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RTDNTOTO 🐻 Random Thoughts Deserving No Thread Of Their Own 21 (2026)

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kjel said:
Our community school is closing :( I am thankful that my youngest got to attend a neighborhood school that she walked to for 4 years. NJ's school funding formula has cut state funding for many middle class districts, diverting funds to low income districts that don't have as robust of a property tax base. Combined with a Christie era 2% tax cap it's really straining many districts, even larger ones. We had a referendum for a 27% increase on the school tax portion of the property tax bill which would have increased about $500 annually for the typical home, but all the old people voted against it so it failed leaving few options on the table.

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I recall looking into NJ's funding formula a couple of years ago when working with an intern to understand VT's options. It's kind of wild as I recall.
 
Faust_Motel said:
I recall looking into NJ's funding formula a couple of years ago when working with an intern to understand VT's options. It's kind of wild as I recall.
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VT does this "equalized pupil" formula where there are certain types of pupils (ESL, lower income) that generate a higher state funding rate. It's still a Robin Hood "rich town/poor town" formula that doesn't do much to help out low income kids in high-value districts, but if I'm remebering right NJs looks at the municipality as a whole as "rich" or "poor" and bases the funding formula on that...

Nevertheless we have some brutal geographic and economic conditions in VT that are going to force A LOT more consolidation.

For me, being a middle-income property owner in a "wealthy" school district means most of the property tax money I pay goes to keep small inefficient schools open in dying rural communities.
 
My mind is blanking...what do they call that where banks are required to keep a certain percentage (say 13%) of assets in the form of actual specie?
I can't for the life of me remember.
 
I meet with some folks looking to open a business a couple of weeks ago. All three reeked of cigarette smoke. Fast forward to this morning when I received an email from them, I swear that I smelled cigarette smoke while I was reading it.
 
Going to a Ramadan dinner tonight - looking forward to it

In the late 80's, I worked at a firm where the office manager was Iraqi-American, from a W town in Massachusetts. Her husband and parents were Iraqi-born, and she had 2 little boys. She was overqualified for the job, but she loved working with our little campus planning firm. She used to have us over for Ramadan dinners, and omg the food was incredible, like undescrably good. During Ramadan, no one brought their lunch or breakfast to the office, or even snacks, to help her with her fast.

I miss her so much, and I wish I had kept in contact with her. During the Iraq War, she used to take a couple of mugs and a coffee pot, while donning a Ralph Lauren robe and slippers, out to the FIB folks sitting in the car watching her house and ask them if they wanted a coffee. She was a real pip. But still, that war was hard for her, and every time she got a call, we would all freeze in our chairs (open office, it was a design studio, when I was cool) and wait to hear if everyone was okay.
 
Youngest started baseball practices last night. It is the first time that he has actually played and we didn't get a chance in the week to work with him due to just registering him. When he got up there for batting practice, the coach pitched a soft one to him, and he ripped it. That went on for 4 more pitches, each one a little faster before he missed one.

I think he will do just fine this season.
 
Maister said:
My mind is blanking...what do they call that where banks are required to keep a certain percentage (say 13%) of assets in the form of actual specie?
I can't for the life of me remember.
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Reserve Requirement. The Fed adjusts the percentage from time to time, to add or subtract currency in circulation.
 
Don't forget to change your clocks Sunday morning, if applicable.

We here at the office think they should do the time change on Friday afternoons in the Spring. At 4 p.m., it becomes 5 p.m. Alternatively, they should go back twenty three hours, so that at 2 a.m. Sunday it becomes 3 a.m. Saturday. Net effect on the Sun is the same in either case. Plus, in the latter instance, holidays would drift so eventually the 4th of July would be in winter and Christmas would be in summer.
 
Faust_Motel said:
VT does this "equalized pupil" formula where there are certain types of pupils (ESL, lower income) that generate a higher state funding rate. It's still a Robin Hood "rich town/poor town" formula that doesn't do much to help out low income kids in high-value districts, but if I'm remebering right NJs looks at the municipality as a whole as "rich" or "poor" and bases the funding formula on that...

Nevertheless we have some brutal geographic and economic conditions in VT that are going to force A LOT more consolidation.

For me, being a middle-income property owner in a "wealthy" school district means most of the property tax money I pay goes to keep small inefficient schools open in dying rural communities.
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That’s correct. Most school districts follow municipal boundaries which exacerbates economic and racial segregation. 31 low income school districts are called Abbot districts after a state Supreme Court case from the 1980s which increased funding going to those districts, funded free preschool programs, and facility improvement capital. NJ employees a complicated formula that is plainly explained here https://www.njsba.org/news-information/parent-connections/school-finance-101/ (School Finance 101)

NJ is not dissimilar to VT in that it has many small towns with 1-4 schools. I don’t have any issue with consolidation, we are part of a regional middle & high school district. The issue we are facing is the only alternative we have is to close or be under state control due to there being NO mechanism for a PK-6 regional district. Instead we have entered into a send/receive relationship with a neighboring PK-6 school district. Our school will close and the school funding tax dollars received will be paid forward to the neighboring school district.

