WW-P’S FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER WWPINFO.COM WEST WINDSOR Letters to the Editor: Charter School Pros and Cons 2 & PLAINSBORO Acme Center Deal Coming Soon? 16 Plainsboro Introduces $23.15 million budget 20 West Windsor Pair Present Debussy Opera 29 Police Reports 34 Classifieds 35 At It’s a Grind, A Couple that Cares 36 NEWS ISSUE DATE: APRIL 30, 2010 NEXT ISSUE:MAY 14 WW-P Budget Approved, Custodians Privatized by Cara Latham with Aramark to organize services for each of the school and office n actions that it acknowledged buildings. The contract will go into might appear to be “callous,” effect on July 1. Ithe WW-P Board of Education The district’s current employees got its way twice in the last two will complete employment for the weeks: On April 20, voters passed remainder of this school year. an austere budget, 2,862-2,667 “Aramark will oversee the hir- (see story below). Then, on April ing of employees to work in the 27, the board, acting with a “heavy district, and all employees will be heart,” according to board member subject to fingerprinting and back- Richard Kaye, privatized its custo- ground checks,” the press release dial staff. stated. As part “Too little, of a contract too late.” That approved earli- was the mes- Aramark will oversee er this month sage the WW-P the hiring of employees with the WW-P school board to work in the district, Service Asso- sent to the mem- and all employees will ciation, the bers of the WW- board approved P Foreman’s be subject to finger- a severance and Service as- printing and back- package for sociations, who ground checks. custodial and had submitted a maintenance proposal to save staff, for an es- the jobs of their timated cost to the district of members a week before the board $275,000 to $300,000. Open for Browsing: Jinny Baeckler, unanimously voted to privatize the “Savings from Aramark have longtime director of the Plainsboro Pub- work. allowed us to lessen other reduc- lic Library, basks in the sunlight of the The board voted 9-0 on April 27 tions in the budget, along with brand new building at the Village Cen- to award a two-year $9.2 million careful planning for needed custo- contract to Aramark to provide ter. See page 23 for interior photos of the dial and maintenance services,” custodial, maintenance, grounds, board president Hemant Marathe new building, which opened April 10 and and management services to the said in the press release. Robert houses 125,000 volumes. See separate district — ending a seventh-month Johnson, board vice president and story, page 20, for details of Plainsboro campaign by the in-house employ- chair of the finance committee, Township’s plan to convert the former li- ees to save their jobs. added: “These outsourced services The cost to the district is $4.6 will bring us significant and sus- brary building at the municipal complex million each in the first and second into a recreational and cultural center. years. According to a press release, the district’s supervisors will work Continued on page 13 DAY-BY-DAY INPLAINSBORO & WEST WINDSOR For more event listings visit www.- South Softball. At Princeton. 4 wwpinfo.com. For timely up- p.m. dates, follow wwpinfo at Twitter North Girls Lacrosse. At Prince- and on Facebook. ton. 4:15 p.m. North Boys Volleyball. Wood- Friday bridge. 5:15 p.m. Drama April 30 Tom, Dick, and Harry, Off-Broad- street Theater, 5 South Green- wood Avenue, Hopewell, 609- School Sports 466-2766. off-broadstreet.com. Farce. $27.50 to $29.50. 7 p.m. For WW-P school sports infor- MacHomer, McCarter Theater, mation, call the hotline: 609-716- 91 University Place, Princeton, 5000, ext. 5134, www.ww-p.org. 609-258-2787. www.mccarter.- South Boys Golf. Princeton. 3:10 org. Shakespeare’s drama pre- p.m. sented in one-man show in the voices of more than 50 characters North Boys Golf. Hamilton West. from television’s “The Simpsons.” 3:40 p.m. 7:30 p.m. North Girls Golf. At Lawrenceville. Take Flight, Berlind Theater at 3:45 p.m. the McCarter, 91 University North Baseball. At Hamilton West. Place, Princeton, 609-258-2787. 4 p.m. www.mccarter.org. American pre- Once Upon a Ballet: DanceVision presents ‘The Secret Garden,’Saturday, May 1, miere of new musical. $20 to $65. at the Princeton Public Library, and Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9, at High North Boys Tennis. Steinert. 