselves.
Think a minute, someone has to work out how much the government needs, another has to audit it, a third put out the bids, a fourth to bill, a fifth to collect, a sixth to chase non payers & so on, all that adds to the cost. Another problem is crony politics when a bus company is more connected. Look at what happened to the BOE iPod gate.
I think it is time for us to stop following our politicians blindly, and making up excuses like showing unity.
Open your eyes & ask is there any conflict of interest going on here?
Do some (schools) own their own buses & gain from their own billing?
Are they those calling you out to protest? Are you blindly following?
It is possible that the few years you have kids being bussed you save a little money, because those who don’t, pay your bill, but in the long run, unless you will retire to Florida after your kids graduate school, you will be paying other’s bills, with all the extra costs.
Another good which could come from parents being parents and taking their kids to school showing love at the time of day, when everyone is rushing to work, and screaming at the kids to get ready in time, let parents show love instead of shove."

After a while seeing 20 plus comments ahead of me, I posted again under the same name, ( I don't have the exact comment, but to the effect of):
If someone doesn't agree with your political bias their comments don't get posted so much for an open forum.
Guess what?
Next time I went there I get your access is banned by administrator.
I leave the rest to your imagination.

I must thank TLS for being frumer than the heimishe filters out there & knocking me off so that I don't read their biased political drivel.
It is time for the Heimishe filters to follow in their footsteps & block TLS.

Taken from the twitter feed of Harold HerskowitzHarold  @hhforsenate  

Good morning kids! Let's go to school! What? Gotta beat the traffic! I wanna sleep. What is going on? Well, there's this guy named Shenky...

You see years ago Shenky was given a little power as the representative for the concerns of the small Yeshiva community. He made sure......

That the concerns of the slowly growing Yeshiva community were met. He joined the zoning board to make sure that if the Yeshiva wanted to...

Expand, they would have a voice on the zoning board. He and his sidekick Abe Penzer, then a struggling lawyer, convinced Bob singer,....

A Jewish bubble gum machine vendor, to run for State Senate. Singer then converted to Catholicism after leaving his wife for his.....

Secretary, Ms. Russo, the daughter of one of the most powerful politicians in New Jersey. Once Singer got involved in state politics....

Shenky and his little buddy got access to all kinds of new projects and schemes. The Cogeneration plant came knocking to open up in.....

Lakewood after being rejected from every other town. People protested the idea of putting a massive steam generator in the middle of town...

But Shenky got the Yeshiva community to believe it was safe and the Cogen plant was brought to Lakewood, not considering what health......

Concerns it may bring up in the future. Well it seems that the whole deal was being monitored by the @FBI . They discovered that the....

Three of them, Shenky, Penzer and Singer, had private dealings with the Cogen people. Shenky was bribed 500 thousand dollars, donated.....

To his school, and a new minivan. Only him and Penzer were indicted. In @FBI tapes they called themselves the Lone Ranger and Tonto to....

Avoid being mentioned by name. Singer was not indicted since he played a lesser role as a facilitator and was protected by the Russo....

Family connections. The drama from the impending trial was intense. Told Lakewood's Askan was being railroaded, We all rallied to his side....

We were all told to try and give at least 500 dollars, a fortune for a Kollel family, to pay for legal fees. The Lone Ranger and Tonto...

Plead innocent. The trial seemed clear cut, but somehow, thank god there was a misstep and Shenky and Penzer were allowed to go free...

Shenky even sued the @AsburyParkPress to apologize for what they wrote about him. Then a new face showed up in #lakewood, his name, Aaron..

Kotler. He was asked to try and save the then struggling Yeshiva. In order to do so he needed to wrest power from the then powerful Shenky..

He pretended to form a VAAD that would represent the yeshiva community. Really the VAAD was just a few local businessmen, some with....

Very low IQs that simply listened to Aaron Kotler. Shenky, after the scandal, was now marginalized, allowed to make a robot call before each...

Election in the name of the VAAD. He was given the title, original Askan. The VAAD now controlled the voting block which ensured that...

Politicians were elected to meet the needs of, not the community, not the Kollel families, but of Aaron. And some trusted him to a large extent..

Then Aaron got his people onto the committee, the zoning and planning boards, everything except the shade tree commission was now under...

Direct control of Aaron Kotler. Quite a bit of power to bestow on a single individual. Once he was in charge a whole new #lakewood began...

