By Sunayana Prabhu
OCEANPORT – The borough’s program for its youngest learners is getting a little more robust following state aid from the Preschool Expansion Aid program. The $513,415 will not only create an additional 30 preschool seats in the district but also provide free tuition for every child in the program from Oceanport and Sea Bright.
“This aid will enable us to provide professional development and instructional coaching specific to pre-K pedagogy to provide a high-quality preschool experience for all of our 3- and 4-year-olds,” said Laura Godlesky, Ed.D., superintendent of Oceanport Public Schools.
The aid also means tuition, which previously cost $8,820 per student yearly, will be free for everyone.
Those families who already paid tuition for this year will be reimbursed after the next board of education meeting, Godlesky said. “Anything that’s been paid thus far, or deposits that were put in, will all be reimbursed to the families.”
A total of nearly $25 million in state funding from the Preschool Expansion Aid (PEA) program will benefit 26 school districts, the state announced Oct. 18. This aid will add over 1,715 seats to the state’s preschool system this year.
Universal preschool or free pre-K for all has always been a priority for Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. The 2024 state budget included an increase of nearly $110 million in preschool funding compared to the prior year, for a total of $1.1 billion. According to a release from the state, “the increased funding supports prior preschool expansion districts, and includes $40 million to expand high-quality, full-day programs into new districts while also supporting other preschool expansion needs.”
“Providing children with access to preschool programs not only sets our students up for success, but also yields both short- and long-term economic benefits for their families and communities,” said acting Gov. Tahesha Way in the release (Murphy was on a trade mission in East Asia). The administration is investing in preschool education to “build future prosperity of New Jersey,” she added.
The allocation of state funds this year marks a shift from the way these funds were appropriated last year. Previously, only districts that enrolled at least 10% of their students from low-income families were eligible for state funds; this year any school district looking for aid was allowed to apply.
The applications for this aid are reviewed and scored by a panel at the New Jersey Department of Education. The NJDOE looked for high-quality preschool programs that include full-day sessions with certified teachers and aides and small classes inclusive of children with special needs. The 26 schools, including Oceanport district, that received funds demonstrated they met those standards.
Oceanport School District applied for the competitive program in the summer, beginning with a survey asking families in the district if there really was a need for expanded pre-K services. Two hundred people responded; 91% expressed the need to improve and expand current pre-K services in the district.
“The results of this survey provided a clear picture of the need for pre-K expansion for the Oceanport School District and that it would directly and positively impact the families and children of Oceanport and Sea Bright,” said Godlesky. Oceanport is the only Monmouth County school district to receive money in this round of funding.
The resulting aid was a collaboration among Godlesky; Ken Londregan, the district business administrator; Lauren Malaney, director of special services; Geraldine Martinez, director of curriculum and instruction; and Wolf Hill School Principal Mark Maglione.
Godlesky said the district will be able to expand its current number of pre-K classes, therefore accommodating a total of around 60 students. Currently, Oceanport School District has two general education pre-K classes and one pre-K class for children with special needs. Godlesky noted that they will be adding two additional classrooms in which the student-teacher ratio will be 15:1 or less with one paraprofessional per room.
Sea Bright students remain enrolled in the Oceanport School District while negotiations continue to bring the borough into a regionalized district with Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. In September residents of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands voted to approve regionalization with the Henry Hudson Tri-District without Sea Bright.
“Although we fully anticipate further litigation as the public officials of the Borough of Sea Bright continue their attempts to divide our merged school district, we are thrilled that the New Jersey Department of Education has determined that the best interests of the Sea Bright students and their families is to remain part of the Oceanport school community at this time,” said Godlesky.
The parent or guardian of any student who turned three by Sept. 1 and resides in Oceanport or Sea Bright is eligible to fill out a preschool application online. Since the demand for seats far exceeds the number available – even with the additional ones added because of the aid – a lottery will be conducted this month. The new preschool programs will begin in January.
This article originally appeared in the November 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
