The state monitor is protecting the public schools at the expense of private school students. While his idea of co-ed busing is legal in that private and public school students can be on the same bus. The problem is going to be dismissal time public school end at 3-4 PM while yeshiva end 6-9 PM. Since the monitor can’t provide busing for dismissal of yeshiva students the state is mandated to pay $884 per child per year for their busing This will come to $17,680,000.00 and come out of the $151 million district budget. The private student’s parents or yeshiva may have to sue to collect. If the district loses and can’t pay they either go bankrupt in which case a judge is in charge or the assets (school buildings) are auctioned off for pennies on the dollar or the state pays. If the state pays the $884 will probably go to the yeshivas and once that happens it will continue in the future. As to if it gets deducted from the district budget that is between the state and the district but there should be no complaints about mandatory busing at the school board district level. Also once the state pays the yeshivas voucher will be the next step.
If courtesy busing is eliminated as planned it will effect over 50% of the public school student and can cause at least a drop of 10% in school attendance as students will have to walk to school in bad weather. This will cost the district $15,100,000. The reason for the monitor is to get more resources for the public schools and what he is doing is just the opposite.
The state is only suppose to take over a district, is if there is criminal activity or if they are failing to provide for the students. Here the board is trying to allocate the funds so all student benefit. If the board had the guts to take on the monitor, they could sue him in court and all the legal fees would be paid by the state (taxpayer). Otherwise you need a pro bono lawyer or someones is going to have to pay which is expensive. But once the case is filed people are going to join in as a friend of the court. For example districts that were taken over by the state and want control back, civil rights groups that want to limit bureaucrats’ power, those who want school vouchers and those who want to fight the unions. On the other hand Gov. Christie was in Lakewood and spoke to R’ Kotler the leading rabbinic family in Lakewood NJ who is in mourning for the lose of their mother. So maybe a deal was reached or R’ Kotler didn’t give them permission to sue yet.
edited