fears town is losing its voice on FRHSD panel
Change in voting points
irks Freehold board rep
School board member
fears town is losing its voice on FRHSD panel
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
Freehold Borough’s representative to the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education is not pleased with a change in the board’s voting system ordered by the Monmouth County Superintendent of Schools.
In a letter to county superintendent Michael Maddaluna, board member Bernice Hammer wrote, "On behalf of the borough of Freehold, the community that I have been elected to represent on the (school board), I must protest your unilateral and arbitrary decision to diminish our weighted vote from 0.9 to 0.8 (points)."
The county superintendent is the local representative of the state Department of Education.
Under the board’s present nine-point voting system, the Farmingdale repre-sentative’s vote is worth 0.5 points; Howell’s two votes are worth a total of 2 points; Freehold Borough’s vote is worth 0.9 points; Freehold Township’s vote is worth 1.4 points; Colts Neck’s vote is worth 0.9 points; Marlboro’s vote is worth 1.4 points; Englishtown’s vote is worth 0.5 points; and Manalapan’s vote is worth 1.4 points.
Based on a review of the 2000 census, Maddaluna has ordered a change in the voting points. He determined that Marlboro’s vote should increase from 1.4 to 1.5 points and that Freehold Borough’s vote should decrease from 0.9 to 0.8 points. He said the change would take effect on Nov. 15.
Between 1990 and 2000, Marlboro’s population increased from 27,974 to 36,398 residents and Freehold Bor-ough’s population increased from 10,742 to 10,976 residents.
In her letter, Hammer indicated that the matter of the voting points is presently the subject of litigation pending before U.S. District Court Judge Garrett E. Brown.
A suit filed by Marlboro seeks to change the voting points of all eight sending communities. Initial arguments on that case were scheduled to be heard Nov. 4 but have been rescheduled for Nov. 18 in Trenton.
Maddaluna issued his directive to the FRHSD school board on Oct. 16, several weeks after Marlboro had filed its suit in U.S. District Court.
Hammer told Maddaluna, "You have, without regard of a judicial opinion as to the legality and constitutionality of plaintiff’s position, chosen to supersede the power of the court and reapportion the votes. You have thereby reduced the voting power of the citizens of Freehold Borough in favor of Marlboro without justification.
"Statistically, even assuming your theory is correct and you had the legal authority to do this, based on the figures presented in your letter of Oct. 16, the municipality with the greatest actual growth is Howell, not Marlboro," Hammer wrote.
Between 1990 and 2000, Howell grew from 38,987 to 48,903 residents.
Hammer continued, "As a result of my research … I found (a statute) which, to my understanding, gives you (Maddaluna) the authority to only reapportion membership on the board of education, of a consolidated district, not the voting apportionment of the individual members."
Hammer also said the statute requires that any change must be done immediately after publication of the census.
"We are at least one year or more from that time," she wrote.
The board member then wrote, "I insist that you rescind your letter of Oct. 16 and await the final decision of the court in the suit which is currently being litigated."