Even on regionalization…history repeats itself
This isn’t the first time Atlantic Highlands has fought against the idea of a regional school and prohibited the public from voting on it. The Board of Education by a majority vote, slowed down the action and objected to the wording in the resolution that would have put the matter before the voters for approval…History Repeats Itself
It happened in November 1956 and it was for a regional high school, as opposed to a K-12 school. It was at a time the borough was facing the reality of split sessions in order to meet the overcrowding conditions that were making quick action necessary.
Fred Moller was the board’s representative at the series of meetings with representatives of Keansburg, Union Beach and Raritan for a four-school regional high school. But when it came to the board to decide whether the people in town should have the right to vote on the question, board president Edna McTague, Frank Siegfried, Margaret Conver, Russell Phillips and Burt Kessler said Moller had not received the resolution in enough time for them to read it before they voted. Moller had gotten the resolution calling for a vote on the regional possibility the day before the meeting.
Not only that, even had they gotten the resolution earlier, the six board members said they wouldn’t approve it anyway…unless the wording in the resolutions changed… History Repeats Itself
They did not want the resolution to read that “the board of education deems it advisable” to regionalize. Their reason for not wanting that in the resolution? They did not want the voters to think the board thought it was the best idea. History Repeats Itself
So, the matter died, despite the affirmative votes by Moller himself, who did not see the need to delay a vote by the people, Anna Van Note and Robert Earle. Mrs. VanNote later became a member of the first Board of Education when the Henry Hudson Regional School district was formed.
But Mr. Moller did not let the question die without a public and formal criticism of his six fellow board members who had defeated it.
At the December meeting, Mr. Moller read a statement saying that since the best solution to avoiding double sessions for the students had been defeated, “I assume board members are responsible people and have a solution in mind…” and he added, “I now want to hear what you are considering.” There were no responses. History Repeats Itself
Board members repeated they would have approved letting the people vote “if the wording was changed.”
And so, the first attempt at regionalization died a slow and wordless death at the hands of the Atlantic Highlands Board of Education. History Repeats Itself
A few years later, Henry Hudson Regional came into being , not with four towns, but with Highlands alone, since that borough had no high school. And the new Board of Education enabled Highlands to become members of the new 7-12 regional high school.
