School Aid Cuts, Crime Worries: Brick's Vexing 2020 Issues

BRICK, NJ — The start of the new year in Brick brings with it some ongoing issues for the township that have the potential to have a huge impact on the future of the town.

The state school funding crisis has become one of the biggest concerns, as the aid cut the school district is anticipating for the 2020-2021 school year — $4.2 million — has forced officials to tell parents that the district will have to close schools.

Herbertsville Elementary School parents expressed their distress at the December school board meeting, as their school has been proposed for repurposing as a preschool, with students moved to other elementary schools in the district.

District officials had been warning for months that severe cuts were in the works. Read more: 'Everything Is On The Table:' 2020-21 Grim For Brick Schools

The 2020-2021 cut isn't the last, either; the district expects to lose $5.2 million in the 2021-2022 school year and $4.8 million in the 2022-2023 school year. The district is slated to lose $22 million in state funding over a seven-year period.

The school closure issue, however, has galvanized parents. Read more: 'Schools Will Have To Close:' Brick's Future Dire In NJ Aid Cuts

The cuts, part of a state law pushed by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, are based on insistence that Brick taxpayers are not paying their fair share of property taxes to support their schools is based on a formula that the state uses to determine each district's "local fair share." However, the state has refused to release the formula it uses to calculate towns' wealth. Read more: Toms River, Brick Seek 'Secret' Math Equation In School Aid Fight

The formula, which has been the focus of the aid fight for more than a year, will be the continuing focus moving forward.

In addition to the school aid fight, Brick Township officials are continuing to focus on street crime deterrence. Police Chief James Riccio merged the township's Drug Enforcement Unit and the Selective Enforcement Team to create the Street Crimes Unit in the wake of a pair of shootings, one that led to lockdowns at Brick Memorial and Lanes Mill Elementary schools.

The unit, has made more than 40 arrests since the days immediately after the shooting, seizing drugs, including a massive bust involving THC vaping cartridges, and in some cases firearms. The higher visibility of the police department's efforts backed up a statement Riccio made in the days after the shooting near Brick Memorial, where he sought to counter negative comments about the township's safety. Read more: Brick Is Still A Safe Community: Read Police Chief's Letter

The proposal to build a 78-foot-tall wedding venue at the end of Mantoloking Road at the former Winter Yacht Basin will continue to be a source of controversy. The Brick Township Board of Adjustment was scheduled to continue its hearing on the proposal for Vilamoura in early December, but that hearing was postponed to Jan. 27. Read more: Wedding Venue Proposal Back Before Brick Zoning Board Wednesday

Brick also will continue to fight a lawsuit filed over the proposal for a marijuana farm at a site on Adamston Road, which was the culmination of more than a year of battling over a proposed medical marijuana dispensary. The property on Adamston was listed for sale in the aftermath of the zoning board's ruling that the proposal needed a use variance. Read more: Brick 'Vigorously' Fighting Suit On Marijuana Farm Plan: Attorney

Here are a few other headlines from 2019:

Brick Township bid farewell to Warren H. Wolf, the legendary Brick Township football coach and public servant, who died Nov. 22 at 92. His beloved wife, Peggy, died Dec. 20. Brick Township High School was filled with mourners who came to pay their respects to the coach, whose impact spread far beyond the football field. Read more: Brick Community Celebrates Life, Legacy Of Warren Wolf

A Voice For All The Kids: Brick Woman Leads New Jersey PTA: Cathy Lindenbaum spent the years while her children were young advocating for the schools and working to provide extras through the PTA. Her efforts have carried her to the county level and to the state, and now she heads the entire New Jersey PTA organization.

Brick Brothers Facing Homelessness Get Lift From Football Family: When brothers Patrick and Tyler Giesler were on the verge of being homeless because of the death of their grandmother and mother, the Brick Township High School football team led efforts to help them that led to a communitywide outpouring of assistance for the two hard-working young men.

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