Nutley Township, School Board Explore ‘Shared Services’ Partnership

NUTLEY, NJ — Remember the outdoor preschool playground that was put up in Nutley? That’s one example of a “shared service” partnership between the school and township that local officials are hoping to expand.

The Nutley Board of Commissioners passed Resolution 138-23 during their meeting last week, which authorizes the township’s ad-hoc subcommittee to work with the Nutley Board of Education subcommittee to facilitate a shared services/use agreement for the funding and development of board buildings, facilities and fields, and to establish a mechanism for the joint use of board facilities.

Watch the board speak about the resolution below (video is cued to the discussion).

According to a statement from town officials:

“The township and BOE have historically shared services assisting each other in various capacities – recent collaborative accomplishments include successful completion of an outdoor preschool playground – and to further those efforts, have established this new ad-hoc committee to share resources and collaborate on various initiatives that will improve conditions for the township’s youth and community. Planned efforts include the improvement of existing conditions of board and township buildings and facilities to better serve the township as a whole, as well as continued discussions to continue to improve upon current and future infrastructures for students’ academic and developmental support.”

Several local officials spoke in support of the resolution.

“We are excited to get started on this initiative with the Board of Education subcommittee to further our mutual goal of ultimately optimizing the facilities, buildings and programs available to our residents,” Mayor Joseph Scarpelli said.

“Establishing a joint working relationship will further help Nutley continue to uphold the importance of high-quality educational offerings to our residents and taxpayers in a formalized, fiscally responsible way,” Scarpelli added. “We are all excited to work as a team to do what is best for our great township.”

Other support came from:

Commissioner Mauro Tucci – “We’ve been working cooperatively with the BOE for many, many years. But we never really formalized the way we go about doing things. We need to make sure that our children are given the best educational experience we can possibly afford. The best way to do this is to pool our resources. By introducing this resolution, we’re making a statement as a board that we’re committed to improving the educational experience of every child in the Township of Nutley. We need to assure that the educational experience will continue to attract people into this town who are committed to the same ideals and family goals that we have. I’d like to commend the leadership of the board and this administration for taking this initiative. When one of us wins, that’s good, but when all of us win, and the entire Township benefits, that’s great. That’s what we’re supposed to do. By introducing this resolution this evening, we’re making that statement that we’re committed to that.”

Commissioner Thomas Evans – “We have been talking about the importance of having a top-notch educational system for the benefit of our children for a long time. If you think about our school system and its structure, we can do better. But we can’t do anything without getting together and recognizing that two organizations in the same town that have the ability to operate independently just can’t do as much as we need to do if we do it separately. What’s been paramount is the level of trust and mutuality of that trust, that says we need to do this, we want to do this, and we can. The opportunity is now.”

Nutley Board of Education President Sal Ferraro – “This resolution is the first formal step in establishing a joint agreement that will implement solutions to benefit our school district and community. I want to thank the BOC for their insight and knowledge. We look forward to continuing our work together.”

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