How School Consolidation Plan Could Impact Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - Officials from one New Jersey county have hired a consultant to study whether they should consolidate 14 districts into one, and lawmakers expect more to follow.

Senate President Steve Sweeney, who has pushed for consolidating as many as 275 districts, is "fully aware and fully supportive" of the Salem county's plan, his office said.

But the "Path to Progress" plan includes more than just Salem County. Indeed, school districts across New Jersey have been targeted.

Sweeney, who has been pitching a 32-recommendation "Path to Progress" plan that includes merging school districts to help save the state money, received $2 million dollars to study K-12 consolidation.

In Morris County the K-6 and K-8 districts that could be impacted are:

• Boonton Twp, Morris
• Chester Twp, Morris
• Denville Twp, Morris
• East Hanover Twp, Morris
• Florham Park Boro, Morris
• Hanover Twp, Morris
• Harding Township, Morris
• Lincoln Park Boro, Morris
• Long Hill Twp, Morris
• Mendham Boro, Morris
• Mendham Twp, Morris
• Mine Hill Twp, Morris
• Morris Plains Boro, Morris
• Mount Arlington Boro, Morris
• Netcong Boro, Morris
• Riverdale Boro, Morris
• Rockaway Boro, Morris
• Rockaway Twp, Morris
• Washington Twp, Morris

Sweeney and 26 analysts and so-called experts helped draw up the plan two years ago.

"The goal is to eliminate the administration, put a principal in the school, get rid of the school district, leave a principal, let the regional high school become a K-12 district," Sweeney said. "You go from 600 districts to 320."

Those recommendations included in the "Path to Progress" include:

Merge all K-4, K-5, K-6, K-8, and K-9 school districts into K-12 regional districts to improve the quality of education and promote efficiency.
Install high-occupancy toll lanes (or HOT lane) on I-80, I-295, I-287, among others.
Allow the establishment of two countywide school district pilot programs.
Explore the viability of transferring major assets such as the New Jersey Turnpike system to the state pension system to lower the unfunded liability and generate new revenue streams for the pension system.
Create a Property Tax Assessment Study Commission to study the state's tax assessment practices and make recommendations for countywide or regional tax assessment to ensure consistency and efficiency.

Sweeney acknowledged his school consolidation plan would be unpopular, but he also believes that it could provide the state an additional $1 billion.

"That's not a bad idea," he added. "You'll save probably close to about a billion dollars."

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