Parents in the Oceanport school district received a letter this week indicating the Board of Education is asking the state Commissioner of Education to invalidate the six resolutions approved by the three municipalities and three boards of education seeking to put a question of regionalization on their ballots in three separate municipalities.
In a move that has preceded any apparent attempts by the Oceanport school board to engage in in any communications with the three governing bodies and three boards of education, the unsigned letter, identifying the writer only as Oceanport Board of Education, said the Board had filed a petition the afternoon of June23 seeking an order to invalidate “the resolutions approved by the Borough of Sea Bright, the Borough of Highlands, the Borough of Atlantic Highlands, the Highlands Board of Education, the Atlantic Highlands Board of Education and the Henry Hudson Regional School District Board of Education.”
In a unified effort, each of these six official elected boards had all passed resolutions asking the Commissioner of Education to enable them to out the question on the ballot to create a K-12 regional school district to include Sea Bright, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. Currently, Sea Bright children attend schools under the Oceanport Board, or the Shore Regional High School Board.
Each of the six bodies who passed the resolutions which have been forwarded to the Commissioner took the action after a new law was enacted in January which paved the way for smaller school districts to conduct studies and pursue actions to ensure academic excellence and economic advantages for taxpayers with a regional plan. Both the municipalities and the school boards sought professionals in the field to conduct studies and make recommendations on the economic and academic impact on both children and taxpayers. Both Henry Hudson Regional school district and Highlands and Atlantic Highlands held several workshops inviting the public to attend, learn about the recommendations, ask questions and make any recommendations. There was no one at any of these meetings or workshops who identified themselves as either professionals with, or members of either the Oceanport or Shore Regional boards of education.
In its letter, Oceanport Board of Education added “it is our opinion that the Borough of Sea Bright at this time is without legal authority to pursue the proposed regionalization and referendum in November of 2022 as a matter of law.” However, in the letter to the parents there was no indication whether the Oceanport Board of Education cited any law or precedence under current law it cited for its opinion.
The Oceanport Board of Education has not responded to a request for information.
