Photos: More than 2,000 graduate from Brookdale Community College (via NJ.com)
MIDDLETOWN – Brookdale Community College celebrated the commencement of its latest graduating class on Friday. The more than 2,000 graduates hailed from 16 different countries and accounted for 203 distinguished scholars and 42 perfect 4.0 GPAs. “…
Interactive Map: Per-Pupil Costs Vary Widely in New Jersey’s Schools (via NJSpotlight)
Hover over a district to see its total spent, click for more information. The map does not include charter schools and the county districts and some elementary districts may be obscured by the regional high school districts to which they send students…
State Testing Sees Growing Movement of Families Planning to Opt Out (via NJSpotlight)
It started with a trickle a few years ago, and it may still be only a small stream, but more and more New Jersey families appear intent on opting to have their children not take the state’s standardized tests. Nearly 700 people have signed onto a…
By Art Gallagher
[email protected]
Hundreds of middle-aged people looking for work at Brookdale this morning. April 4, 2014
When I was readying to leave the house this morning, my wife asked if I was working on a story. “No, I’m looking for a job,” I replied. Her head snapped up in surprise. In all the years she’s known me I’ve never said those words. I’ve always been the owner, or early in our relationship, an unmanageable top producing salesman.
The truth is I wasn’t sure what I was doing when I headed into the job fair at Brookdale Community College this morning. I met a NJ.com reporter who got the ax yesterday, effective in September, in the overflowing parking lot outside of Collins Arena. “Working a story or looking for a job?” I asked him. “A little of both,” he replied before getting called away to cover a fatal car accident in Howell.
I was doing a little of both too. I’m having more fun building this business, MMM, than I had in building any of the others I’ve built or help build, but the revenue is not coming fast enough. If the big media companies are contracting, there’s no harm in taking a look at what is out there, especially if I can make a story out of it and meet potential advertisers.
“Ha, you’re here looking for advertisers,” a recruiter from Town Square Media said to me when I introduced myself and asked her what an Integrated Sales Person was. She got me, but if Town Square wants to buy MMM, give me a radio show, blog and a fat check, I’ll listen. An Integrated Sales Person sells ad for websites, radio shows and other mediums, I found out. I’m now looking for one of those. The recruiter either wasn’t aggressive or quickly sized me up as not a good fit. Probably both.
The Asbury Park Press’s recruiter was telling visitors to their booth that they weren’t hiring until they finish their across the street move in Neptune. Why were they there? Gannett would have to write a really big check and give me more authority than any corporate nudnik would consider in order to get me to fix that mess.
Posted: April 4th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Art Gallagher, Asbury Park Press, Brookdale Community College, Economy, Education, Monmouth County | Tags: Art Gallagher, Asbury Park Press, Brookdale Community College, Brookdale job fair, Economy, Gannett, Job Market, Neptune Nudniks, Town Square Media | 14 Comments »Brookdale Community College is the recipient of a $15,000 two year grant from The Plus 50 Encore Completion Program to assist adults
age 50 and older complete a degree or certificate programs in healthcare and social services.
Tonight beginning at 6PM is your chance to learn about the new
“Encore Center”for the Adult Learner at Brookdale.
The Encore Center will streamline the process for returning adults
looking to pursue new careers in Healthcare and Social Sciences.
There will be a brief presentation about the services available and an opportunity to meet with College representatives from all the supporting services including counseling, continuing education, financial aid and Veterans.
Held in the Warner Student Life Center on the campus of Brookdale Community College located at 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft
in Twin Lights Room I & II
Please Click Here to Register
By Christopher R. Whalen, CPA
I am writing to express my many concerns regarding the Trinity Hall Development.
Trinity Hall is a commercial enterprise and will bring to our neighborhood all of the communal, societal and environmental harm that such enterprises do.
Let’s project out some of the many terrible impacts this will have on our neighborhood.
