High Taxes = HIGH BUDGETS – Tell it to the Board

By
Muriel J. Smith
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Two Options to Let the Board Know Your Thoughts
With the budget for the PreK-12 Henry Hudson Regional School district costing taxpayers in both Highlands and Atlantic Highlands more than half the total taxes they pay in their municipalities,  or in short, it costs more to educate fewer than 800 children that it does to operate and maintain two towns, parents and taxpayers alike should attend Monday night’s regular meeting of the transitional Henry Hudson Board of Education to keep themselves updated on the budget for this year and to hear what, if any, steps or plans are underway to include Sea Bright, known at  Regionalization “STEP 2” to share in the total costs at some time in the future.
If you can’t make the meeting, click HERE for the names and contact information for the Board Members and let them know how you feel about the taxes you pay

 

With the board under state mandate to have the new regionalization between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands completed and operational by July 1 the board will hold a public hearing at the 6 p.m. meeting on the 2024 – 2025 budget totaling $26,470,070, an increase of more than half-million dollars over the current budget. The amount to be raised by local taxation is $19,424,429 to be shared by taxpayers in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands Boroughs.

When residents of both boroughs voted to regionalize with just Highlands and Atlantic Highlands  and without Sea Bright last September, board members and professionals said at the time that including consideration of Sea Bright’s estimated $2 million to offset taxes while adding fewer than 60 students to the enrollment would be considered “as soon as possible” as a “Step 2” in the overall plan.

Since then, Henry Hudson Board attorney Jonathan Busch, who has been retained by the new board for regionalization purposes and now attends every meeting of the transitional board, at first indicated the Sea Bright question could be on a ballot soon so voters in all three towns could agree. However, last month Busch said he does not believe the question can be settled in this November’s election, citing the appeals Shore Regional and Oceanport school districts have lodged with the state Department of Education.
    The state Commissioner of Education has ruled that under the newly enacted regionalization, Sea Bright “could leave those two districts to become a member of the Henry Hudson PK-12 district”; Busch contends that the appeal of the Commissioner’s decision must be resolved before the transitional board can move forward to include Sea Bright.

 

Others in the public contend that both initiatives certainly should be worked together; starting-up the new PK-12 district by July, and moving forward with the many steps necessary to bring in Sea Bright’s students, and funding, into the new district as soon as possible. Voters would have to approve referendum questions in all three Boroughs to move forward with Sea Bright joining the new district. If even one of the three town votes not to have Sea Bright join the district, the Sea Bright students, and their current $4 million in funding, remains with Oceanport and Shore Regional schools.

So why wouldn’t this new Board let the voters decide as quickly as possible whether the Sea Bright will join the Henry Hudson district? Sooner is much better than later;  every year delaying Sea Bright into the Hudson district means at least  $2 million in potential funding is lost.

It was apparent  to all present at the April board meeting of the transitional board  that the eight of the nine  members of that board present sat completely silent during the comments made by the public regarding getting “STEP 2” moving forward as soon as possible. Nor did any board member,  all appointed members  who had previously been elected to boards by the residents of both Boroughs,  show  any favor publicly to an additional $2 million or more  of new funding coming into the new district’s coffers’ . Board members also know including Sea Bright and the additional $2 million  in the regional district would bring negligible, if any, impact to the existing class sizes in the three schools.

The budget as introduced at the April meeting, and being discussed Monday night, shows that educating students in the new preK-12 school district will cost taxpayers approximately $27,626 per student this year, one of the highest costs in Monmouth County and the state for districts of similar size. By comparison, it costs taxpayers approximately $17,843 per student in Oceanport, where the  Henry Hudson School district superintendent pays her taxes, and $22,964 in Rumson Fair Haven, the nearest regional school to Henry Hudson. Only Shore Regional, at $32,901 shows a higher cost per student in the local area.

Dr. Tara Beams

There are 761 students estimated to be educated at Henry Hudson for the next school year, with  eight other parents opting to send their children to private schools, and five parents opting to send their children to other public schools including the Monmouth County Vocational Technical Schools. However, more recent records from the Monmouth County Vocational School District show seven students from Atlantic Highlands and four students from Highlands have been accepted into the VoTech schools in September.

There will be two opportunities for the public to be heard at Monday’s meeting, one the public hearing on the $26,470,000 total expenditures, of which $19,424,429 will be raised by taxes. The second opportunity will be at the end of the meeting when residents always have an opportunity to speak on any school matters. However there is always the possibility of the Board attorney shutting down any questions and comments that promote, or even reference “STEP 2”.
The last I looked, free speech is still the First Right of all US citizens.

 

Residents can view the full proposed school budget on the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education site, or by clicking HERE.

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