By JF Grodeska
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – After several years of negotiations and discussions, the Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Sea Bright borough councils held a joint special public meeting May 18 at the Hesse Parish Center about regionalizing their school districts.
Under the proposal, the Henry Hudson School District would expand to include pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and incorporate students from Sea Bright. These students currently attend schools in the Oceanport and Shore Regional High School districts. The plan would allow for a minimum five-year transition period, so as to not abruptly remove students from their current classes.
Bob Benecke, of Benecke Economics in Riverdale, is the financial expert hired by the Borough of Atlantic Highlands to review regionalization costs. He is the author of four textbooks for the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning at Rutgers. Benecke said the three boroughs could expect to see tax savings of approximately $3.17 million by regionalizing their school systems. In addition, the plan would offer better educational opportunities for students.
The three councils voted unanimously to approve the resolution and the question will now go to voters in a referendum, hopefully on the November ballot.
During the public comment segment of the meeting several questions focused on the allocation of tax obligations among the towns. Vito Gagliardi, managing principal of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, and Kerri Wright, a principal of Porzio, and co-chair of the firm’s Education and Employment Team, serve as special counsel in the matter of regionalization for the boroughs of Highlands and Sea Bright. They spoke in great detail about the breakdown of each town’s tax obligation and the long-term tax savings.
According to the resolution, beginning in the sixth year of regionalization, each town will pay 15% of its equalized valuation and 85% on the proportional number of pupils enrolled from its town. For the first five years, Highlands will pay 45.80%, Atlantic Highlands will pay 54.20% and Sea Bright’s contribution to the new district will be divided in half and deducted from the tax levies of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, each receiving an equal share.
The referendum question that will be presented to voters in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands asks, in part, if “the Boards of Education of the Highlands School District, Atlantic Highlands School District and Henry Hudson Regional School District (should) join together to convert Henry Hudson Regional into an all-purpose PK-12 regional school district and, if authorized by the (New Jersey) Commissioner (of Education) and voters in Sea Bright,… add Sea Bright as a constituent member of the… district.”
Sea Bright voters will see the following question on the ballot:
“Upon approval by the voters of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands to convert the Henry Hudson Regional School District to a PK-12 regional school district, shall Sea Bright join the Henry Hudson PK-12 Regional School District?” The question also addresses the tax allocation.
The next step in the regionalization process is approval by the state education commissioner. Matt Giacobbe, a principal of the law firm of Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs, LLC, and special counsel for Atlantic Highlands, agreed with Gagliardi. Both can see no reason why the commissioner would not approve the resolution as passed by the municipalities. Approval of the resolution will place the referendum question on the ballot.
The article originally appeared in the May 25 – 31, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