To emerge. Our once insular community grew overnight, building housing for Jewish families looking for a cheaper alternative to Brooklyn...

Aaron now was the king maker, basically controlling who builds developments in 'his' town. The problem was that these developments were...

Burdening the town with new services such as busing and other needs. The amount of tax collected on these homes could not justify the...

Added expenses. Schools were needed as well, and were bursting at the seams. The cost of busing was getting out of hand as schools..

Opened in random areas and people chose schools that were far away from their neighborhood. Aaron and his VAAD of Merry men ignored all...

The problems and focused on endorsing candidates that would ensure they would get what they wanted, namely something called Cedarbridge..

Aaron was worried that his free land, worth millions, would be taken away. So he kept endorsing those that would ensure what he wanted. But..

All of those people also wanted something for themselves. So we got a costly Baseball stadium, and were told we are not allowed to.....

Attend, punishable by our children being expelled from school. And the politicians also wanted a piece of the action. They continued to be..

Concerned with themselves and the whims of Aaron Kotler,ignoring the needs of the klal. I like to call him Kim Jung Aaron now...

So kids that is where we stand now. I left out all the parts about me being stupid enough to ask questions, being used by Kim Jung Aaron...

To threaten Singer to do as he says, and the subsequent attempts to destroy our family, my businesses, and stop every attempt to get this..

Town in order. All of that is for another time. Now get dressed it's time for me to drive you to school. Shenky, the Lone Ranger, said so.

Here you have it. Proof positive that the vaad will support whomever will do as they say. They supported Cunliffe over Delia and we got a costly baseball stadium (Mike Delia supported it as well).  Now they will either support Ray Coles and Langert, as long as he plays  their game.  Or they may support Mike Delia if they can keep him happy enough to do their bidding.  Should we get ready for a Hockey stadium next, just so certain people get the approvals they want to build more townhouses?

we will keep you posted, here on The Lakewood Times

As reported on the APP LAKEWOOD – Traffic could come to a standstill in the township next Tuesday and Wednesday.

To protest next year’s elimination of courtesy busing for students in fourth through 12th grades, the head of the township’s private religious schools has asked parents to take to the streets in their cars next week and is warning the township to prepare.

Rather than use the public school buses that are still in use this year, the Iggud Hamosdos — a consortium of private schools in Lakewood — wants parents to drive their children to school on those days so they can perform a “drill” of what will occur this fall if the nearly $4 million practice is not brought back, according to a letter signed by Rabbi Yisroel Schenkolewski, a longtime religious and political figure in the community.

The drill could result in thousands more cars on the streets in Lakewood, a town already known for its traffic congestion.

“We understand the ramifications that this might have on the township and are therefore giving ample time for the town to mobilize their resources to prepare for the upcoming drill,” wrote Schenkolewski, who could not be reached for comment.

Schenkolewski sent the letter to Mayor Menashe Miller, who forwarded it to state Department of Education Commissioner David Hespe as part of a June 3 letter that requests that the state grant “needed assistance” to the district so courtesy busing can continue.

“We anticipate this cause (sic) severe gridlock in town and create an unsafe condition,” wrote Miller of the private schools’ plans for next week.

Miller could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the state Department of Education, however, questioned the tactic proposed by the private school leaders.

“We believe that children should not be used to make a point that can be addressed through dialogue between adults,” said spokesman Michael Yaple. “We firmly believe that — if all sides are open to compromise in good faith — we can develop a solution that is fiscally responsible, and still keeps the focus on student safety.”

But the Rev. Glenn Wilson, one of the leaders of a coalition of minority residents who have banded together in recent weeks to support the public schools and oppose any spending cuts that might be proposed by the Board of Education, said he understood the desire to protest the cuts to courtesy busing.

“We were never in favor of the elimination of courtesy busing,” Wilson said. “I hate to see any child who needs the busing lose that privilege.

“But after the protest, we still have to sit down and solve the problem. ... We definitely have to do a better job of handling our finances.”

As Lakewood continued its rapid growth over the last five years, the school district has struggled to keep up with rising transportation costs and increased spending on special education for private school students, the majority of which are Orthodox religious schools. The 2010 census reported that Lakewood was the largest municipality in Ocean and Monmouth counties and the seventh largest in the state. According to projections, Lakewood’s population could expand to 220,000 by 2030.

