Sea Bright gauges impact of losing school district

SEA BRIGHT — Borough officials discussed the ramifications of the state's decision to eliminate the Sea Bright School District at the July 7 council meeting.

State Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy announced on July 1 that the state has eliminated 13 school districts, including Sea Bright's, that were operating without any schools and with relatively few students.

"We did receive notice from the state commissioner that as of July 1 the Sea Bright Board of Education [BOE] ceased to exist," said Councilwoman Dina Long at last week's council meeting.

The only Monmouth County district affected is the borough of Sea Bright. With its kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school district now eliminated, the district has merged with Oceanport.

Long said that the financial and educational services should transition smoothly. There are, however, some other issues that still need to be addressed.

"I'm all about the bottom line and the tax impact for Sea Bright. We've learned from a letter from the executive county superintendent [Carole Knopp Morris] that she and the commissioner showed what they called the least financially disruptive method of calculating the tax levy. That means they have a choice of using land value, pupil enrollment or some combination of the two. For Sea Bright, they chose a combination of enrollment and land value," said Long.

That combination is only guaranteed for two years. District finances including the tax levy will not be affected and per-pupil costs paid by the borough to Oceanport will not change for the 2009-10 budget on the K-8 level.

Thereafter, the school budget tax levy will be apportioned through a combination of 98.1 percent pupil enrollment and 1.9 percent equalized valuation, the letter said.

According to the letter, an estimated potential cost savings totaling $74,028 may result from the elimination of contracted child study team services, contracted attendance and social workers, administrative costs for a contracted business administrator and support staff, and the elimination of benefits, including costs for workers' compensation insurance and Social Security, among others.

"The projection that we have from the state of New Jersey is that if they decided to charge us on land value for all our children, our tax levy would go from $900,000 to $3.5 million. So let's hope that the commissioner and legislators will do something to see to it that the budget doesn't get pulled out from under us yet again," Long said.

"Sea Bright and Oceanport grades nine- 12 will continue to be educated at Shore Regional. The district consolidation study consistent with the same legislation is still ongoing, and they continue to consider Sea Bright and Oceanport in that plan, notwithstanding the merger that occurred on July 1," Long continued.

Sea Bright students currently attend Oceanport elementary schools and Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch.

Mayor Maria Fernandes said her biggest concern is the school funding formula.

"As far as the merger goes, I think it's going to be a very smooth transition. We're in a unique position because we have no debt or deferred taxes," Fernandes said.

According to Fernandes, everyone is happy with the educational aspect of the merger.

"Eliminating the district will have no impact whatsoever on the quality of the education provided," said Davy. "Children will continue to attend the same schools and enjoy the same educational opportunities," said Richard Vespucci Department of Education spokesman.

The number of districts in the state has decreased from 616 to 603. When the final 13 districts are eliminated over the next year, there will be 590 districts, Vespucci explained.

Oceanport will increase its BOE from nine to 10 members, with one voting member being from Sea Bright.

Next year, candidates will run at large, with candidates from both communities running for seats on the board.

In a letter from Davy to Mariann McKenzie, board president of the former Sea Bright Borough School District, Davy explains plans for the BOE.

"The plan provides for the continuation of a nine-member BOE elected for staggered three-year terms. Current members of the Oceanport BOE will continue in office until the expiration of their respective terms, at which time the successor shall be elected at large by the voters of the new district," she wrote.

"Within 30 days of the merger, the Monmouth County executive superintendent of schools will appoint the existing representative from the Sea Bright borough BOE to serve as a voting member of the Oceanport borough BOE until the first annual election in which a member of the Oceanport borough BOE is elected at large," Davy continued.

Fernandes said that Serafina Banich would be representing Sea Bright on the BOE.

"In April the election will be at large and we will not be guaranteed a spot," said Fernandes. "The Sea Bright candidate would have to campaign in Oceanport," Long added.

McKenzie, former president of the Sea Bright BOE, gave a heartfelt speech at the meeting.

"People are crying, they're really upset. These are people that have been on the board for a long time," said McKenzie.

"We are currently in a study that looks at us in a cluster with Rumson-Fair Haven for K-12. We've been up front with Oceanport. We have a great relationship. They provide a great education, but we have to look out for our own economic interests," McKenzie said.

"We need council to make sure we have protection on a going-forward basis. We need to look at how the funds transfer and other items in the budget that could be subject to dispute as to if they would be retained by Sea Bright or go to Oceanport. The bigger issue is that although we're protected now with the way the legislation reads, if the formula changes to the same formula that we're in with Shore Regional, we could be in an economically unfeasible situation," said McKenzie.

Long extended her gratitude to the former BOE members.

"I would like to congratulate, thank and recognize the BOE. It's true service and really a thankless job without a lot of recognition. It's all done for the best interest of the children," she said.