Jason Koestenblatt
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On the article Alternate Kindergarten Program Opens in Long Valley
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On the article Alternate Kindergarten Program Opens in Long Valley
Jason Koestenblatt
1:10 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
ReplyThanks again, Tesla.
I completely understand your point and where you're coming from, and we've posted teacher's salary stories in the past and will likely do it in the future.
As far as it being central to this story, I will disagree with you. The story is about the opening of a new school program, just like a story about the opening of a new restaurant or retail store - that's the focus.
Regarding the drop in property taxes... This year's K8 budget has already been approved, with a line item for expenditures directly impacting the kindergarten expansion. So, bottom line, there won't be a noticeable property tax decrease in the coming year.
Thanks again for the great dialogue!
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On the article Alternate Kindergarten Program Opens in Long Valley
Jason Koestenblatt
12:36 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
ReplyHey Tesla,
Thanks for the comment. This story is about a new kindergarten program opening in town, not teacher's salaries. As you mentioned in your own comment, those figures are at an external link, which was placed here by another reader. It actually doesn't have anything to do with the story, and that's why it's not the headline.
Thanks for asking!
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On the article Full Day Kindergarten Likely for Twp. Schools
Jason Koestenblatt
8:10 am on Thursday, May 23, 2013
ReplyFor those interested in this topic, we've recently published a new article about an alternative kindergarten program starting in September: http://patch.com/A-43Fl
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On the article Full-Day Kindergarten Gets OK in New Budget
Jason Koestenblatt
8:09 am on Thursday, May 23, 2013
ReplyFor those interested in this topic, we've recently published a new article about an alternative kindergarten program starting in September: http://patch.com/A-43Fl
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On the article Falcons' Baseball Season Ends in Playoff Opener
Jason Koestenblatt
2:50 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
ReplyThanks for the comment, Trina!
Since we weren't at the game and were unable to use a new photo, we're looking forward to you posting your own from the game, or one from this season, as you seem very passionate about it. This is the community's platform to share information with each other.
Thanks and we can't which baseball photos you post here! -
On the article Taylor's Repairs Get Go-Ahead From Officials
Jason Koestenblatt
2:48 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
ReplyThanks for the comment and sharing the link, nutty1019!
As folks in the news industry, we think the more information available the better, so we're glad to see the Daily Record reporting on the same stories we've done, albeit a week after our original reporting was conducted.
Thanks again! -
On the article Sparta, Hopatcong High Schools Miss NJ Rankings
Jason Koestenblatt
3:52 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Thanks for the comments, everyone. @Willa, if this were crap, we certainly wouldn't post it. But it's a ranking system by a reputable national news organization. In May, we'll likely run a story on Newsweek's annual rankings, and again over the summer when NJ Monthly releases theirs. This isn't a report about how bad or good a school district is; rather, it's a brief article explaining what rankings our local schools received. We've also run stories similar to this in the past two years when the rankings were made available.
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On the article NBA Player to Share Drug Struggle With Community
Jason Koestenblatt
9:05 am on Monday, April 22, 2013
ReplyThanks for the comment, 2012. The presentation won't take place at the middle school, rather students from the 8th grade will be bused over to the high school for Herren's morning presentation on May 7. The May 6 eventing presentation, however, is open to all residents of the community. Thanks!
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On the article 2 Sparta Runners Finish Before Marathon Blasts
Jason Koestenblatt
2:20 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tesla,
First, I'm not a big Kool-Aid fan. Far too much sugar. :)
Second, you misunderstood my simile regarding the story's focus. A paid program (like a business) is opening in town. That's the focus of the story, as it would be if another paid program opened in town.
Third, I get your point about how an enrollment decrease/increase would/should impact taxes, but like I said, the budget for the coming year has already been approved and set. Do you think if 20 of those students (average class size) jumped over to St. Luke's program the school district (any school district, for that matter) will hand over a check to residents for the money not used? Likely not, as it will be rolled over into the next budget as surplus or maybe used elsewhere.
I'm not saying the district will spend frivolously or unwisely, but I don't believe an enrollment drop of 10-20 more students will impact your property taxes in the COMING year, Tesla. For now, though, I can't speak to what could happen down the road if enrollment continues to decrease via population or privatization of kindergarten.
Thanks again for the great conversation!