The Personal Injury Attorney in Carlstadt, NJ, You Can Trust

3-minute read

An informational meeting to discuss the $49.2 million bond referendum for Becton Regional High School won't be held in Carlstadt as planned, because the local school board is withholding permission for it.

The action by the local Board of Education, which oversees the Carlstadt elementary and middle schools, comes weeks after the borough's mayor and council came out publicly against the referendum on upgrades. The regional high school receives students from Carlstadt, East Rutherford and Maywood.

Becton officials are protesting the action by the local school board and have sent out a letter denouncing the action and saying the in-person and remote meeting has been moved to the high school campus in East Rutherford. It will be held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting was intended to let Carlstadt residents ask questions about the March 12 referendum.

The main focus of Saturday's two-page, 1,172-word letter sent out by Becton officials was to criticize the nine-member Carlstadt grade school board for siding with its municipal officials in what they emphasized was supposed to be a nonpartisan process free of municipal government interference.

"Does the Carlstadt Board of Education not want to make widely available for its community this critical fact-based information about the referendum prior to the vote?" the letter reads. "In our view, the suppression of the availability of information to the community is as dangerous to the fundamental tenets of our democracy and a free-flowing public discourse as it is a disservice to those community members."

The letter is signed by School Superintendent Dario Sforza, Carlstadt-East Rutherford board President Steven Lahullier, Vice President Emily Landolfi and trustee Bruce Young, chairman of the board's referendum committee.

Carlstadt Board of Education President Leslie Molnar did not respond to a request to explain why the referendum hearing was not on the board's Feb. 12 facility use requests agenda.

Uncommon debate

The rare debate between traditionally separate agencies was touched off on Jan. 17 when the six-member Carlstadt Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the referendum because "the benefits for Carlstadt residents are far outweighed by the financial burden to the Borough's residents."

Carlstadt Mayor Robert Zimmermann, a teacher in the Carlstadt school district, followed up with a Jan. 22 letter to Sforza. In the letter, he said borough officials were left with the impression after a Dec. 4 meeting that "we would not be moving forward with the referendum until our concerns were addressed. As of this date, they have not been."

Neither Zimmermann nor the council has issued a statement since then clarifying what the objections are.

East Rutherford Mayor Jeffrey Lahullier, the uncle of regional board President Steven Lahullier, stopped short of endorsement in his letter to residents, asking them only to "listen to the facts and figures, not rumors or inflamed voices, before casting your vote."

Neither Zimmermann nor Maywood Mayor Richard Bolan responded to a request for comment on the school board's decision.

Three questions

Becton Regional unsuccessfully mounted a $55 million bond proposal in March 2022 for roughly the same renovations to its East Rutherford campus.

The premise for the additions is the increasing demand for school services, particularly technical training since the district began receiving Maywood students on a send/receive basis in 2020. Maywood now sends 314 students to Becton, compared to 261 from Carlstadt, and 341 from East Rutherford.

For this March's referendum, officials made some reductions and alterations to that proposal, splitting it into three questions:

Question 1: STEM/Special Education/Vocational space — $29.5 million. The new proposal reduces the addition from 90,000 square feet to 47,000 square feet, eliminating a new building for vocational training previously proposed across the street.

Question 2: New gym/renovation of existing gym/ performing arts center — $12.8 million. The property would be purchased to build a new regulation-size gymnasium, with renovations to the existing gym, and a performing arts center, bathrooms and locker rooms.

Question 3: Expansion of Trades and Vocational Program Space — $7 million. Renovations are proposed to the school's annex building at 160 Paterson Ave.

The tax impact for East Rutherford homeowners with an average home value of $426,302 and Carlstadt homeowners with an average home value of $445,779 would be $0.03 per $100 assessed valuation for Question 1, and $0.01 per $100 assessed valuation each for Questions 2 and 3.

That would be an average increased tax bill of $144 per year if Question 1 is approved, up to $252 per year if all three questions are approved.

Four information sessions on the referendum have been offered by the district. Two have already been presented. Besides Tuesday's meeting, a combined in-person and remote broadcast is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22, at Becton Regional.

4-minute read

A resolution and letter opposing Becton Regional's upcoming $49.2 million referendum on March 12 have been issued by the mayor and council of Carlstadt, one of three communities served by the high school.

Mayor Robert Zimmermann's Jan. 22 letter to Dario Sforza, the high school's superintendent, expressed "disappointment" that the regional high school district's Board of Education is moving forward with a new proposal after a $55 million measure failed in March 2022.

"I am perplexed by the decision to advance the referendum at this time," Zimmermann's letter reads. "When [East Rutherford] Mayor Lahullier and I left our meeting on Dec. 4, we were both of the impression that we would not be moving forward with the referendum until our concerns were addressed. As of this date, they have not been."

Students from East Rutherford and, most recently, Maywood also attend the regional school.

Zimmermann's letter follows a Carlstadt Borough Council resolution passed unanimously on Jan. 17 opposing the proposal because "the benefits for Carlstadt residents are far outweighed by the financial burden to the borough's residents."

Neither Zimmermann's letter nor the resolution specifies what those financial disadvantages would be.

'Necessary evolution'

Councils and school boards are separate elected entities and have no jurisdiction over each other's activities or budgets. Traditionally, each side refrains from making public comments about the other elected body's actions.

In response to the Carlstadt comments, Sforza said the proposal "is not a luxury addition, it is a necessary evolution that stops waste and enhances relevance."

"The thought of some of our community leaders not wholeheartedly supporting this dramatically reduced educational initiative, especially after having a seat at the table, is inconceivable," Sforza said in a written statement. "The Becton team is now actively engaging with community members and we encourage young families and community members as a whole to join us at upcoming information sessions."

