In the wake of the defeat of

Spartas $24.8 million school bond

on Tuesday, township education
officials will soon regroup and likely
begin drawing up plans for a new
referendum that could be brought
before voters within a year.
As the Board of Education,
clearly we need to regroup . . . and
come back to the voters of Sparta
with a plan that is more palatable,
board president Ronald Bassani
said Saturday.
State regulations mandate an
interim of at least six months
between school referenda. Bassani
said he believes the board is capa-
ble of bringing a new plan before
voters in less than a years time
such swift action is a necessity, he
said.
I refuse to stick my head in the
sand and pretend the problem is
going away, he said. This growth
in Sparta is going to continue.
Assistant Superintendent Ron
Wolfe expressed a similar view-
point Friday afternoon. Not having
the referendum approved doesnt
remove the need (for a new ele-
mentary school), he said. The
need is not going to go away.
Student enrollment in the Sparta
school district increases by more
than 100 students each fall. The
defeated proposal called for the
construction of an 80,000-square-
foot elementary school on West
Mountain Road, which would have
relieved overcrowding at the Helen
Morgan and Alpine elementary
schools, which are either at or over
their enrollment capacities.
Bassani said he believes most
people in Sparta see the need for a
new school. He said the referen-
dums defeat is most likely a sign of
residents frustration with rising
taxes. He added that voters may
have reacted to the current con-
struction of a new fire station and
municipal building, for which the
township did not need voters
approval to build.
Even though township officials
have been creative with funding for
those projects ensuring that the
tax impact will be less than one
cent, or $30 per year for an aver-
age household Bassani said the
board of education is unique in that
it affords voters their sole opportu-
nity to refuse a municipal construc-
tion project.
I dont want my taxes to go up
any more either, he said. But I
recognize that there is a necessity
for a new school, and we need to
convince the people of Sparta of
that necessity as well.
Some vocal residents who
voted against the bond have said
that a new high school should be
built instead of an elementary
school. (Two measures to construct
a new high school were voted down
in 1994.) Others have suggested
alternative plans, such as the radi-
cal expansion of the Mohawk
Avenue School, which houses grade
5.
Wolfes answer to the first sug-
gestion is to ask, If we could not
get approval of a $19 million refer-
endum that we could demonstrate
a definite need for, what chance
would we have of passing a $50 mil-
lion referendum for which theres
no demonstrable need?
While the elementary schools are
filled to capacity, Wolfe said, the
high school currently has room for
about another 200 students. The
only dip in enrollment is between
grades 8 and 9, when a number of
students transfer to Pope John
XXIII or Blair Academy.
Officials have dismissed resi-
dents suggestions to expand
Mohawk Avenue School as com-
pletely unfeasible. They said there
is no room on the property for
expansion and adding onto the 1932
building would be even more
expensive than building a new
school.
The next school board meeting is
scheduled for Oct. 15. Bassani said
an additional meeting may be
scheduled, solely for the purpose of
discussing the defeated referen-
dum and for school officials to dis-
cuss the future as he put it,
phase two of the plan to build a
new elementary school.
accident, David McInnis of Goodale
Road, then 17, was struck by a
snowmobile near his house, the
teen has said. McInnis, who has
since turned 18, suffered a com-
pound fracture to his right leg and a
bruise on his left leg after being
struck.
The vehicles driver did not slow
down or stop after the incident, the
teen has said.
McInnis has said he could not
identify the snowmobile driver
because it was nearly dark outside
when he was hit. He did not jump
out of the snowmobiles way
because the roadway was bordered
by trees and a snowbank.
While speaking with The New
Jersey Herald in May, McInnes
described how he was struck by the
snowmobile on March 6:
McInnis said he took his dog, a
golden retriever named Eric, for a
walk around 7 p.m., on Goodale
Road. When McInnis saw a head-
light coming toward him, the teen
pointed his flashlight at the driver
to signal his presence on the road-
way.
The vehicle did not alter its
direction after McInnis signaled
the driver. The teen said he
believed the snowmobile driver
was playing a joke and would turn
to go around him.
After he was hit by the snowmo-
bile, McInnis was not able to put
any weight on his leg, he said. He
crawled across the road and sig-
naled a passing snowplow driver,
who radioed for emergency person-
nel.
Five to 8 inches of snow fell on
Sussex County during a 12-hour
period on the afternoon of March 6,
according to Nick Stefano at the
Sussex County Weather Network.
The heaviest snowfall occurred
between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and
flurries tapered off by 6 p.m.
Tickets
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Door Prizes!
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GRAND RE-OPENING GRAND RE-OPENING GRAND RE-OPENING
CORRECTION
CORRECTION Retired Sparta
Police Chief Fred Geffken had been
appointed police chief in 1993. A 42-
year member of the police force,
Geffken had briefly served as act-
ing chief in 1975, following the
retirement of his father. An article
in Thursdays New Jersey Herald
was incorrect as to the length of
time Geffken had served as police
chief.
go door to door Tuesday to educate
voters about the current medical
liability crisis and the stance of leg-
islative candidates on effective
reform.
