Aside from the high cost to taxpayers in all the towns involved being a double problem for Sea Bright, where taxpayers are forced to pay attorneys on opposite sides of the issue, why is regionalization of schools providing education for students in K-12, still continuing to be delayed, possibly preventing Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright from their right to vote in November whether they even want to save millions by regionalization.
All three towns must approve a three town K-12 district; if any one of them casts a vote against it, the proposal, all the money spent, all the time wasted, is in vain. At the same time, the school districts face a loss of state funds should the matter not result in regionalization.
Things were going fine until the two towns in the current Henry Hudson district got together to see how they would split the approximate $2 million that bringing in Sea Bright would bring to the two boroughs. Atlantic Highlands wanted it split 50-50 forever. Highlands was not particularly opposed to the percentage split, in the interest of having the matter resolved. But they did not want to vote it “forever”, rather. Their governing body said, let’s negotiate a time in the future when the percentages could be looked at again. Times change, population change, land values change, therefore so should the division of money change.
Atlantic Highlands did note like that, and the delays began. All of a sudden, the idea of changing the Highlands and Atlantic Highlands to take regionalization with Sea Bright into two steps originated. They wanted to vote to create a K-12 school district for the two towns, the boards of education and superintendent Dr. Tara Beams promoted. Then once we get that done, let’s go back sometime in the future and talk about welcoming in Sea Bright … Another election, more attorneys, another study, another election. More delays before the voters have their say.
The argument raised by the boards of Education and the superintendent of schools, Dr. Tara Beams, was that the appeal by the school districts in which Sea Bright now belongs would be costly to Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, Not true, Sea Bright argued, as they showed once again their written contract they would pay on their own any costs of litigation with no obligations from any other district.
But the Commissioner of Education who received the challenge to the petition, a petition which she had not yet even received, dismissed the complaints from Shore Regional and Oceanport. The petition was approved by the Boards of Education and the Borough’s but was awaiting the figures from the cost sharing agreed upon by Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. It is those figures that are being mediated by the two Borough’s currently.
Delays continued through the past few months, until the two towns, without Sea Bright, finally decided to mediate what they should have mediated many months ago; namely, that cost sharing of the money Sea Bright would be bringing in. Once that’s settled, the numbers could fill in the blanks in the petition still waiting to be put before the Commissioner. Once she approves that, and approves the wording of the question, the question could be put on the ballot, and finally, the taxpayers would have their say and cast their vote.
The meeting between the mayors and council presidents of both boroughs, together with their attorneys and a mediator was held last week, but all persons involved agreed to remain silent on the outcome of that meeting. At last week’s Atlantic Highlands council meeting, it was said that the mediation went well , they feel positive, but released no further information. While another meeting is presumably planned, as of five days following the mediation, no date has been announced, nor it appears, any action taken to set up a time or date to accommodate all involved for the professionals who are coming together from at least three different counties across New Jersey.
The deadline for the Oceanport and Shore Regional to appeal the Commissioner’s decision is May 5; however, no one will give any indication whether waiting to see if an appeal will be filed has any bearing on when a second meeting for mediation will be set.
Coincidentally, it does not appear the next mediation will be held before May 10th.