The Trinity Hall Development will increase the volume of:
School buses and other school vehicles
Student cars and
Parent drop off vehicles
Evening noise and light pollution.
Daily noise and pollution from the school’s physical plant.
and
Possibly necessitate:
4,109 of 47,906 registered voters in Middletown Township went to the polls yesterday to vote on a $32.2 million spending measure for repairs to the township’s schools. The referendum passed 2,951 to 1,158 with 43,797 abstentions. Mail-in and provisional ballots are not included in these unofficial figures provided by Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French’s office.
The Middletown Board of Education is now authorized to borrow $19.3 million for school maintenance and repairs. $12.9 million for the project is expected to come from 20 Regular Operating District (ROD) grants from the New Jersey Department of Education.
In an OpEd posted on Middletown Patch, School Board Member Vinnie Brand made the case for the referendum, arguing that the grants are a rare opportunity which give the board an opportunity to make the “critical need” repairs for 60% of cost while passing 40% off to statewide taxpayers. Brand noted that interest rates are low and that labor rates are “more reasonable.”
Middletown resident Chris Fotache countered Brand’s argument in an OpEd on MMM submitted yesterday as the polls opened. Fotache argued that the Board of Ed did not publicize the referendum in order to assure a low voter turnout that would favor the referendum. He alleged fiscal mismanagement and duplicate spending on repairs and planning fees.
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Posted: March 12th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Education, Elections, Middletown | Tags: Chris Fotache, Critical Need, Middletown Board of Education, Middletown School Referendum, School Repairs, Vinnie Brand | 5 Comments »By Chris Fotache
The Middletown Board of Education is attempting to borrow $32 million through a voter referendum on Tuesday March 11, 2014. You have probably not even heard of this because they are doing their best to keep it a secret so that only the school PTA’s and PFA’s (their cheerleaders) are the only ones who come out to vote. They have them brainwashed that this is such a great idea. What many people fail to realize is that the BOE spent $8 million over the last 2 years replacing roofs that needed to be fixed. This was done with extra money left over in the budget. And it was done with only 1% tax increases over the last 3 years. Why now does this new BOE need to pay an architect $1.3 million to do this work all over again? They paid this very same architect over $200K over the last year to do this same exact work. Why are they paying them again???
The answer is they can’t explain it. They refuse to answer any questions. They say vote for it because it’s for the kids. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HEARD THAT BEFORE?
While it’s important to have the schools safe and running in a functional manner, the new Board’s level of mismanagement, misinformation, and incompetence is staggering. These repairs will get done whether the referendum passes or not as it’s the Boards’ obligation to do especially since the repairs are now public.
The board owns 11 properties in town worth millions that they could sell to fund these fixtures. Why are they not selling them and asking the tax payer to fund this. If the referendum fails, they will be forced to sell some and use that money to fix the schools AT NO COST TO THE TAXPAYER.
Don’t forget that not so long ago, a $78 million referendum was passed to upgrade schools. So if they were mismanaged in the past, what guarantee do we have that these $32 mil won’t go to waste?
Posted: March 11th, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: Education, Middletown | Tags: Borrowing, Chris Fotache, Middletown Board of Education, Referendum | 9 Comments »
Settlement Reached in Lawsuit of Long Branch BOE, Ferraina (via Long Branch-Eatontown Patch)
The Long Branch BOE’s insurance carrier will pay $600,000 for former district employee. By Christopher Sheldon A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit brought against the Long Branch Board of Education (BOE) and former superintendent Joseph Ferraina…
Governor Chris Christie held a ceremonial signing of the Dream Act, legislation that gives the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates at New Jersey’s state colleges and universities, this morning in Union City.
The following videos are excerpted from his remarks.
Posted: January 7th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Education, Immigration | Tags: Chris Christie, Dream Act, Education, Immigration | Comments Off on Christie to Dreamers: You are an inspiration© Copyright 2025 | MoreMonmouthMusings | All Rights Reserved