4 8 p.m. p.m. School South. Pictured: Risa Kaplowitz, back row, artistic director of DanceVision Annie, Kelsey Theater, Mercer and a West Windsor resident, with DanceVision performers from West Windsor and South Baseball. At Princeton. 4 County Community College, p.m. 1200 Old Trenton Road, 609-570- Plainsboro including Dan Sandford, a board member and a dancer; Third row South Boys Tennis. Allentown. 4 3333. www.kelseytheatre.net. from left: Danielle Shoemaker; Grace Sandford; Juliet Martone; Elise Millrod; p.m. Classic family musical by the Alessa Meni; Sophia Tian. Second row from left: Scarlett Hanks; Alexandra Pas- South Girls Lacrosse. At Notre Yardley Players. $16. 8 p.m. tor; Max Azaro; and Iris Foster. First row from left: Nithya Borra, and Manya Zhu. Dame. 4 p.m. Not pictured, Josiah Foster. Continued on page 21 2 THE NEWS APRIL 30, 2010 Views & Opinions To The Editor: no salaries or benefits at stake. We only want one thing: to improve New Charter School the quality of education in our pub- lic schools. Not a Luxury Item The parents who created the n recent presentations and arti- Princeton International Academy cles about the budget chal- Charter School (PIACS) recog- Richard K. Rein lenges facing our schools, dis- nized that our public schools, Editor and Publisher I though good, are not keeping pace trict administrators in Princeton Cara Latham with top districts nationally and in- and West Windsor-Plainsboro News Editor Plainsboro Values point out that, for several years, ternationally. That is why we asked for and received permission Lynn Miller 6 BR, 5 Full BA, 2 HB. Custom Built Brick Fronted ‘SMART’ Home. Elegant they have been “losing control” Community News Editor over decisions af- to create a public school that offers touches from the custom front door, two story foyer to the gourmet Kitchen. a curriculum The Kitchen features Double thick granite ctrs, granite back splash, custom fecting the quali- Brian McCarthy ‘Neff’ cabinetry, Prof. dual fuel 6 burner stove & dual oven, Sub Zero Refrig, ty of education in which, we be- Craig Terry Sub Zero 2 Drawer Freezer, Meile Dishwasher. Large Office, Dramatic the schools. They Fluency in strategic lieve, better pre- Photography Family Room, Elegant Dining Room, Formal Living Room. Three season pledge a “long world languages may pares students for Porch. Master suite features two the challenges Vaughan Burton sided fireplace & sitting room. fight” to regain have been dismissed as and opportunities Production Bonus Room w/full bath. Burl Wood the control that Diana Joseph-Riley Butlers Pantry, Brazilian cherry a ‘luxury’in the 20th they will face in they lost. They Martha Moore Hdwd flrs, crown moldings, chair make a good century, but informed the 21st century. rails, French Doors, Fin. Bsmt. Account Representatives point. All too of- observers today agree How? Trex Deck... SO much to see!!!!! First, PIACS Bill Sanservino $999,900 ten taxpayers it is a prerequisite for does not confine Production Manager watch as control the 21st century. shifts from one itself to state or national stan- Lawrence L. DuPraz 1919-2006 bureaucracy to Founding Production Adviser another with no fundamental im- dards of compe- Euna Kwon Brossman So Much to See provement in the quality of ser- tency. Our teachers and adminis- in This Lovely Home!!! vice, management efficiency, or trators will look nationally and in- Jack Florek, Bart Jackson accountability. ternationally for the best method- Pritha Dasgupta These power struggles between ologies that can be applied to the Jennifer Bender bureaucracies serve no one but the curriculum. One such example is Phyllis Spiegel bureaucrats themselves. It is sad, Singapore Math. For years parents, Caroline Calogero however, when the district admin- particularly in South Asia, have Contributing Writers istrators’ need for power and con- witnessed the positive impact of trol motivates them to “fight” tax- Singapore Math in their schools. For inquiries, call 609-243-9119. GR paying parents of the children they PIACS parents believe it will have Fax: 609-243-9020. are supposed to serve. Parents have an equally positive impact here. 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