The tri-district boards of education are meeting in a special session tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. at Henry Hudson Regional School in anticipation of Wednesday’s public meeting at 7 p.m., also at Henry Hudson, to release the tri-district study on regionalization.
The meeting, which was called for the three boards of education by Schools Superintendent Dr.Tara Beams, will open formally then immediately go into executive session to discuss matters under attorney privilege. No action will be taken at the meeting.
At the same time, the Atlantic Highlands Borough Council announced there will be a meeting of the borough’s governing body on June 6 at Borough Hall at 7 pm. to discuss regionalization. That appears to be a meeting similar to what both Highlands and Sea Bright have held in recent months explaining and outlining the Porzio report commissioned by the boroughs.
According to Dr. Beams, both Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s meetings require a quorum of each of the boards of education in the tri-district, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Henry Hudson. Should fewer than four members of the Highlands Boad of Education, or five members of each the Henry Hudson and Atlantic Highlands boards of education fail to attend, there would not be a quorum to hold a meeting.
The superintendent did not indicate whether Highlands Board member Melnyk or Atlantic Highlands Board Member Murphy will be in attendance or recuse themselves from the meetings. Both women are married to men who serve on their municipality’s governing body. Councilman Melnick recused himself earlier on a regionalization vote in Highlands; neither Councilman Murphy nor Mrs. Murphy has given any indication yet whether either of them will recuse for a similar possible conflict of interest.
Dr. Beams said this week in contrast to what she and others have said at earlier meetings,” our study was always going to be completed in May. This is well ahead of schedule as the timeline originally approved by the Boards of Education prior to my arrival and approved by the Department of Consumer Affairs had a public presentation of the study scheduled for September 2022. We have always maintained we would present the study and its findings in May.”
In response to questions about whether the completed study will now be presented to the public before it has been accepted by the tri-district, the superintendent said “The Board’s only way to get the information as three full Boards, due to the Open Publics Meeting Act, is in this manner. (to hold the special meeting in advance of the May 25 meeting.) So, the Boards will consult with our legal counsel tomorrow on the legal pieces of the study, legal process, etc. and then the full presentation of the study must be in a public session, which is occurring Wednesday.”
Dr. Beams said “The study will present all of the findings of the study, which include the consolidation of the three existing districts and the inclusion of Sea Bright. It will outline the educational opportunities, financial analysis, potential savings, etc. and present the legal analysis of the process that the Boards would undergo as well as some other legal questions related to regionalization. The presentation will then include the recommendation on regionalization.”
She added that “Once the Boards have reviewed the study and the recommendations, we will hold subsequent meetings in June based on advice from counsel at which the three Boards will need to come to a consensus on if they will be moving forward with the recommendations in the study. If all three Boards agree, they would then take the appropriate action on the necessary steps for approval from the appropriate state agencies to move forward with a referendum vote.”
With the Tuesday meeting in executive session, which means not open to the public, and the Wednesday meeting only being presented at Henry Hudson with no virtual access available, it will be necessary for local residents to attend Wednesday’s meeting at Henry Hudson in person in order to hear the report and have the opportunity to ask questions if there will be a public portion of that meeting. Once this study is released, local residents will have the opportunity to review both the tri-borough commissioned Porzio study released months ago as well as the tri-district study being released at Wednesday’s meeting.
Any decision on whether a regionalization question will be on the ballot in November enabling the public to vote their choices, it must be approved by the state Commissioner of Education and approved for position on the ballot by Aug. 15.
