Regional School Study Drama Highlights Week Ahead

Monday night's meeting of the Mendham Township Committee will feature a memorialization of the joint referendum on funding the feasibility study on the dissolution of the regional school district and for some residents, the action is a long time in coming. 

The draft of the referendum was posted on the town website on Thursday (and is attached to this post) and on Friday, resident Brian Cavanaugh e-mailed a letter expressing his concerns over the lack of action taken by the governing body.

For their part, the Township Committee plan was to come up with a document that could be circulated to other Mendham and the two Chesters in an attempt to gauge interest so that if the process does move forward there is a noted level of interest in the study.

"Our thought is to come up with a reasonable plan that makes sense, so if money is spent it would be to a purpose that makes sense and not just another study gathering dust on a shelf," Committeeman Sam Tolley said.

The committee agreed both that the township will set aside the previously-agreed-upon sum of $10,000 for the study and that each participating town should ante up an equal contribution.

This may prove problematic as for the study, for the study and at a recent meeting Mendham Township was .

Cavanaugh said in his e-mail that the fundraising goal was $30,000. Presently, they would be short $5,000 unless Mendham Township upped their proposed contribution. Also in the referendum proposed by the Township Committee, there are designated spots for Chester Township and the Mendham Township and Borough K-8 districts to contribute $10,000 of their own. None of those governing bodies were asked to contribute.

It also lists the Chester K-8 board of education, who was asked, but declined to fund the study.

The Mendham Township Committee meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday night in the municipal building.