Aseries of feasibility studies that could result in the merging of school districts throughout Monmouth County is being called into question by the Ocean Township Board of Education (BOE).
During a March 17 meeting, members of the BOE signed a letter addressed to Executive Monmouth County Superintendent of Schools Carole Knopp Morris expressing their concern with the feasibility studies and the impact one study could have on the township’s school district.
“While we as a Board of Education applaud the state’s efforts to regionalize and consolidate districts in order to reduce duplicative spending with the goal of reducing the tax burdens of the state’s constituents, we feel it necessary to express certain concerns with the feasibility studies currently being proposed,” the letter reads.
The studies are being conducted in accordance with a 2007 law that requires counties throughout the state to investigate potential cost-saving measures through the elimination of non-operating school districts and the merger of operating districts in order to create more K-12 districts.
Morris, whose position was created under the same 2007 law, is responsible for overseeing the study.
Districts being considered for merger with the Ocean Township School District include the Asbury Park, Deal, Interlaken and Allenhurst school districts.
In its letter, the township BOE outlines several concerns it has with the way in which the feasibility studies are being implemented.
“Our first concern is the fact that the studies only examine one alternative of groupings of Monmouth County school districts,” the letter states.
“The purpose of a feasibility study is to frame and ‘flesh-out’ varying alternatives and scenarios of consolidation so varying alternatives can be studied in depth and compared in order to determine [the] viability of each alternative,” the letter reads. “However, the studies currently being proposed
only offer one method of grouping districts and therefore will not produce information worthy of comparison to determine
the best plan.”
During the March 17 meeting, Ocean Township BOE President James Wagner elaborated on the comments the board made in its letter, saying, “When you only study one alternative, you can make anything look good.”
Under the terms of the 2007 law that called for the feasibility studies to be implemented, county executive superintendents throughout the state must look into the merger or consolidation of school districts in order to help reduce their impact on taxpayers.
Additionally, the study is being used to examine the possible elimination of non-operating school districts, or districts that do not have their own school buildings and instead send their students to other area schools.
By eliminating these non-operating districts, the state hopes to create more K-12 districts.
Because they are both considered nonoperating districts, the Allenhurst and Interlaken school districts would be eliminated if they merge with the Deal, Ocean Township and Asbury Park districts.
However, as the township BOE points out in its letter, such a consolidation effort would also result in the merger of two preexisting K-12 districts, namely the Ocean Township and Asbury Park districts.
“We were surprised at this stage that you had proposed to join a K-12 district with another K-12 district since both districts meet the model that the state has proposed,” the board’s letter states.
“Ocean Township is the only operating K- 12/3,500+ pupil district in Monmouth County that is being considered for consolidation,” the letter reads.
The board’s letter goes on to state that the board does not feel that it should shoulder the responsibility of “assisting a failing K-12 Abbott District,” adding that such an action would “overwhelmingly tax and strain the resources of any one community charged with the task of doing so.”
In an effort to address issues with the feasibility study, the board proposed several changes that could be made to it including; the possibility of investigating consolidations between different combinations of districts; merging Abbott Districts into larger districts; and limiting mergers between all K-12 districts within Monmouth County.
The school consolidation feasibility study is mandated as part of a state law passed in 2007 seeking to eliminate redundancies within the state’s public school systems in order to lessen school tax burdens on state residents.
The state currently operates over 670 school districts. In contrast, there are 566 municipalities in the state.
Still in its earliest stages, the study is expected to be completed some time in the latter half of the year.
In order for a school district to be recommended for a merger with another school district several factors must first be taken into account including the proximity of the school districts, transportation costs, the building capacity of the schools in each district, the tax levy in each district, student populations, staffing, depth of programs and each district’s special education needs.
Should a merger between one or more school districts appear to be beneficial, the issue would be brought before each district’s voters in the form of a referendum.
In the case of a merger between Ocean Township, Asbury Park, Deal, Interlaken and Allenhurst, voters from Ocean Township, Asbury Park and Deal would be asked to vote on the measure
Because Interlaken and Allenhurst are considered non-operating districts, their residents would be unable to vote on a proposed merger.
In order for a merger to be implemented, it must be approved by each of the voting towns. Should one of the towns vote against it, the merger would be defeated.
It is this circumstance that Wagner believes will occur.
“This will come to public vote some time, not this year, maybe 2010,” Wagner said. “I am sure that in Ocean Township this is going to be defeated.
“Ocean taxpayers will vote this down easily.”
Contact Daniel Howley at [email protected]