Todd Frazier, TR Teachers Union Chief Urge Passage Of Referendum

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Scott Campbell says he has gotten so used to the effects of rain and a leaky roof on his classroom that he can pinpoint which ceiling tile will get soaked and eventually crumble and fall.

"Thankfully, it's never fallen on a student," Campbell said Wednesday night at the Toms River Regional Board of Education meeting. Campbell, a math teacher at Toms River High School South, said that issue is one of dozens that would be addressed under the $147 million package of projects that is the subject of Tuesday's referendum.

Campbell was preceded at the microphone by Todd Frazier, the Major League Baseball star and homegrown Toms River hero who graduated from the Toms River schools, in urging voters to not only to out to vote during the referendum but to say yes.

The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the four towns that make up the regional school district: Beachwood, Pine Beach, South Toms River and Toms River.

You can see how much it would cost you based on your home assessment on the tax calculator on the district's website.

Campbell, who also is the president of the Toms River Education Association, said the issue in his classroom is just one representation of the issues teachers across the district are facing as they try to teach students.

"There are times when I've been called to a building and when I get there, the temperature inside is in the low 90s," Campbell said. "We have 5- and 6-year-olds wearing winter coats all day to receive an education."

Campbell said in a discussion with then-Toms River South principal James Ricotta, he learned that the Toms River South roof, which was 20 years old, was in the best condition of any in the district. "If that the best, what are the others?" he said.

The issue goes far beyond the comfort of staff and students, Campbell said.

"The impact isn't just on our schools it's on our town," he said. "We've always been able to pride ourselves on great schools" that draw people to the town and increase property values.

Schools that are falling apart will drive down property values, and the cost of having to make emergency repairs will lead to staffing cuts that have a direct effect on students.

"The TREA fully supports the referendum," Campbell said. "I encourage every citizen, and I encourage all my members, to get out and vote yes."

Frazier, the New York Mets third baseman who is a 2004 graduate of Toms River South, also spoke up in favor of the project, saying there was a time the district's schools and facilities received high praise.

"As of now, they are not top notch," said Frazier, who said his brothers are both teachers in the districts and his mother was a secretary in the district. The Toms River native, who lives in the township with his wife and three children, said he wants his children to have the same upbringing and schooling he had.

"We need to give (kids) the best opportunity to become that professor, or judge, or scientist or doctor, or even professional ballplayer," Frazier said.

Of the $147 million in proposed projects, state funding will cover more than $47 million, leaving roughly $99 million of the cost to taxpayers.

District officials have said the project would cost taxpayers in Toms River $11.80 per month, or $141.65 per year, for a home assessed at the township average of $272,400. In Pine Beach, on an average assessment of $267,900, it would cost $11.06 or $132.72, and in South Toms River, the cost would be $6.04 per month, or $72.52 per year, on a home assessed at $165,200. For Beachwood taxpayers, it would cost $8.06 per month or $96.75 per year on the $203,600 average assessment. Those figures are the maximums, Business Administrator William Doering has said.

READ MORE:

You can take a look at the school-by-school projects at this link: Toms River Schools Referendum: A School-By-School Guide
You can also read a student's thoughts on the issue here: Toms River Schools Referendum: A Student Speaks Up

'If Not Now, When?' TR Referendum Targets Critical School Repairs

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Photo via Toms River Schools