BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS - The borough and the Board of Education are working together to provide many shared services, not the least of which is sharing technology services.

Board of Education member Pete Karavites explained last week that the school district is going to share its network administrators with the borough.

He said the school district has 700-800 computers and four buildings that are connected to the network; the municipal building would be like a fifth facility.

"It makes sense," he said, noting that the borough has plans to upgrade its networking and phone system in the new borough hall under construction, so it is a good time to work out ways that they can share services.

Bryan Dempsey, the borough's business administrator, said he is all for the proposal.

"I don't see a downside to it," he noted.

According to Karavites, a few years ago the Tinton Falls School District was voted one of the best wired schools in the country and now is in the process of hiring two new network administrators who will replace two that have left.

"So we thought it was good timing to work with the borough," he said. "Bryan [Dempsey] has been very open to shared services."

Karavites explained that board member Joseph DeFino is organizing the shared services for the board, and Councilman Paul Ford is representing the Borough Council.

"Paul is also meeting with Eatontown and the high school. We're very actively reaching out to all of the school districts. We've had one meeting so far to help figure out if we can share more services."

Karavites said the school board has a "great relationship with the borough. Mayor Pete Maclearie has really opened up communication between the two."

He explained that the district already shares police, snow removal, garbage pickup and sometimes grounds maintenance with the borough. In addition, the borough uses the school facilities for its recreation programs.

"This is the next logical step," said Karavites. "Finding a way that the borough and the schools can share the cost of network services."

Karavites said the school district changed to IP telephony, which he explained, means the telephones that are used are connected to data lines.

"It saves money because we are not using a public switch network," he explained. "The borough is going the same route, and the experts that we're hiring can help."

Dempsey said the district has been very flexible about the time.

"They were indicating four half days a week, the same amount of time as two full days. We haven't figured it out yet," he said. "We have to meet with the new network administrators."

He added that he expects the council will put the proposal on the agenda for the next meeting on July 11.

Karavites said Dempsey and Tamar R. Sydney-Gens, the school district's business administrator/board secretary, talk every week.

"We are working together to share our expenses. We are open for the borough's recreation program almost every night of the week. This is the first time we're actually sharing people," he said. "This is a win-win for both the borough and the school board."