For 41 years, New Jersey was my home, and for every one of those years, the air was thick with complaints: high taxes, expensive living, political frustrations, and a general feeling of being perpetually burdened by a broken system.
My early years were spent navigating poverty as part of a single-parent household in an inner-city environment, where the odds are steeply stacked against success. After overcoming those odds, I was determined to use my life to make a difference, to effect real change, and give back. With my background as a public school educator, combined with the authority of having served as mayor, I sought to target the state’s biggest fiscal drain: the sprawling, decentralized school system.
My ambitious goal was to achieve substantial tax reduction through the consolidation of local schools into a single, county-wide district in Sussex County, NJ. This proposal was logical, data-driven, and quickly gained traction with the media and fellow elected officials, offering a clear path to saving taxpayer money.
Progress was palpable. The numbers made sense, the public was listening, and the idea of saving money by consolidating 500+ districts was gaining critical momentum. We were on the cusp of a breakthrough that would benefit ordinary people, not the powerful.
Unfortunately, my efforts to create systemic change were met with fierce resistance from those invested in the existing multi-billion dollar system. When the facts of my proposal could not be refuted, opponents chose to attack the messenger. I faced an unrelenting campaign of defamation, political intimidation, and harassment, all designed to derail and discredit me. The message was delivered for all to see: Dare to fix the broken system, and we will destroy you.
Though these counter-efforts ultimately succeeded in thwarting the consolidation attempt, I have no regrets. The political fight was lost, but I never lost my integrity. I did not cower or trade my values to keep a title. I was the one who dared to step into the arena and attempt the impossible, knowing full well the cost. And while the goal was thwarted, I am immensely proud of the stand I took. I trust that the people I served will forever remember me for my honesty and my unwavering effort to fix a broken system.
I leave you with all the buried links documenting the details of my attempt to consolidate NJ public schools and make the State of New Jersey a more cost effective place to live.
Wayne Levante
Links to News Articles that the Internet has buried:
1) Worth Taking a Look at School Consolidation
2) Newton mayor proposes consolidating schools
3) Could Sussex County Merge Into One School District
4) How long a school bus ride would you make your kid take to save on property taxes
5) https://www.njedreport.com/2017/09/01/anyone-have-some-dragonglass/
6) Newton Mayor Asks Sparta Council to Support County School Consolidation Initiative
7) Newton board files legal action against state for school funding
8) Sussex Borough Council supports school consolidation
9) Embattled Newton mayor says he was pressured out of Newark teaching job
10) Why this N.J. county thinks it needs just 1 school district – nj.com
11) County-wide school district proposal meets first wave of challenges