Reiterating what the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council has said several times, most recently at their last meeting, the attorney for the school boards of education, Jonathan Busch, told the Highlands Council last night that the boards he represents are also eager to go forward with the tri-town school regionalization question on the ballot in November.
With an update on regionalization on the agenda for tonight’s (April 13) meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Borough Council, it is anticipated that Busch will also report the latest news to the residents of that borough, namely, the challenge filed by Oceanport and Shore Regional districts has been dismissed by the state Commissioner of Education, leaving no obstacle in presenting the question to the public.
Vito Gagliardi and Kerry Wright of the Porzio firm which has been representing Highlands and Sea Bright on the regionalization question since it began, both told the Highlands council they sees no reason why the mediation scheduled between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands for April 20 cannot be resolved in a single session. Even should further discussions be necessary, he said, having the Commissioner approve the distribution of funds the boroughs would receive with the influx of millions of dollars from Sea Bright approved by August, would still leave sufficient time to have the question put to the voters in all three municipalities at the November election. At the very latest, Gagliardi said there would still be additional opportunities for a special election in January, February and March of 2024.
Mayor Carolyn Broullon, as she had in the past, called a special information session last night (Wednesday) to keep the residents informed on latest activity on the regionalization question that has been an issue for discussion in all three boroughs for nearly five years.
Both Gagliardi and Kerry Wright from the Porzio firm were present at the meeting to explain everything that has transpired and what residents can look forward to before voters get the opportunity to express their views on whether Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright should form a preK-12 regional school district.
Since all three towns agreed on that in the past, the only issue is the determination of how the influx of money from Sea Bright would be distributed between the other two boroughs. Mayor Broullon had objected to the means of re-distributing the new income never being reviewed or re-assessed at a time in the future, noting that changes in student population and assessed valuation are always subject to change so figures should also be reviewed and modified to compensate for the other changes. It is that question of how this will be addressed which is the subject of the mediation between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands at the April 20 mediation.
Porzio told the audience of approximately 20 residents representing all three towns, that rather than the law including a review and change of allocations at specified times, it does provide ways to limit disparities between the two towns that can be built into the questions. That would ensure the towns always receive the same benefits as they agree on in the mediation.
Gagliardi made it clear the actions by Oceanport and Shore Regional to challenge Sea Bright’s right to form a regional district with other towns have never held up progress in bringing the matter to the voting public and explained that the Commissioner herself had dismissed that argument after the Porzio firm filed a motion for dismissal. He reviewed the history of state actions in creating regionalization for economic and higher academic in accomplishing that purpose. He cited both the failures of past laws and the benefits of the newest law that encourages school regionalization specifically preventing any towns from attempting to disallow another town from disengaging from a current bad situation to enter one that would provide more educational and economic benefits.
The influx of millions of dollars from Sea Bright is an unusual situation, he pointed out, since Sea Bright was forced into its students attending the other two schools without ever having a vote in the process and they are eager to proceed with enabling their residents to finally have a vote on school tuition and academics.
Sea Bright Councilman Erwin Bieber, who has represented that borough’s governing body throughout the process, thanked Broullon for having the information session and assured her and the Council that “Sea Bright is elated” over the prospect of regionalization. He said, “we’re excited,” even recognizing it will be years before Sea Bright receives any tax relief with regionalization, but noting that in the long run, and with the cost sharing, “it is a long journey for us, but we’re excited.”
In response to Atlantic Highlands resident Mark Fisher, Porzio explained having the question of regionalization of just Highlands and Atlantic highlands on the ballot would be “moot” since the question was added by the school boards of education only if Sea Bright was encumbered by the litigation from Oceanport and Shore Regional. Since that has been dismissed, and since Highlands and Atlantic Highlands have already indicated their desire to regionalize with Sea Bright without that encumbrance, there is no longer a need for that question to be on the ballot.
Busch despite repeating the boards eagerly look towards the three-town regionalization, said the 45 days for Oceanport and Shore Regional to appeal the Commissioner of Education’s decision on the best way to educate the children in all three towns has not yet been completed; so, the question has not been completely addressed. Gagliardi countered, in response to another question from a Highlands resident, that the purpose of the new law is to facilitate a situation in which Sea Bright is currently. Its purpose is clear to encourage regionalization, he explained, so it would be highly unlikely any appeal would result in any change from what the Commissioner has indicated.
Atlantic Highlands Board of Education President Alison Jacobs said the boards need time to complete “lots of work” before Sea Bright can be included, despite Gagliardi reminding her that to regionalize the two boroughs now and Sea Bright perhaps at some later date would cost more money and delay the money saving issues for a longer time.
