Closing Schools Is Officially Off The Table This Year In Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The plan to close schools this year in Middletown is officially off the table.

Superintendent Jessica Alfone withdrew the recommendation to close schools in late April. She said because the school board failed to pass a long-range facilities plan at their board meeting in late April, the school district now does not have enough time to begin school closings in June.

At Tuesday night's school board meeting, Board member Joan Minnuies introduced a resolution to rescind an earlier resolution the board passed that authorized the closure of the three schools (Leonardo and Navesink elementaries, and turning Bayshore Middle School into an elementary school).

All the Board members voted in support of Minnuies' suggestion Tuesday night, except for Chris Aveta and Jacqueline Tobacco, who both abstained. Frank Capone was not present.

Those three have been the most outspoken on the board about the need to close schools in Middletown to address budget deficits, both this year and predicted deficits in the future.

And strategic planning will resume once again in the Middletown school district. Alfone said Tuesday night she will unveil more details about strategic planning at the next board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. next Tuesday, May 19.

At that meeting, Alfone will present what the goals are for strategic planning, and the dates the committees will meet. Those meetings will start in June, she said.

Alfone is retiring from the district at the end of June.

You can watch the short Tuesday night Middletown school board meeting here; it lasted for 55 minutes. This was the meeting where the Board approved the rehiring of all staff/teachers for next year: