8/19/2019 Asbury Park Press front page Tuesday, March 22 2016

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ASBURY PARK PRESS APP.COM $1.50

TUESDAY 03.22.16

VOLUME137

NUMBER 70

SINCE 1879

ADVICE 8D

CLASSIFIED 9D

COMICS 7D

HEALTHY LIVING 1D

LOCAL 3A

OBITUARIES 8A

OPINION 11A

SPORTS 1C

TECH TUESDAY 5A

WEATHER 8C

Fans of the Grateful Dead: Head to the Paramount Theatreon Saturday, April 9, to see two films, a musical perfor-mance and discussion. Visit APMFF.com for details.

Get your tickets now!

Grateful for themusic, band?

Donald Trump sees clear pathto nomination after meeting

GOP officials in D.C. Page 1B

LAKEWOOD - A proposed budget for the 2016-17school year eliminates courtesy busing, slashes 68teaching positions and cancels all middle schoolsports and clubs, among other draconian measuresaimed at closing a projected $12 million deficit.

Some of the cuts — although notably not the cancel-lation of courtesy busing service, which would affectmore than 10,000 schoolchildren— could be avoided ifvoters approve a series of eight referendum ques-tions totaling more than $8.5 million in additional taxlevies in November. Together, the extra levies wouldcost the owner of a home assessed at $233,000, the

township average, roughly an additional $790 peryear.

The district’s team of state monitors, led by Mi-chael Azzara, crafted the nearly $172.5 million budgetplan to dig out of a mounting deficit. The shortfall istied to sharp increases in mandated transportationand out-of-district special-education costs thathaven’t been offset by any significant increase instate aid.

While the school board is expected to vote againstthe proposed budget at a public hearing set for May 11,Azzara can override the vote.

At a special school board meeting Monday night,both the school board and Schools SuperintendentLaura A. Winters distanced themselves from thespending plan and called on the New Jersey Depart-ment of Education to provide the district with a great-er level of state aid.

Winters called the budget “tragically inadequate”and said its impact on students would be “devastat-ing.”

The teacher cuts represent a 9 percent reduction in

Lakewood

budget plan

cuts 68

teachers

See BUDGET, Page 7A

Courtesy busing also eliminated inattempt to dig out of $12 million hole

SHANNON MULLEN @MULLENAPP

SAYREVILLE - A nine-year veteran of the bor-ough’s police force was found shot to death Mondaymorning in a vehicle next to the former Amboy Cine-mas just off the Garden State Parkway, according topolice reports.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey, dur-ing a morning news conference at the site, said thatauthorities received reports of a body found in a caron the site. He said that the victim was identified as aSayreville police officer who died from gunshotwounds. He added that the officer was off duty.

The officer has been identified as Matthew Kurtz,34, as reported by other news sources and accordingto law enforcement officials. The Sayreville PoliceDepartment and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’sOffice did not comment about the identity of the offi-cer.

Kurtz, who was sworn in Feb. 5, 2007, as a townshippolice officer, received a bachelor’s degree in crimi-

THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Police investigators are shown at the scene where aSayreville officer was found shot dead M onday morning.

Hero Sayrevillecop found shotto death in carSUSAN LOYER @SUSANLOYERMYCJCHERYL MAKIN @CHERYLMAKIN

See KURTZ, Page 7A

Vianney has a tough battle for TOC crownManasquan falls in double-OT game. 1C

 A MEETINGIN HAVANA 

AP

Cuban President Raul Castro (second from left) walks with U.S. President Barack Obama as they inspect the guard outside theRevolution Palace in Havana, Cuba, on Monday. The two leaders sat down in the palace for a historic meeting.

Obama and RaulCastro confer on

U.S.-Cuba ties aspresident makeshistoric state visit

AP

President Barack Obama holds Cuban President RaulCastro’s wrist after their joint statement and newsconference in Havana, Cuba, on Monday.

More on the meeting

Key issues between the two countries remain the U.S.embargo and Cuba’s human rights record. Page 1B