More than half of Lakewood’s residents follow Orthodox Judaism. About 54,000 residents — or more than half — were Jewish in 2009, according to a 2011 survey of Jewish populations by the University of Miami and University of Connecticut. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 92,000 people lived in the township. The Orthodox population has only grown since, attracted by a large, prestigious rabbinical college and an entire community of expanding yeshivas.

Currently, private and public school students who live within 2.5 miles of their schools can ride a public school bus from their homes to their classes. Of the approximately 10,450 students who use the service, more than 8,100 attend private schools, according to district documents.

But with major budgetary constraints and an estimated price tag of nearly $4 million for the 2014-15 school year, Lakewood eliminated courtesy busing for students in grades 4-12.

Detective Sgt. Greg Staffordsmith of the Lakewood Police Department said he was not aware of whether officials have formulated a plan on how to respond to or handle the potential traffic snarls next week. The temperature is supposed to reach the high 70s next Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Lakewood school board members had originally proposed a separate referendum, asking residents to pay additional taxes to fund courtesy busing. However, in a surprise move, the Lakewood Board of Education only agreed to provide courtesy busing for students in kindergarten through third grade in their $151 million budget for the 2014-15 school year and dropped plans for the referendum. They then opted to vote against their proposal.

Michael Azzara, a state monitor appointed earlier this year to review Lakewood’s financial decisions, then overruled the board’s rejection of the plan. He found about $5 million in errors within the budget, directing the money towards courtesy busing for grades K-3.

District officials subsequently vowed they would somehow find the funding to continue the courtesy busing for the upper grades. It is unclear whether the nonpublic schools will attempt to raise funds to pay for the busing of students who attend private classes.

As a response to the potential for traffic tie-ups this fall, Lakewood plans to improve sidewalks, review traffic patterns and increase crossing guards, Miller wrote to Hespe.

Superintendent Laura Winters could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Since Steven Langert is in office, the average Lakewood Homeowner's Taxes went up over 100 percent. 

The average Leisure Village senior community resident that promises their vote to him, taxes went down. 

Once again Steven Langert wants to ensure that he wins an election at any price. 

In his last election he worked hard to get taxes lowered for some adult communities and a select few homes in Westgate that were promising their vote for a small tax deduction. In turn, most residents saw their taxes skyrocket.  The average taxpayer has seen over 100 percent tax increase in the years that Steven Langert has been in office. 

Of course he will say that he is not to blame for any of this. 

In reality he is directly to blame. He has been one of the main reasons that we experienced irresponsible development.  He allowed, and even pushed for, development in areas that have no infrastructure to support it, as long as he was able to get approvals for projects that he had an interest in. Besides being a grievous conflict of interest, and a corruptible offense, his actions allowed the overall frenzy of building that we are now unable to support with services, and has created a need to raise taxes. 

 Now to add further insult to previous injury,  Steven Langert is at it again. With help from his good friend,  Ed Seger, he has given a tax reduction to Leisure Village.  He has reduced their taxes by 27 percent to ensure that they will go to the polls like sheep and vote for a politician that needs to stay in office to continue to enrich himself and his friends while we suffer.  

If you are wondering where the money will come from to pay for Langert's little giveaway,  just open your estimated tax bill which you should have received by now.  After you put your dropped jaw back into place, put a note on your calendar to go to the polls on Erev Shavuos,  and vote this Robin Hood out of office. 

My apologies to Robin Hood.  At least he stole from the rich to give to the poor.  Steve Langert is stealing from us to give to himself. 

This is political criticism and not in any way meant as slander or loshon hora. I am not writing this for revenge or to promote  a personal agenda. I write this to help myself,  and my fellow residents from being priced out of our homes,  and the town that we love. 

Good luck to us all, 
Hershel Herskowitz

Report from APP
LAKEWOOD – Passions between two community groups arguing over the future of the township’s schools grew so heated during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that when the door flew open, two men tumbled out.

The two men fell onto the floor in the hallway outside the conference room in Lakewood’s municipal building, wrestling on the ground, while members of the township’s Orthodox community and of UNITE Lakewood, a coalition of mostly black and Latino residents, continued to argue inside.

The man who tackled the other appeared to be restraining him from getting into a confrontation with someone inside the conference room.

“There was a very candid discussion,” said Board of Education President Isaac Zlatkin about the altercation, as he walked out of the meeting shortly before it ended. “This is just the first step.”

