BUENA VISTA -- St. Augustine Preparatory School takes great pride in the deep sense of brotherhood that binds its student body.

That unity was evident again Sunday in sentiments expressed during the school's 42nd commencement, where 110 graduates bid farewell to their alma mater and prepared to embark on new life journeys.

"We sit together one last time as brothers in a joyous moment of our lives," said Vineland resident Michael Hennessy, 18, in the concluding remarks of his welcoming speech.

"The experiences, the memories, may float in and out of our minds, but the bond that exists between us will always remain in our hearts," he said.

The culminating experience in their budding academic careers happened Sunday in the private high school's gym.

The school that boasts it makes Christian gentlemen out of students began the morning with a baccalaureate Mass.

Standing before a makeshift altar as he delivered his sermon, the Rev. Paul Galetto used the horseracing movie "Seabiscuit" to highlight how forging friendships could produce champions.

"Unity is at the heart of all the success you gentlemen have accomplished," he told them.

Like Seabiscuit, Galetto said, "the race is long and the victory goes to those who endure, those who are supported by others and those who don't stand alone."

Together, the graduates had amassed more than $11.3 million in scholarships -- the highest of any class, Galetto said.

Of that, they'll take advantage of more than $3 million, he said. All will go on to higher education, including Columbia and Cornell universities, West Point and the Naval and Air Force academies, Galetto said.

Sixty-three were the recipients of gold medals, awarded to graduating students who maintained a 90 average or better during their four years of high school.

St. Augustine's highest academic honor, the Presidential Award, went to 18-year-old Michael Salvati of Glassboro.

That was the first of his many honors.

As his name was called time and again, he circled the stage to retrieve accolades as though it were a revolving door.

In his farewell speech to his fellow Christian gentleman who successfully completed the rite of Augustinian passage, Salvati bade them to live according to what they had learned the past four years. That is, to act on right and not on wrong, to remain true to virtue and to build communities, he said.

"We can change the world," Salvati said.

Buena Regional and Woodbine school districts deserve Abbott designation, but they deserve property tax reform even more.

More resources are needed by these rural districts to meet the needs of their growing student populations and the demands of higher academic standards.

They may not meet the "classic" example of an urban district, but few would question that they are underfunded. And few homeowners in those districts would disagree that they are already overburdened with county, municipal and school taxes, which account for more than 50 percent of most property tax bills.

These districts, like many others in South Jersey, have a limited tax base from which to draw the required school funding. Pinelands regulations and other land protections ban or restrict development, which limits expanding the property tax base on which our schools depend for support.

State Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-1st District, and Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-1st District, should be commended for introducing legislation that would designate Buena Regional and Woodbine as Abbott districts and give them the extra funding. But let's but realistic here: It is a long shot at best.

Van Drew's bill has been languishing in the Assembly for the past two legislative sessions, and Asselta's legislation is likely to meet the same resistance from North Jersey politicians and the public in non-Abbott school districts who oppose the state funneling half its education funding to the 30 Abbott districts that already exist, let alone creating new ones. Abbott districts are even facing resistance in the Department of Education, which does everything it can to stall, delay and limit the funding administrative law judges have repeatedly said they are entitled to.

The better way for homeowners, and likely the faster way too, is for lawmakers to call a special session or constitutional convention and reform the property tax structure in New Jersey. Right now, the heavy reliance on property taxes to support our schools is unfair to senior citizens living on limited incomes and places a handicap on municipalities that have a lot of acreage where development is restricted or forbidden.

Consolidation of school districts and a more equitable way to finance our schools is needed, including consideration of income, sales or luxury taxes.

Less reliance on property taxes would not only relieve some of the property tax burden on homeowners, but also help guarantee children throughout New Jersey receive the quality education they will need to be successful in the job market of the 21st century.

BUENA VISTA -- Launching another front in Buena Regional's battle for more state funding, a state senator has introduced legislation that would designate the school system as an Abbott district.

The bill being pushed by Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-1, also would make the Woodbine school district eligible for extra state aid by naming it an Abbott district, as well.

"We have to continue the fight and debate to move this issue forward," said Asselta, who introduced the legislation Thursday. "We need more resources for poor rural districts."

Thirty poor, urban school systems around New Jersey -- including Vineland, Millville and Bridgeton -- are designated Abbott districts, qualifying them for extensive state aid. Buena Regional officials say they deserve the same financial support.

Asselta's legislation came three days after local officials gathered to scale down a Buena Regional budget rejected by voters. At that meeting, officials predicted a fiscal crisis if the district doesn't receive greater assistance from the state.

Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo, who said at that meeting that the district was entering "an era of educational neglect," was noticeably more upbeat at news that Asselta had introduced the legislation on behalf of her financially beleaguered district.

"We're thrilled that he is attempting to approach this through legislative means," she said.

Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, D-1, has proposed similar legislation, which never got to a vote during the past two legislative sessions.

DeGiacomo said the district would not relent in its own fight for additional funding. It's currently appealing Education Commissioner William Librera's decision last year to deny the district Abbott funding. Librera's decision overturned an administrative law judge's ruling that Buena Regional and Woodbine should be entitled to the extra aid.

Department of Education spokesman Jon Zlock had no comment on the bill Thursday, saying he was unaware of the proposal.

But local mayors hailed the legislation.