The information sessions will include:

East Rutherford Mayor Jeffrey Lahullier, the uncle of Becton Board of Education President Steven Lahullier, issued a statement Wednesday in support of the referendum.

"Currently, opportunities for our students that wish to attend a trade school are very limited," Lahullier said. "The referendum seeks to address the needs of these students. This proposal would also provide facilities and staff to bring our special needs students that are currently being educated out of district, back to our high school. The cost to send our special needs students out of district is substantial."

Maywood Mayor Richard Bolan did not respond to a request for comment.

Becton's second attempt

The objections came in response to the regional high school district's announcement this month that it would revamp the failed $55 million referendum proposal into three questions and cut the price tag by $5.8 million to make it more appealing to voters in Carlstadt and East Rutherford.

This year's referendum is divided into three questions. Question 1 must be approved to activate approvals of Questions 2 and 3.

Referendum questions

Question 1: STEM/Special Education/Vocational space — $29.5 million. The new proposal reduces the addition from 90,000 square feet to 47,000 square feet, eliminating a new building for vocational training previously proposed across the street.

Question 2: New gym/renovation of existing gym/performing arts center — $12.8 million. The property would be purchased to build a new regulation-size gymnasium, with renovations to the existing gym, and a performing arts center, bathrooms and locker rooms.

Question 3: Expansion of Trades and Vocational Program Space — $7 million. Renovations are proposed to the school's annex building at 160 Paterson Ave.

What it means for taxpayers

Carlstadt and East Rutherford homeowners would taxed $0.03 per $100 assessed valuation for Question 1, and $0.01 per $100 assessed valuation each for Questions 2 and 3. The average tax bill would rise $144 per year if Question 1 is approved, going up to $252 per year if all three questions are approved, Sforza said.

Maywood, whose high school students began transferring from Hackensack to Becton on a send/receive basis in 2020, would not vote in the referendum.

Maywood's Board of Education members balked during new contract negotiations with Hackensack in 2018, even though they were offered a 5% reduction in their $15,000-per-student rate, and switched to Becton. According to Sforza, under Maywood's 10-year contract with Becton, the per-pupil rate is $10,500 per student. A 2% increase is allowed in the fifth contract year, with a cap of $11,800 per student by the 10th year.

The district's press release on the referendum does not explain how a $3 million state grant or Maywood's unspecified tuition increase would factor into the total cost, or whether $49.2 million is only the Carlstadt-East Rutherford share or the total bill.

The district has placed repeated emphasis on Question 1's $29.5 million price as being half the cost of the 2022 proposal for $55 million, even though the projects covered by each question are different.

2-min read

PizzAmore Italian Kitchen in Carlstadt is the sort of small pizza joint — intimate, friendly and with great food — that we all wish was just around the corner.

On two visits, it was readily apparent to me that owner/pizza maker John Speciale has a strong connection with his Carlstadt neighborhood. One patron proudly pointed to a youth baseball team photo hanging on the wall containing both Speciale and him. A couple popped their heads in just to say hi. And many came in for a slice, a pie or a meatball parm.

The decor

The dining area is small; there's one high-top table and a rectangular farm-style kitchen table surrounded by accoutrements that you'd normally find in a small, Italian, home kitchen. Speciale orchestrates behind a simple counter.

The shelves are lined with number 10-sized cans of tomatoes and cans of olive oil. The walls contain pictures of friends, family and a smattering of stars, including Little Steven Van Zandt.

The dough

It is a blend of General Mills high-gluten pizza flour, double‑zero Americana Caputo flour, yeast, water and salt, all of which Speciale allows to rise, punches down and then ferments overnight.

The next day the dough gets punched down once more before it goes into the oven. He takes these steps, he said, to make the crust of his traditional pie and his Sicilian-style dough light and flavorful.

The sauce

Speciale's tomato sauce is light and lovely — a mix of plum tomato and crushed tomatoes. Not overly reduced, when it comes out of the oven, it remains a bright red.

"I believe less is more," Speciale said, adding his sauce is made with just tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onion and basil.

The cheese

Speciale uses a blend of Grande Mozzarella, pecorino Romano and a few other "secret" cheeses.

"People's tastes have changed," he said. "You remember the movie 'Do the Right Thing'? They were always asking for extra cheese."

Today people want thinner, crispier pies with a sensible as opposed to overwhelming amount of cheese, he said. Accordingly, Speciale's Sicilian and regular pies are a harmonious blend of sauce and cheese.

Don't forget to try the award-winning meatballs

Don't leave PizzAmore without first sampling the meatballs. Odds are Speciale will insist that you try some — for good reason. They are delicious, tender and flavor-packed.

I vowed to only eat a bit of the meatball he served me; I had other pizza joints to hit that evening. But I couldn't help it: I ended up eating it all. I now understand why for two years straight he took home Jersey Pizza Joints statewide meatball contest.

The bottom line ????????

My rating: Two slices, that is, excellent.

About this series

In My Big Year of Pizza, Matt Fagan is on a quest to rate as many of New Jersey's close to 3,000 pizza spots as possible and let readers know where they fit in the state's pizza pantheon. He's trying for two pizzerias per week from Salem to Sussex counties. That's about 10 per month.

Ratings are: ???????????? Exceptional (worthy of a pizza pilgrimage); ???????? Excellent (if you are in town, make a stop); and ???? Worth It (good if it's your neighborhood joint).

The idea for this big year of pizza comes from the 2011 movie "The Big Year," starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. The difference is they were funny and, as amateur bird watchers, they searched for birds instead of pizza.