It’s very easy to see why Sea Bright’s Charlie Rooney is so frustrated with school boards that yesterday he posted this giant sign on the front of his house on Ocean Avenue.
To know Charlie Rooney first of all is to know the love and dedication he has for his town and everyone who is fortunate to live in it. Charlie comes from a long line of Sea Bright-devotees, his Dad being the most popular Mayor ever, even before Charlie himself was elected to be on Council.
Here’s a man who works tirelessly for whatever he feels, after research, study, and proofs, he believes is the very best for the people of Sea Bright. Charlie Rooney and Sea Bright are synonymous and Sea Bright can take pride and comfort in that.
But his sign went up because of the recent absolute total waste of taxpayers’ money on two school boards continuing to challenge what was made into law two years ago. Going to the New Jersey Supreme Court after being shot down three times by the Appellate Court does not look like a wise expenditure of a few thousand dollars more.
NEW JERSEY — Could New Jersey one day soon be consolidating more school districts?
The concept is definitely on the horizon, as last week Gov. Phil Murphy signed this Senate bill that provides funding for school districts to study consolidation.
The bill, which is now signed into law, specifically establishes a grant program to reimburse New Jersey districts for costs they incur doing “regionalization feasibility studies.” The bill also gives financial incentives to school districts that choose regionalization.
That’s the lead on a story from 2022.
Henry Hudson Regional wanted to be the first to accomplish this. They did, but not with any great savings. Heck, when it comes down to it, all Hudson really did was take the three schools in the two towns that had been under a single superintendent as three different school boards, and combine them into one.
A wise one, economic to a degree, and sensible, something that should have been done 50 years ago. But it doesn’t bring any more money into the mix to relieve the taxpayers, because it didn’t “ADD” any new district.
Bringing Sea Bright in would, and it’s been shown many times that $2 million would be added to help offset the tax rate in both of those towns if Sea Bright were added. Still, for some still unknown reason, this current interim, unelected school board stalls and spends money and listens to paid employees who should be spending time on educating, not money, rather than let the people decide on whether it’s a good idea.
Not wonder Charlie Rooney is frustrated by all of this. Don’t know what’s happening with Oceanport and Shore Regional, but certainly open the first elected board of the new Henry Hudson Regional district pays heed….and is open and honest…with the taxpayers.
Decisions like this make me glad I moved to Florida. I lived in Seabright for a short while and liked the town and the people very much. It saddens me that they are not included.