Colts Neck Board of Education: Do Not Shift Burden of Earle Students to Colts Neck Taxpayers

COLTS NECK TOWNSHIP, NJ - The Colts Neck Board of Education sent Patch the following Letter to the Editor this week:

The Colts Neck Township Committee and the Colts Neck Board of Education are very concerned about a proposed bill regarding the issue of the education of children residing on federal land, in this case, Naval Weapons Station Earle.

The bill has been introduced by our Assembly people, Downing and Houghtaling. This bill would allow the County Superintendent to shift the obligation to educate the children (military and private) residing at Earle from Tinton Falls to Colts Neck. This issue revolves around one thing: Money. The Tinton Falls Board of Education made a deal in the 1980s whereby, in exchange for millions of dollars to build school infrastructure, that town agreed it would educate all children residing at Earle going forward. For all these years, Tinton Falls has also received a per-pupil subsidy from the United States Navy to support the education of these children.

A problem began when the Navy reduced the subsidy to a lesser amount, causing Tinton Falls to have to educate the children largely at its own expense. No town should have to shoulder that burden, particularly a Monmouth County towns such as ours, where taxpayers essentially foot the educational bill. The correct solution is not to shift the financial burden from one municipality to another, particularly in the case where one town, Tinton Falls, has been compensated for its commitment. The Navy, and/or the federal government, should facilitate the appropriate funding of the education of these children. Shifting the burden is no solution.

Photo: Pictured is Conover Road Primary School in Colts Neck/Patch file photo