Tensions have increased in Lakewood as the Board of Education seeks to solve its ongoing budget crisis, which includes a $5 million budget gap — a deficit that prompted the state to appoint Michael Azzara as the troubled district’s fiscal monitor. Azzara has the final say on budget matters; he overruled the school board when it voted down the district’s $151 million budget, and approved it on his own.

As part of next year’s budget, the district has eliminated courtesy busing for all students from fourth- to 12th grade who live within 2.5 miles of school. Courtesy busing for third grade and younger students, who live within 2 miles of the school, will continue, at a cost of $3 million.

A coalition of minority residents has banded together in recent weeks to support the public schools and oppose any spending cuts that might be proposed by the nine-member Board of Education, which is dominated by Orthodox Jewish residents, most of whom send their children to private religious schools.

During the 2013-2014 school year, the district provided courtesy busing to approximately 10,450 students, more than 8,100 of whom are private school students.

Zlatkin, who called for the meeting that more than 20 people attended, said he hopes the discussion can be the beginning of an effort to build trust between the two communities.

“It’s so very necessary for Lakewood,” Zlatkin said. “I’m ready to host another meeting.”

The two sides agreed to close the door so they could talk in private. But it wasn’t long before the conversation became audible outside, even about 15 feet down the hallway. The Asbury Park Press was barred from covering the meeting, although a reporter waited outside.

Voices were raised and fists could be heard pounding the wooden table, as the participants covered topics such as courtesy busing for private school children, classroom sizes and how tax dollars are divvied between public and private education within the district.

Before the meeting, the Rev. Glenn Wilson, founder of United Neighbors Improving Today’s Equality, said he expected the leaders of some of Lakewood’s largest private schools would be in attendance.

“We understand that it will be an informal meet and greet, a way for everyone to get to know one another,” said Wilson, a frequent critic of how Lakewood officials have handled educational and financial decisions.

Afterward, Wilson declined to speak about the meeting, saying only that it had been a “productive discussion.”

Members of the Orthodox community who exited the meeting declined to identify themselves or to talk about what occurred.

Two men who had left the room after the meeting returned minutes later and requested that members of UNITE not discuss publicly what had occurred. Wilson agreed.

The meeting came only a few days after the state Department of Education issued two reports that claim Lakewood improperly handled more than $6 million in state and federal dollars during the 2011-12 school year.

The reports claim that Lakewood overstated its enrollment figures in 2011-12 and failed to justify to auditors how millions in federal Title 1 funds — money meant for districts with high numbers or percentages of low-income students — were spent.

As Lakewood continued its rapid growth over the last five years, the school district has struggled to keep up with rising transportation costs and increased spending on special education for students at private schools, the majority of which are Orthodox religious schools.

More than half of Lakewood’s residents follow Orthodox Judaism. About 54,000 residents — or more than half — were Jewish in 2009, according to a 2011 survey of Jewish populations by the University of Miami and University of Connecticut. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, more than 92,000 people lived in the township.

After the two men — who were not identified — tumbled out of the meeting and got off the floor, they walked down the hallway and left.

Later, others inside could be heard asking that those who knew the men to call them back in.

The two men later returned and re-entered the room. Before the end of the meeting, there was the sound of laughter and applause from behind the closed door. The two men then stayed behind after the meeting and met with members of the UNITE group.

Contributing: Staff writer Nick Huba.  
Kevin Pentón: 732-643-4009; kpenton@app.com

Thank you for bringing the truth about the Lakewood Scoop to the public eye. To answer the question of whether they are "feeding us propaganda," the answer is a resounding YES. The Lakewood Scoop is indeed nothing more than a propaganda vehicle for the special interest group that runs the Township. And their approach can best be described as fascist. They ban any comment - and any reader - that dares to question the lies they publish. They do not permit discussion or debate of any kind, and they insult anyone who doesn't agree with them. And as I have observed, they are ESPECIALLY hostile if you are female or a person of color. Their sole purpose is to impose their own separatist, racist, sexist, hate-filled agenda on the people of Lakewood. But as long as the people of the community swallow their lies without question, and as long as Lazer Hasenfeld and his lackeys are allowed to censor the truth, they will continue to exist and decimate the concept of journalistic integrity. Truly, they have taken censorship to excremental levels.