Larger Central Regional School District Proposed In Regionalization Study

BERKELEY, NJ — The results of a regionalization study examining the feasibility of combining the Central Regional, Berkeley Township, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and Island Heights school district have been released.

A presentation on the 207-page report will be held on Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. in the Central Regional Auditorium. For those unable to attend in person, the presentation will also be live-streamed and recorded for later access. The link to watch is here.

The study examined three possible outcomes. One is a full preschool to 12th grade regionalization, which would consolidate all five smaller school districts into the Central Regional School District. The second outcome is an "expanded middle school," which would move sixth grade students into the Central Regional School District, potentially freeing up more preschool space at the elementary schools. And the third is status quo with enhanced shared services, maintaining each individual school district while exploring new avenues for cost controlling through an inter-district cooperation.

In order to expand the district, a referendum would need to be posed in each community. A majority, at least three of the five sending districts, would be needed in order for such a measure to pass.

Then, all six school boards would be dissolved and replaced by a single nine-member regional board of education, with each district getting at least one representative. It would go by size of each sending municipality.

The study also found that Island Heights is a high-performing school district, while the other five are in need of improvement in academics.

"A consolidated district would be monitored as a single entity, allowing for a unified approach to building upon operational strengths and addressing identified programmatic deficiencies," the report reads.

A regionalized district could also improve academic achievement, the study said.

"Regionalization presents a clear opportunity to provide more robust, equitable, and efficient services for students with specialized needs, including preschoolers, students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and gifted students," the study said.

One issue brought up was the recent court ruling allowing South Seaside Park, part of Berkeley Township, to petition to join Seaside Park. This would affect which municipality's residents vote and which district receives their tax revenue, according to the study.

"A new regional board would have to decide whether to continue allowing Seaside Park families to choose between sending their children to Lavallette or Toms River, or to integrate them fully into the new regional system," the study reads.

More information will be shared at Monday's presentation.