Public lacked info on Monroe referendum

After reading the editorial and the Your Turn guest column in the Dec. 4 issue of the Sentinel, I wonder whatever happened to giving both sides of a story so the public can make up its own mind.

What makes the Monroe Township Board of Education’s side of the story more important than the research Park Savers and myself have found? Does it not count that the Department of Environmental Protection (Green Acres) sent the board a letter back in July telling its members to "seek non-parkland alternatives for this school?"

What has made them so confident that they will get past the pre-application? Can they prove no additions could be put on to the high school? That is a requirement. The requirements continue, along with having no other feasible locations to build a high school.

Did the board offer proof that no other land is available or suitable for a high school? Probably not, because they can’t.

Will every municipality follow this lead and not have to pay for land? Will we see schools in all parks throughout the state? This plan has statewide implications.

I feel it should have been equally important that the public know of the ramifications of supporting this bond. How will the members of the public feel when the action is legally challenged?

How is supporting this bond saving time? It’s taken six months to slap the idea together to place this downsized high school in the park. Another 18-24 months to put a school in the ground? And let’s not forget the past eight months of idling, waiting for the election.

How about the cost per household? Park Savers had a paid mathematician calculate this cost. He spoke at a public meeting. Why wasn’t his information passed on?

My question is: What makes the Board of Education’s information fac­tual and others’ information not fac­tual?

The statement about not duplicating the fields is the most ridiculous com­ment made — they have to redo the ex­isting fields to make them "multipurpose." Those fields do not ac­commodate the 1,200 children in the current high school. How can 2,700 ad­ditional children share those fields?

If I thought the public had all the factual information, I would say let the chips fall where they may. But with the continued misinformation, I feel it’s an injustice to the public.

Nancy Prohaska

Monroe