"It makes me happy anytime someone is working to help the financial crisis here at the Buena Regional school system," Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello said, adding he hopes other legislators in the region will support the measure.

Buena Mayor Joseph Baruffi echoed those sentiments, adding that all taxpayers would benefit.

The legislation would need to pass the Senate and Assembly, plus win Gov. James E. McGreevey's approval, before it could become law.

No matter how long it takes, Asselta said, "we are prepared to stay with this."

According to Asselta, Librera believes that Buena Regional, Woodbine and other poor, rural districts need more resources but don't merit the Abbott designation because they don't fit the profile of Abbott districts, which historically have been urban.

But Michelle Thomas of Buena Vista, who heads the local Grassroots Abbott Support Team group, believes such distinctions are beside the point.

"Call us Abbott, call us special-needs, call us poor white, we need more money," she said.

Asselta said our region is in dire need of the funding.

"Cumberland and Atlantic and parts of Cape May are some of the poorest areas in the state of New Jersey," he said. "When we talk about property tax relief, relief has to pass in these areas first."

The squeeze being felt by the Buena Regional School District and the taxpayers in Buena Borough and Buena Vista Township shows why property tax reform can't be delayed any longer.

If the state doesn't change the way our schools are funded, one of two things will happen: Our students will be in danger of receiving an inadequate education that will leave them two steps behind in the job market, or homeowners will be forced to pay more and more in property taxes.

School and municipal officials trimmed Buena Regional's $30.5 million budget by $700,000 using long-term financing, but they may not be so lucky next year. If taxpayers reject the tax levy and budget again, teacher layoffs and program cuts could be a real possibility at a time when student enrollment is increasing and education standards are rising.

And taxpayers can't be too pleased either. Although property tax owners in Buena and Buena Vista will see smaller increases in their tax bill than they would have under the original budget, they will still have to pay an average of $161 more in school taxes in Buena next year and $232 in Buena Vista. The hardest hit will be senior citizens living on fixed incomes.

We need to stop this yearly tug of war between the demands of providing a quality education to our children and the just anger of taxpayers fed up with rising property taxes. New Jersey already has some of the highest taxes in the country, with $51 of every $1,000 of our income going to local taxes. Some ideas we must consider:

BUENA VISTA -- School and municipal officials Monday night trimmed $700,000 from the Buena Regional school budget defeated by voters last month, but they warned the school district faces a serious fiscal crisis if it doesn't receive additional aid in the future.

The shrunken school budget would reduce tax hikes originally proposed for Buena Vista and Buena residents by more than 25 percent without eliminating jobs or hurting programs in the district, officials said.

Under the revised spending plan, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 would pay:

BUENA VISTA -- Mayor Chuck Chiarello has won a court battle to see 18 months' worth of confidential memos sent to Buena Regional Board of Education members by the district's superintendent.

The mayor in mid-March filed a request under the state Open Public Records Act to see the notes -- called "Buena Briefs" -- that Superintendent Diane DeGiacomo distributes every Friday to board members.

Chiarello said he had heard rumors that some of the documents might contain "unflattering" comments about municipal officials.

But, Chiarello said, the district agreed to turn over copies only if the mayor would pay $975 in administrative fees to cover the cost of redacting private information, such as details about personnel or student disciplinary matters.

"It's an insult to the township and to our citizens," Chiarello said, referring to the fees. Instead, Chiarello said, he should be required to pay only about $55 in copying costs.

He filed a lawsuit to get the records, saying the district's roadblock violated OPRA.

Superior Court Judge Valerie Armstrong on Thursday sided with the mayor, township Solicitor Joseph Gindhart said.

The district is expected to hand over redacted copies within a few days, Gindhart said.

DeGiacomo could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

School board member Doug Adams said district officials considered the documents private, noting that they're stamped with the word "confidential." He expressed concern that Thursday's ruling could set a precedent for other people to request large volumes of public documents that would have to be redacted at the district's expense.

When asked if the Buena Briefs ever contained unflattering comments about local officials, Adams said, "not that I know of."

Chiarello and Gindhart said no township money was used to pay for the lawsuit.

BUENA VISTA -- Milanesi School second-graders bid retiring teacher Edith Gaburo goodbye Thursday in a fancy farewell.

Dressed in their Sunday best, the pupils in Gaburo's class and their parents threw a surprise tea party in honor of the educator, who has spent more than 37 years in the Buena Regional school district.

Gaburo's last official day is June 15. Her position will be filled by another teacher in the building.

Milanesi Principal David Capizola called Gaburo "the quintessential teacher."

"She does a great job. She's so involved with the children and parents, and she's done so many things for children over the years," he said. "They have a real love for her as a teacher and human being."

The youngsters and their parents went to great lengths to keep the affair secret. Invitations were distributed surreptitiously via homework folders, and parents stuffed them with money to pay for Gaburo's gifts. Gaburo collects the folders, but a teacher's assistant reviews their contents, parent Annette Cerione explained.

And they had to distract Gaburo long enough to hustle all the kids secretly to the Yale classroom, where the event was held.

Once the elaborate buffet-style party kicked off, students showered Gaburo with gifts including an elaborate tea basket, jewelry and a class picture mounted on a plaque.

Why all the hoopla from the kids? Because, Cerione said, "She's a reflection on their lives forever."