Ritacco
and Baxter misleading again
Toms River School Board Candidate Henry C. Eisenhauer – 3/20/07
The revelation that Board President Baxter and Superintendent Ritacco are misleading us once again about the “bubble” sports complex funding should come as no surprise to taxpayers who have been the victims of a series of misrepresentations by Mr. Ritacco and the school board.
Now the state has confirmed that no funding commitments were made despite representations by Mr. Ritacco that $960,000 of state aid was guaranteed.
This comes on the heels of a $13.4 million referendum which, it is now clear, was created for the purpose of getting approval for the $960,000 state bubble “commitment.”
How much of the marginal $12.4 million was smoke and mirror window dressing is not completely clear, but the representation by Mr. Ritacco that 100% of it would not be the responsibility of the taxpayers was obviously false.
Apparently the voters sensed they were being conned, and it is apparent in retrospect that they made the right decision.
It is also apparent that the claim by the Board and Mr. Ritacco that his huge salary was “cut” in the new contract was also misleading. His salary was actually increased again.
What was “cut” was the sick day swindle that gave Mr. Ritacco a $340,000 “high three year” pension salary, a “savings” that’s equivalent to locking the barn door after the horse is gone.
Other abuses include the $99,000 pension salary plus hourly fees approved for the school’s attorney despite the fact that the same attorney is on salary plus hourly fees in the Manchester school district where Baxter is the Intermediate School principal. There is no evidence that Baxter disqualified himself from voting on this appointment.
The misrepresentations and the policy abuses go forward, and the losers are thousands of school children and their parents, and every taxpayer in the school district.
We need more transparency and accountability in the Toms River schools. This is why I’ve chosen to represent the people of Toms River for the upcoming Board of Education election on April 17th.