Middletown Parents Ask Tony Perry To Again Get Involved To Keep Schools Open

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — At the Monday night Middletown Township Committee meeting (watch here), multiple residents asked Mayor Tony Perry and the Township Committee to stop the closure of two Middletown schools, and plans to turn Bayshore Middle School into an elementary.

The parents urged Perry and the Township Committee to "use their influence" to halt the impending school closures.

"Please slow this process down," said one woman.

"Call Chris Aveta. Tell him this plan is unacceptable," said a dad.

"You and the Township Committee can and should use your voice and influence to encourage solutions that preserve neighborhood schools," mom Kristin Rooney directly told Perry.

Last April — the first time the Middletown school district proposed closing these same three schools — Perry did come up with a proposal that would have kept them open. It was a two-part plan: The Twp. would purchase 10 acres the district owns on Kings Highway. Secondly, the Township would start paying half the cost of the armed, Class-3 police officers in schools (currently entirely paid for by the school district). That plan would have brought a 5.88 percent increase to the school property tax levy last year. It would have kept the three schools open. For how long? The school district and town never said.

However, the Township's idea failed to get a majority vote from the Middletown school board last April. A majority of the school board rejected the idea, and instead voted for last year's 10.1 percent school tax increase. At the time, Board members Joan Minnuies, Deb Wright and Mark Soporowski criticized Perry's proposal as being done in secret behind closed doors.

Perry came up with last April's idea after meeting with many parents from the Save Middletown Schools group, who backed last year's plan. Members of this same group were the ones who spoke Monday night, wearing their signature blue sweatshirts. They implored Perry to "get back involved."

"The Board of Education is refusing to meet with us, refusing to discuss any other plans," said Kerry Christensen, whose children attend Navesink, one of the schools that will close. "We have a superintendent who is one foot out the door and passing all the blame to the Board of Education, and refusing to answer parents' questions ... We ask for your help again, Mayor Perry."

Superintendent Jessica Alfone will retire in June.

Perry did not comment at all Monday night. Nor did he say he would get back involved.

None of the other Committee members said anything, either.

The budget for the 2026-'27 school year will be presented next week, at the March 24 school board meeting. School board president Chris Aveta proposed closing the schools last month, as the district prepared next year's budget.

Starting in late June, the Middletown school district will begin the process of closing Navesink and Leonardo elementaries. Those students will be moved into Bayshore Middle School, which will cease operating as a middle school and become the new Bayshore Elementary.

"I need you guys to fix this," said one mom. "Giving us three months' notice that the schools are closing is unacceptable, irresponsible and it's immoral."

Here is Monday night's Township Committee meeting; the parents start speaking at 41:35:

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Middletown School Superintendent Will Retire In June, As District Prepares To Close 3 Schools

Last year:

Middletown Twp. Mayor Tony Perry Proposes New Idea To Save Schools (April 3, 2025)

Middletown School Board Votes To Raise Taxes Up To 10.1 Percent (April 8, 2025)