It remains to be seen what will happen with the school buildings. There are 3, one is the historic one room school which is on the register, one is a two room building built after WW2, and the third is the school built in the 60s and added onto in the early 90s. It’s well maintained. Hopefully the neighboring district will purchase it and perhaps use it as the PK facility or for SPED. If it is listed for sale I am 100% certain that the Orthodox community in Lakewood will purchase it for a private religious school or a shul. I have no issue with this whatsoever. The one thing many of the cranks in town hate more than children are the Lakewood Orthodox and I can’t think of a more fitting end to not wanting to education children for less than $500 more per year resulting in the thing you hate more.
 
Did I ever tell you about the guy that lived in a BFE rural township in Michigan? The community was debating about adopting zoning. This guy was vehemently opposed to it and spouted off vociferously during meetings about the evils of communism and how zoning was but a manifestation of Karl Marx. Due - at least in part - to his efforts, zoning was not adopted.

PS: three years later the farmer that lived across the street from this guy retired and sold his land. Yes, a racetrack was constructed across the street from that guy's house.

PPS: this in my mind is the most compelling evidence I've encountered in proving the existence of God.
 
kjel said:
That’s correct. Most school districts follow municipal boundaries which exacerbates economic and racial segregation. 31 low income school districts are called Abbot districts after a state Supreme Court case from the 1980s which increased funding going to those districts, funded free preschool programs, and facility improvement capital. NJ employees a complicated formula that is plainly explained here https://www.njsba.org/news-information/parent-connections/school-finance-101/ (School Finance 101)

NJ is not dissimilar to VT in that it has many small towns with 1-4 schools. I don’t have any issue with consolidation, we are part of a regional middle & high school district. The issue we are facing is the only alternative we have is to close or be under state control due to there being NO mechanism for a PK-6 regional district. Instead we have entered into a send/receive relationship with a neighboring PK-6 school district. Our school will close and the school funding tax dollars received will be paid forward to the neighboring school district.

It remains to be seen what will happen with the school buildings. There are 3, one is the historic one room school which is on the register, one is a two room building built after WW2, and the third is the school built in the 60s and added onto in the early 90s. It’s well maintained. Hopefully the neighboring district will purchase it and perhaps use it as the PK facility or for SPED. If it is listed for sale I am 100% certain that the Orthodox community in Lakewood will purchase it for a private religious school or a shul. I have no issue with this whatsoever. The one thing many of the cranks in town hate more than children are the Lakewood Orthodox and I can’t think of a more fitting end to not wanting to education children for less than $500 more per year resulting in the thing you hate more.
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There are a lot of smaller counties/towns that are having to figure out school systems for smaller/shrinking populations. In AL, cities split off from counties in 1950-60s. At the same time small religious private schools popped up. About 10 years ago, the state started to finally halt new cities from creating their own school districts solely for discriminatory purposes. With last year's approval of private school vouchers, the death of small public systems is only starting to ramp up. Most public systems in the state lost students last year.

This year the state allowed adjacent school districts to merge back together to reduce overhead and admin costs. I'm interested to see if it works. I don't see many places actually using it.

When I was in school in TN, almost all districts were countywide. I think the number of city schools have grown in the last 20 years though. There was still constant fighting over which school was better and funding, but seemed to be much more equitable than what I see down here.
 
JNA said:
What headlines -

mirrorindy.org

‘The public isn’t my boss’: Zoning official’s comments don’t sit right with community

The comments were directed at Martindale Brightwood residents who oppose a data center proposal.
mirrorindy.org mirrorindy.org

Northern Michigan township set to vote on abolishing zoning laws
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The headline is bad and her comment isn't great. She isn't really a rank and file employee though. She's a contracted hearing examiner brought in for impartiality.
 
So... much... fun...

I learned this morning that it takes between 120 to 180 days for our county to process vehicle sales and get new plates to people. The dealership is sending us a new temp (60-day) tag since the current one expires at the end of the week.
 
Wifey and I finally decided on a plan to tackle the big pile of crap that we put in our garage 13 years ago and haven't touched: Get a unit at the new storage facility a couple of miles away.

Other than that, I successfully DIY'ed a doorbell installation and some new outdoor lighting this weekend. Go me!
 
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michaelskis said:
So... much... fun...

I learned this morning that it takes between 120 to 180 days for our county to process vehicle sales and get new plates to people. The dealership is sending us a new temp (60-day) tag since the current one expires at the end of the week.
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That's insane. Does the county do any emissions testing or is it just backlog.
 
