Earle housing bill approved

Panter will continue

to fight 'ill-advised'

plan to privatize housing

BY LINDA DeNICOLA

Staff Writer

Whether or not Tinton Falls school district should be obligated to educate nonmilitary children living in Colts Neck seems like the proverbial no-brainer.

Peter Karavites, president of the Tinton Falls Board of Education, believes that it is common sense and not complicated. What is complicated, he said, is getting the federal government to do the right thing toward Tinton Falls and Colts Neck.

Karavites has praised the support of Assemblyman Mike Panter (D-12), whose district includes both municipalities. Panter introduced a bill in the New Jersey General Assembly, which was approved last week, to clarify the responsibilities of Tinton Falls with respect to the education of military children living in what is commonly known as 801 housing, on the Naval Weapons Station Earle property, located within the geographical boundaries of Colts Neck.

Panter's bill acknowledges that the Tinton Falls School District (TFSD), under state law adopted in 1988, agreed to educate Navy dependents living on Earle.

The issue has since been complicated by federal compensation to the TFSD that is far below the cost of educating the students, as well as the Navy's plans to open 300 units of military housing on Earle to civilians, beginning in 2010, Panter said.

As part of Panter's legislation, Tinton Falls has agreed to expand its acceptance of students living on Earle to include all military service branches. Absent the passage of today's bill, 25 non-naval military students residing at Earle would likely be required to enroll in Colts Neck schools this fall.

Karavites said if other military children are assigned to Earle, "we will accept them. The housing on Earle is limited now to only 89 units. The rest will become civilian units."

He noted that Panter has come to the realization of the inequities of the issue. "The legislation, written in 1988 was too general, but all of our contracts and paperwork say 'Navy' children. No one anticipated that there would be civilian housing there," he said.

"Colts Neck is fighting it, but it is about to become civilian housing on Colts Neck property," he said. Karavites explained that Colts Neck gets more impact aid than Tinton Falls even though Tinton Falls is educating the military children living there.

"Colts Neck gets about $250,000 in impact aid because when impact aid was originally written, no one thought that children living in that town would not be going to school there. They also get impact aid because it is federal property and the town can't build on it."

He said Tinton Falls gets $160,000 in impact aid and the school district is educating at least 100 children a year.

"Why would Tinton Falls agree to accept children that we would get zero impact aid for and would have no taxing capabilities, no planning and zoning capabilities? It's state law, you go to school where you are domiciled," he said, adding, that he feels bad for Colts Neck, but the township will have to take it up with the federal government and stop blaming Tinton Falls.

He acknowledged that "to tell any town that they are going to be getting somewhere around 300 extra kids, out of the blue, is not right."

Karavites said he was in Trenton June 14 when the Assembly Education Committee voted on Assembly bill A-4272.

"The vote was 50 for it and 30 abstentions," he said. "If they thought it was wrong, they should have voted against it. It was purely political."

He added, "Panter is doing what is right, even though Colts Neck voters may not vote for him [because of it]."

He noted that right now the federal government gives the owner of that property $3 million a year with no one living there. In 2010, the property will be privatized.

"Can you image what a school district would be able to do with that money?" he said.

He said the Tinton Falls School District is at capacity.

"We don't have room for any more children. We are starting to get a little panicky here with the new development going on in town," he said, noting that 500 new units were approved by the last administration.

"Colts Neck has sued every step of the way not to get even one of these kids in their schools. We have to get this legislation through in the Senate in November," he said.

Panter noted in a press release: "Tinton Falls has graciously educated the children of Earle personnel for nearly two decades, and they are willing to continue educating the dependents of service men and women living there. However, it was never intended to be the responsibility of Tinton Falls to educate non-naval residents as a result of this imprudent contract between the Navy and the private developer of the 801 housing."

Panter explained that until recently, the Navy did not fully disclose the details of the plans to open this housing to civilians.

He is working on the more complex problem of educating non-military children that would affect Colts Neck.

"This legislation is a small step in a much larger battle to ensure that Colts Neck, where this housing is located, is not adversely impacted by the Navy's poor planning. We are working on several solutions which would prevent civilians from moving onto Earle, or to fully protect Colts Neck residents in the event that they do."

"I will not rest until Colts Neck is fully protected, and I am hopeful that we are getting closer to realizing that goal each day," Panter added.