Toms River Kindergarten Referendum

To those of you not living in the towns making up the Toms River Regional School District today’s referendum is of little consequence. If passed the lion’s share of the project would allow for the construction of a 20-classroom building and the entire district would introduce full-day kindergarten beginning with the 2009 school year. The referendum also asks voters to approve construction, improvements and upgrades to several other schools in the district.

I’m 100% behind the project for a variety of reasons…I believe all-day kindergarten makes complete sense, the extra classrooms and improvements are needed and available state aid makes the timing perfect for this referendum.

However my reasoning behind taking up this issue today is not about why I’m voting “yes” but rather my disgust at how some now portray every school matter in the Toms River District. Everywhere I go outside of Toms River I hear praise for Superintendent Mike Ritacco and the Board of Education for forward and creative thinking to get things done. Just a couple of weeks ago I sat with a successful professional who went to school in another district and he said it’s that kind of “outside the box” thinking that is badly needed in his town. Instead he watches the administration and school board battle time and time again with the students the big loser.

So why is it that some oppose Ritacco on just about any and every issue raised? The same people who criticized the Ritacco Center, indoor bubble and on-hold Wellness Center as being anti-education have managed to find fault in what’s being voted on today. My favorite is the charge that the December 11th date is being used because so many seniors have gone south for the winter and won’t be able to vote “no.” Never mind this is one of the few select dates allowed by the state and now is the time to grab the money they’re offering….what percentage of voters do you really think are gone from the area before the holidays?

Having a difference of opinion is one of our rights but those that constantly seek out the negative and never acknowledge the positive are not worth the time they’ve already been given. If you want to criticize Ritacco and school board go ahead…their big boys and girls. However don’t take it out on the younger ones because they can’t tell you to take a hike.