Toms River-Seaside Heights school merger vote may be delayed because NJ hasn't acted

TOMS RIVER - The state has not yet approved a March 12 referendum to determine if Toms River Regional and Seaside Heights school districts will merge, making it increasingly likely that the vote will be delayed.

"My gut feeling is that, we won't make the March 12 date," Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz said. "I don't think they can pull it off."

Toms River Regional Superintendent Mike Citta said Friday that while he is still hopeful that the state Department of Education will give the green light to the referendum this week, the district may have to move to a September date for the merger vote.

Both districts submitted petitions containing the wording for the referendum to the state by the Jan. 12 deadline for a March special school election. Voters who live in Seaside Heights and Toms River Regional's four constituent towns must approve the referendum in order for the merger to take place.

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But Citta admitted that the timing could be too tight.

State approval is needed because Seaside Heights is attempting to leave the Central Regional School district. Central includes Berkeley, Island Heights, Ocean Gate and Seaside Park, and Central officials are opposed to Seaside Heights leaving the district.

According to the state Division of Elections timeline, the voter registration deadline for a special school election is Feb. 20; notice of a special election must be published by the Ocean County Clerk's Office by Monday, Feb. 19, which is a state and federal holiday.

"We paid for the advertisement to go through," Citta said Friday. "We’re looking to get the approval, hopefully at some point next week, if the Board of Elections can approve it, we could still go forward."

School officials had hoped the merger could be approved by voters in March, allowing for Seaside Heights students to begin attending Toms River schools by the start of the new school year in September.

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He said the district will move forward with the referendum on Sept. 24 if necessary; that is the next available date designated by the state for a special school election. Dec. 10 is also a designated referendum date.

The state Education Department has had a recent change of leadership, with Kevin Dehman, a former interim education commissioner, picked by Gov. Phil Murphy to replace Acting Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan, who retired Jan. 31 after serving for three years. Acting Commissioner Dehman took over on Feb. 12.

Citta said he plans to hold a series of public meetings next month to explain the regionalization process to the public, and the benefits he thinks it holds for both the Toms River and Seaside Heights school districts. Vaz said Seaside Heights also plans to hold similar meetings, and hopes to coordinate with Citta saw that officials from both school districts can be available to answer questions.

"We do see an educational benefit, not only for your students but for our students, and our community, of regionalization," Citta told Seaside Heights parents and teachers who attended last month's Toms River Regional Board of Education meeting.

Citta said that adding Seaside Heights to the four-municipality regional school district — which includes Toms River, South Toms River, Pine Beach and Beachwood — would bring millions of dollars in state aid back to the district, which has faced years of funding cuts from Trenton. He also believes it will improve educational outcomes for the about 200 students at Seaside's Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School, who would move to East Dover Elementary if the two districts merged.

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If the districts merged, Toms River Regional would have state funding restored due to a law passed in August known as S3950, the superintendent said. The new law exempts regional school districts serving five or more New Jersey municipalities from state aid cuts. To qualify, these regional districts must also have administrative per-pupil costs that are at least 15% below the state average and their boards must have raised school taxes by the maximum allowed by law over the previous five years.

Some Seaside Heights parents and teachers have expressed concern about the merger, regularly attending Toms River Regional board meetings to speak on behalf of Boyd students and staff. They said they fear the loss of a walkable neighborhood school.

Sherie Ensor, co-president of the Seaside Heights Education Association, said last month, "It has been a been a challenging time for our staff and our school families. … Over the last year and a half or more, this cloud of uncertainty, this fear of the unknown, I believe it’s started to take a toll on our staff and our families."

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and writes about issues related to Superstorm Sandy. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River-Seaside Heights school merger may de delayed by NJ inaction