Funding alone is no guarantee a school district will be good. There are a ton of factors that go into that. The county I live in had the state step in last year and take over the district, abolishing the school board. Performance is beyond woeful. And more money is spent per pupil than any other district in the state.
 
MD Planner said:
Funding alone is no guarantee a school district will be good. There are a ton of factors that go into that. The county I live in had the state step in last year and take over the district, abolishing the school board. Performance is beyond woeful. And more money is spent per pupil than any other district in the state.
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This is what bugs me as my state struggles with education funding and being "equitable." Like NJ we had a court case that said we couldn't have locally-funded schools and districts anymore because that was resulting in the unequal provision of a "common benefit," which is prohibited by our state constitution. Sure, the rich school district my dad taught in offered more opportunity and more classes, teams, and programs than the more modest one next door that we lived in. But it's been a quarter century since that court case and the "equalized pupil" funding formula and everything about the difference between those two districts, including the outcomes for students, is just as true today as it was when I graduated in the '90s. I'd hazard a guess that there's nothing the state can do funding-wise that will make public education sway outcomes more than the individual affluence of the students and their families. Same as it ever was.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
That's insane. Does the county do any emissions testing or is it just backlog.
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It is backlog created by a very broken structure.

Everything is processed through the County Clerk's office with 6 locations. Well, now 5 being they were evicted out of a space because they didn't pay rent. The Clerk was of the opinion that since they were a governmental operation, they didn't need to. Every location has a line at least an hour before open and the waits often run at least an hour or two.

The citizens have tried to oust the Clerk twice in the past 2 years. She is up for reelection this fall, and she pulled a petition for this job, along with several others.
 
MD Planner said:
Funding alone is no guarantee a school district will be good. There are a ton of factors that go into that. The county I live in had the state step in last year and take over the district, abolishing the school board. Performance is beyond woeful. And more money is spent per pupil than any other district in the state.
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Faust_Motel said:
This is what bugs me as my state struggles with education funding and being "equitable." Like NJ we had a court case that said we couldn't have locally-funded schools and districts anymore because that was resulting in the unequal provision of a "common benefit," which is prohibited by our state constitution. Sure, the rich school district my dad taught in offered more opportunity and more classes, teams, and programs than the more modest one next door that we lived in. But it's been a quarter century since that court case and the "equalized pupil" funding formula and everything about the difference between those two districts, including the outcomes for students, is just as true today as it was when I graduated in the '90s. I'd hazard a guess that there's nothing the state can do funding-wise that will make public education sway outcomes more than the individual affluence of the students and their families. Same as it ever was.
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I worked in an affluent suburb of Boston in the late 90's. The School Superintendent and I were standing in the back of the room at town meeting one year, listening to the principals of his schools go over their stats. He was a short, pompous guy, but he had a great sense of humor so I liked chatting with him - I used to call him Napoleon. So I said, Hey, Napoleon, you should feel good about the quality of the schools you built here, and he said, LP, lemme tell you a little secret. Now I love my teachers, but if you put these teachers down in Chelsea, those SAT scores down there aren't rising an inch - the reason why we do so well here is the parents. The parents are hyper-educated and hyper-employed, and they want the same for little Johnny and Susie - they demand the school to be excellent so they are. I would love to take credit, but I really can't.
 
I just noticed my medical bracelet has fallen off my wrist. I know I had it on my wrist as recently as Saturday morning.

Well, since my name is on it, I imagine whoever finds it would drop it in the mail to MedicAlert and it would come back to me. (It has no monetary value.)

Places I went to Saturday: Target, Lowe's, PetCo, Lockwood Trailhead Park.

= = =

Wifey's family thinks lost and found reports are inconsiderate (to employees) and a waste of time, since I am asking someone to do something I won't do myself, so I won't file one with any of those places. (I don't randomly look for things, in my house or elsewhere. I just get by without it or get a replacement.)

Since I hate looking for things, making somebody else do it is what they find offensive. But I always thought how L&F works is that you report a lost item, and if someone finds it and turns it in, they match it up with a list of lost items and contact the owner. That's how it worked when I worked at a hotel. Nobody goes out and actively looks for it.
 
JNA said:
But you have to be an enrolled student at MIT.
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When I worked at the hotel and I had a group from Boston, they wanted to know how far away something was. I gave them the distance in smoots and they just stared at me.

I was being serious, though. It was about 2/3 of a mile to the restaurant they were going to: 630 smoots.
 
In the 80's a bunch of MIT graduate students had a house they called The Gravity Research Institute and there was some wild parties in that house - the attic was turned into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, one room has a wall of TVs all playing different different stations with the sound off and the opposite wall was carpeted stairs like an amphitheater, other rooms were NSFW to mention - there was a bar in the parlor and the downstairs bathtub was always filled with ice and beer and the only thing in the freezer were White Castle burgers - it was a lot of fun, it was on my way home from work so I used to stop in for a gimlet on my way home a couple times a week
 
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