With so much to report on last night’s meeting of the Boards of Education on the subject of regionalization, look for several more stories within the next few days. VeniVidiScripto will have a statement from Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon, who was present at the meeting and spoke on the need to move forward with a three-borough regionalization; a story on the rudeness accorded residents of both boroughs while they were on the podium, another on the additional cost Highlands taxpayers had to underwrite for the meeting and the courtesy and professionalism of the Highlands police officers on the scene throughout the night, another on Highlands Councilwoman Jo-Ann Olszewski’s statements during the public portion and another on a suggestion concerning those 34 teachers or so who have retired or resigned in the past two years
It’s great to see local residents involved in the business of running their schools, the education of their children, and how where and how much of their taxes are spent.
3 Boards 2 Resolutions
When it was all said and done, the three boards of education in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands actually have two opposing resolutions approved by the voters to go to the Commissioner of Education on the question of regionalization.
Last night, following a nearly two hour long closed executive session, the three boards unanimously approved a pages long resolution asking the Commissioner of Education to approve the boards’ request to put on a special election ballot in September the question of regionalizing the three boards in the tri-district school without the inclusion of Sea Bright.
However, it was last July when those same three boards of education again unanimously, sent a resolution to the Commissioner asking her to consider a regionalization that would also include Sea Bright. The commissioner has yet to respond to that resolution.
Sea Bright?
Nor did the boards act on a second resolution they advertised would be up for action at last night’s meeting that would remove Sea Bright from the regionalization question on the ballot.
Apparently, the boards are leaving it up to the Commissioner to make the decision on whether the taxpayers of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands should take advantage of the added tax dollars the inclusion of Sea Bright would bring into the district, since there were no resolutions adopted requesting her to ignore their July resolution.
Meeting Behind Closed Doors
With the Highlands Mayor and the majority of both Highlands and Atlantic Highlands council members present, the tri boards, as they advertised, opened the meeting and immediately went into executive session to discuss regionalization with their attorney. After an hour long session, attorney Jonathon Busch, who is representing the boards on the question of regionalization, came out to apologize for the length of the executive session and offer chairs for the approximate 100 persons in attendance.
Coming back from executive session 45 minutes later, Busch read the several pages of the resolution, while each board member read copies of the resolution, though no one from the public had a copy, nor had it been advertised.
No Answer to the Melnyk’s
Nor did Busch or any board member respond to questions from Highlands Councilman Donald Melnyk nor former board member Gina Melnyk on whose idea it was to present a new resolution so different from the one the boards adopted in July. Ms Melnyk asked several times “whose idea was it” but never received a response. The councilman asked the benefit of the new resolution, inasmuch it appears to overturn the original resolution. He asked, but received no response to his query as to the purpose of the latest resolution without assurance that it, too, would be overruled some time in the future.
The Sea Bright $$
Charles Rooney, the former Sea Bright councilman who has been a strong advocate representing his borough in promoting Sea Bright’s inclusion, pointed out how the tri-borough regionalization would save millions of dollars for all three towns over the next ten years and would offer increased education funding at a reduced cost for the other two towns.
Cost per Student
Atlantic Highlands resident Mark Fisher cited statistics that showed the total costs for educating students in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands in 2022 was $28.1 thousand dollars a year per student. With the inclusion of Sea Bright and their approximate 50 students, and additional money, the total cost for student would be $23.8 thousand per student. He also pointed out more immediate savings could be achieved since action would delay the reduction of state aid to the district.
Speaking from Experience
Ellen O’Dwyer of Atlantic Highlands outlined the experience of taxpayers in four towns when they chose regionalization many years ago, including Colts Neck where she lived. “Our students thrived in a full high school experience where the class sizes were small enough; students benefited from a low teacher-studio ration and received recognition for their accomplishments.” She called on the boards to wait for the proposed mediation between the two boroughs and asked, with no response, what is the harm in waiting.
Busch, who responded to most of the speakers after discussions with Dr. Tara Beams, the school superintendent, stressed regionalizing without Sea Bright now is the first step, will avoid unnecessary delay, and the new district would welcome Sea Bright once the issue filed by Oceanport and Shore Regional districts against Sea Bright is resolved.
Light at the End of a Tunnel
Highlands resident Nancy Burton said “bringing Sea Bright in is like the light at the end of the tunnel responding to the need for quality education and maintaining costs taxpayers can afford. Bringing Sea Bright in now would be the fastest way, she said, delay is a problem.
Following the approximate two hour hearing, in which Busch fielded most of the questions followed by board members giving their opinions in favor of the resolution later, but none answering any of the questions from the public, the boards voted on the resolution to submit to the Commissioner a request to consider the regionalization of the three schools in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands into a K-12 Henry Hudson Tri-District.
All Highlands board members and Henry Hudson board members were present and voted; Ryan Palamara and Debra Appello from the Atlantic Highlands Board were absent, and board president Molly Murphy, though present to continue to be kept informed on board activity, is recusing herself on regionalization; her husband, James, is an Atlantic Highlands councilman.