Doctors hope this grassroots
approach will help pass the Senate
version of bill A-50 through the
Assembly. The bill would put a
$300,000 cap on awards for pain and
suffering while allowing additional
payment for medical bills and
employment lost.
Doctors in districts 1, 4, 14, 36
and 38 Hasbrouck Heights,
Hamilton Township, Monmouth
Junction, Cape May Courthouse
and Washington Township will
knock on doors in their districts to
educate residents about issues fac-
ing the states physicians, many of
whom have altered their practice,
retired or left the state as a result
of rising costs, said Matthew
Caruso, spokesman for the New
Jersey Medical Society. These dis-
tricts were determined as the key
races because they are the closest
races in the assembly.
Caruso said the number of neu-
rosurgeons has decreased in the
state because of the current
extraordinarily high malpractice
costs.
Sussex County and Warren
County dont have any neurosur-
geons at all, he said.
According to Liegner, more than
25 percent of New Jersey
OB/GYNS have dropped obstetrics
from their practices since 1998.
Elwell, a 27-year resident of
Green, said she is concerned for
her 24-year-old, married daughter
who has been thinking about start-
ing a family.
I had hoped when my daughter
had children that Dr. Liegner would
be able to deliver them, but its not
going to happen, she said.
Elwell, who gave birth to her son
at the age of 41, has placed a lot of
faith in Liegner. Its unusual that I
had (Artie) so late (in life), and if it
was not for Joanne, he would not be
here, she said. I have a great
respect for her, and have respect
for her decision to give up obstet-
rics because so much is at stake
now because of the huge amounts
of awards given in malpractice
cases.
Three out of seven OB/GYNs in
Sussex County who are associated
with Newton Memorial Hospital
have dropped their obstetrics prac-
tices, said Dr. Roland Johnson,
president of the Sussex County
Medical Society.
According to Johnson, some
physicians from Sussex County
may join other doctors on the door-
to-door call, but a group will stay
behind to visit Northern New
Jerseys local legislators who
already support tort reform.
I think it is very powerful for the
doctors who live and work in their
districts to walk down the street
and ask their neighbors to help
support the reform, but around
here, we are very fortunate all our
legislators are already in favor of
the reform, Johnson said.
Doctors
ratifying the abusive and intention-
al infliction of emotional distress
by Polles.
Polles, who could not be reached
for comment, announced last
month that he will resign Nov. 2. He
has accepted a job as assistant
superintendent in the Montville
school district.
Board President Kenneth
OConnor did not return requests
for comment.
Andriac was a tenured employee
who had worked for the school for
14 years. She is seeking punitive
damages for each of the two counts
in the lawsuit, interest, attorney
fees and the cost of suit.
Lawsuit
Marley Cameron, 3
1
2, of Hampton, and her mom, Kathy, check out the garlic at the Walnut Grove stand
at the 2nd Annual Garden State Garlic Festival at Olde Lafayette Village which continues today from
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Festival fun
Newton High School missed
three of these indicators.
Superintendent Robert Gratz said
he admired the lofty goal of the
No Child Left Behind Act, but was
critical of the change in expecta-
tion by the federal government . .
(which has) mandated a one-size-
must-fit-all which everyone must
meet in a specific timeline.
A school used to be a place to
learn, Gratz said. Students
were given the opportunity to
learn at a different pace, in differ-
ent ways and were paid
respect.
Librera said that many of the
271 schools received warnings
because of HSPA tests results
involving special education and
limited English proficiency stu-
dents. Fifty-five percent of the
schools missed the mark in four
or fewer indicators.
The subgroups are causing
the problems, especially in larger
districts, said Steve Wollmer, a
spokesman for the New Jersey
Education Association, the teach-
ers union. In small, homogenous
districts, subgroups arent going
to skew it as much.
Joseph Cammarata, superin-
tendent of Sussex County
Technical School, which missed
two indicators, said he largely
supported the measure. We wel-
come the challenge, he said.
Cammarata also said that the
technical school has a game
plan in place to help all our stu-
dents get into that 25 percent that
did pass.
State officials said that 49 per-
cent of all schools with eighth
grades middle and elementary
schools are also on the warning
list or have already been deemed
as failing under the federal law.
The state will release the names
of those schools Tuesday.
The No Child Left Behind Act
was a President Bush initiative
aimed at raising teaching stan-
dards nationwide. Democrats
have complained that Bush has
not adequately funded the meas-
ure.
The McGreevey administration
was critical of the act and its scor-
ing procedure. Juliette Johnson, a
spokeswoman for Gov. James E.
McGreevey, called the process
demeaning.
These lists are nonsense,
Johnson said. If the federal gov-
ernment wants us to help educate
our children, it should give us
funding.
Gratz downplayed the lists sig-
nificance.
Legislation will come and go,
but our mission to mold out
students into well-rounded
human beings will always be
there, he said.
Schools
Sparta school board regroups
after defeat of referendum
By BRENDAN BERLS
Herald Staff Writer
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
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