The Hammonton Gazette 12/03/14 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, December 3, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” gabriel J. Donio, Publisher gina Rullo, Editor-in-Chief Dan Russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist MarySusan Hoffman, Paul J. Macrie iv, Michael Hozik, Donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, Lauren Bucci, Lauren crescenzo, Zack Brown, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue Ave. To reach a staff member, call 704—1940 or fax at 704—1938. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, nJ 08037. eDiTORiALS The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093—6181 School choice changes Hammonton Board of Education President Joseph Giralo said the School Choice program would not be expanding beyond its current level in the 2015-2016 school year. “The program is frozen for this year, meaning we can’t accept any new students,” Giralo said. School Choice has been a popular program in Hammonton. According to the district, there are 181 School Choice students enrolled in the district for the 2014-2015 school year, and 24 more students will be accepted for the 2015-2016 academic year. After that, who knows? The program has been frozen by the state, according to Giralo. The freezing of School Choice means students – and the dollars that come with them – will not be able to help fund the district. Couple the uncertainty about School Choice funding with the uncertainty about the number of students paying tuition coming from the two sending/receiving districts of Waterford Twp. and Folsom and the uncertainty of state aid funding for the district, and there should be deep concern at Hammonton regarding the financial future. Every board member and member of the administration should be looking at ways to offset the potential losses in revenue that may occur in the coming years. There are large surpluses this year, but we have seen large surpluses become deficits in previous years at the school district. The taxpayers will not stand for gimmicks and lies later when there is time to prepare and come up with a plan – like the board did by entering the School Choice program – to offset losses that most rational people can see coming. We believe the School Choice program works in Hammonton, and sho uld continue to be funded, not frozen, by the state. Unfortunately, it would be a mistake to think the state will do so, even if it is the right course of action. Perhaps an even bigger mistake would be for board members and the administration to believe the status quo will last forever. The School Choice program has already been frozen by the state. Things are changing, and they will continue to change. The board must prepare for those changes immediately. ‘Shop Small’ successful Nationally, it has become a tradition to have “Black Friday” shopping on the day after Thanksgiving, with people shopping for holidays like Christmas, or just enjoying deep discounts on that day. During the last couple years, “Black Friday” has begun to sneak onto Thanksgiving Day itself, with major chain stores opening after 9 p.m. on that day. Given the terrible economy of the last several years, stores have a reason to want to add as many hours as they can to the holiday shopping season, but the move has been met with controversy. Less controversial promotions built around the first shopping weekend of the holiday season have met with success. Cyber Monday has done better and better each year, and so has Small Business Saturday, a national promotion asking people to patronize small businesses that was the creation of a credit card company, American Express, back in 2010. Hammonton businesses downtown, uptown, in the business park and in the Little Italy District certainly benefitted from this promotion. What was once a quiet Saturday after Thanksgiving that saw local people gravitate toward the malls and “big box” stores was turned around, with locals staying in town and people from outside of town coming to Hammonton to enjoy the bargains and promotions throughout the entire town. It was also a soccer tournament weekend at Tuckahoe Turf Farm, so there were plenty of people strolling the streets of downtown, parking their cars and visiting businesses uptown and patronizing businesses in the business park and Little Italy District. Hammonton benefits when everyone works together, and this past Saturday, those benefits led to stores and restaurants filled with people, enjoying all our town has to offer. We look forward to seeing Small Business Saturday return next year, and hope there will be more town-wide promotions for the business community throughout the year. PeRSPecTive/ARTS gRAnTS It was my recent pleasure to notify the Hammonton Arts Center and the Eagle Theatre of grant awards of $5,100 each in the first of a three-year funding commitment administered by the Atlantic County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs. Each of these organizations enhances the quality of life of residents by providing educational programs and cultural enrichment. Towns with vibrant arts and culture, such as the town of Hammonton, not only enhance the quality of life of their residents, but also provide their communities with a stronger sense of place. The arts are a vital part of the Town of Hammonton and contribute to its overall community pride and spirit. Is it any wonder Hammonton was most recently deemed the second happiest place in New Jersey? Studies indicate that locations with an active and dynamic cultural environment are more attractive to individuals and businesses. And the events they hold bring together people of diverse backgrounds for shared enjoyment and pleasure. If Hammonton is any indication, arts and culture most assuredly improve and strengthen our communities. The Hammonton Arts Center and the Eagle Theatre also support our annual Atlantic County Teen Arts Festival that helps foster young artists and showcases their developing talents. Atlantic County is proud to be the home of these two organizations and many like them, and fortunate to have communities, like Hammonton, where art and culture are welcomed and supported. I hope you and your families have an opportunity to experience some of our outstanding local programs this holiday season. Dennis Levinson Atlantic county executive Atlantic city PeRSPecTive/PASTOR’S cORneR Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can sigh a deep, well-deserved sigh of relief. Being thankful for everything is very hard work. During the Thanksgiving season, I pasted a gratuitous smile on my face claiming to be thankful for everything, but deep down inside somewhere there is a streak of rebellion that struggles with this concept of being thankful. I must admit that I am working on it because the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage keeps telling me, “You had better be working on that attitude of yours.” And so, I work on my attitude, but I must confess it is rather hard. I admire people, such as my wife, who claim to be thankful for everything that happens in life. I would never want to question her sincerity (at least not in some venue that she could hear me), but I do harbor some doubts about this whole matter of being thankful for everything. I will grant that there are many things to be thankful for in life. I will be the first to acknowledge that many things that happened to me have created a deep sense of gratitude in my heart. The list could go on forever, but there are a few things that I am really thankful for. I am thankful to live in a country such as ours. I am thankful to be married to someone who puts up with my idiosyncrasies (idiot for short). (Grant me, that is a big item for thanks.) I am thankful that I have my health. And regardless of what other people say, I am thankful for a level of sanity enabling me to operate day-to-day. Then there is that infamous list of things I am not thankful for... no matter what anybody says. I have a sneaking suspicion everybody has this list but do not have the courage to let anybody know about it. Let me list a few things I am really not thankful for... no matter what anyone says. I am really not thankful for the time change that happens every six months. Spring forward, fall backward. All this nonsense only serves to confuse me. Am I an hour ahead or am I an hour behind? Another thing I am not really thankful for is music on the teleph one when I’m put on hold. This is the most irritating thing I can think of, at least right now. Why do they think I want to hear music of their choosing? This is America, after all, and everybody has the right to choose things. And I like to choose my own music, thank you. I do not like to be put on hold in the first place, and then tortured with some music defying the meaning of music. If they want to play music, they should have somewhere where I can choose what kind of music I want to listen to while I am on hold. I could be thankful for that. See PASTOR, Page 7 The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704—1938.  Or by email to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.