Regionalization: Almost at the Finish Line

Even if you only look at the time they’ve spent, there is no doubt that the boards of education and the towns of Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright, are certainly all working together and working hard to ensure the people have the right to vote on regionalization in November.

This is a major issue that will impact all the towns now and in the future, and all the representatives involved have done an extraordinary amount of work and cooperative efforts to get a request to the Commissioner of Education in time to get a response so the votes can decide in November.

There is no doubt the entire state is waiting to see what’s going to happen here because it’s a first since the new law allows Sea Bright to get out of its current means of educating its kids into one that not only will take them out of the huge amount they pay for each child’s education…something over $100,000 in local taxes FOR EACH STUDENT from Sea  Bright. But it will also bring a bundle of money into Highlands and Atlantic Highlands to help lower that school budget every year.

It used to be the voters voted on school budgets now they only vote on board members.  But it makes sense that Sea Bright coming into the region, and only bringing a handful of kids meaning there will be no costs to the two towns for a new school building or lots of other things, means their money coming in to combine with the other two can only be a savings in taxes for all.

So for now, with the towns and the Board of Ed all having completed their jobs, it’s up to the attorneys to get it all to the Commissioner of Education. Then it’s wait time again until she decides whether what they’re all asking is a good thing.

Once she gets her response back to the towns, then it can go on the ballot in November. But that deadline is Aug. 15 so it appears we’re cutting it close now. Since this is the new law that enables these towns to do exactly what it is designed to do…it passed unanimously in the state legislature which is almost a miracle in itself…it shouldn’t take the Commissioner and all her experts long to review the work of all these attorneys and send an ok to get it on the ballot. That plus the fact the Porzio experts are the ones who have been working with the state folks not only on the new law but also its implementation, it appears fairly certain the people will have their say in November.

And there’s simply nothing better than letting the voters decide what they want for their towns. That’s what democracy is all about! God bless America!

And thanks to all those tireless council members, mayors, borough administrators, school board members and school administrators for all their time, talent, and devotion in getting all of this accomplished.  They have thankless jobs but they’re doing them well!