MTPS Money Matters

In fiscal year 2022, Middletown schools suffered a 7% reduction in funding from the state, which was compounded by a 3.3 million dollar reduction over the last three years, as previously reported by Patch. However, NJ schools that recently saw their funding decrease had the opportunity to offset this loss by applying for Stabilization Aid via the Educational Rescue Grant. The aid was announced in August and the application was due October 1st.

Middletown failed to apply.

The Educational Rescue Grant allocated 50 million dollars to offset budget reductions, and several districts garnered substantial sums: Toms River got 7.6 million dollars; Brick was granted 6.5 million, and Jackson received 6 million. When questioned why Middletown did not apply, neither the BOE nor the administration could provide a clear reason.

The criteria for application were simple:

“Pursuant to language included in the FY 2022 Appropriations Act, a district experiencing the following conditions in FY 2022 may apply for stabilization aid:

• The district experienced a reduction in state aid; or
• The district faces a structural budgetary imbalance.”

Middletown’s recent reduction in state aid meets the first bullet. The use of the word “or” signifies that only one criterion must be met when applying for this funding. Therefore, it remains unclear why MTPS chose to forgo this much-needed aid.

Although Middletown recently missed out on money from the Educational Rescue Grant, a loss that may eventually impact taxpayers, the district now has the opportunity to apply for another source of aid via the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), of which Middletown is eligible for 4 million dollars, based on the District’s Title 1 status. Yet, at the 11/22 public meeting, Board member Jackie Tobacco, of the “Putting Children First” block, weighed in heavily on her reservations about accepting monetary aid for Middletown schools via the ESSER Fund.

Tobacco cited her concern “that this money is encumbered by questionable ties or strings to the federal government as to masking, vaccination, testing, and continued COVID protocols” (2:30). Tobacco then sought clarity on what MTPS’s obligations would be if the District were to accept this money.

Superintendent Mary Ellen Walker promptly responded to Tobacco’s concern: “Our obligation is to follow our plan. We have a plan. If there’s future laws that change, our plan will change. If masking is no longer a law, we can change our plan. We are going to have to follow all laws . . . Getting this money is not going to impact what we have to follow” (2:31).

It remains unclear, then, why BOE members like Tobacco are reluctant to apply for these much-needed funds, especially when the district must follow state and federal laws, regardless of whether they accept monetary aid. In fact, the BOE Code of Ethics itself states that all board members must “enforce all laws, rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, and court orders pertaining to schools.” In other words, public schools that don’t accept grants from the state or the federal government don’t get to “opt out” of laws they don’t like.

The BOE Code of Ethics also dictates that members of a board must not “surrender [their] independent judgment to special interest or partisan political groups.” Yet, many members of the Middletown BOE have continued to play partisan politics when speaking in public forums. For example, over the summer, Ms. Tobacco spoke at a Republican hearing on the topic of COVID-19. Frank Capone, who aligns with Tobacco, has also exposed his partisan bias at prior BOE meetings when he referred to NJ’s Governor as “King Murphy” and called EO 251 “unconstitutional” without citing any actual judicial support for his claim.

While Middletown is a decidedly conservative town, and some strongly partisan residents may cheer these political antics, the BOE’s Code of Ethics nevertheless compels Board members to put politics aside and work together to make decisions that are in the best interests of all MTPS children, employees, and taxpayers—regardless of political affiliation.

BOE president Joan Minnuies has exacerbated the partisan posturing by allowing the Board to continue to focus on divisive political issues that have little tangible impact on the long-term success and viability of Middletown schools. In August, while Minnuies and her BOE majority were busy trying to circumvent state laws on masking, mold was growing inside the schools and lead was contaminating the water. Problems like these will persist if the District continues to reject federal and state monies in favor of focusing their energy and resources on politically divisive topics, such as Critical Race Theory (CRT).

In fact, the pattern of focusing on divisive topics at the expense of taxpayers became readily apparent at a September BOE meeting when questions were raised as to why Minnuies had authorized the District’s lawyer to “investigate” CRT, a move that was never openly discussed, yet ended up costing Middletown taxpayers several thousand dollars. The Board’s investigation into CRT happened despite the fact that there is nothing offensive or divisive in Middletown’s history curriculum, a point that Tobacco herself admitted. Yet, when questioned about the reason for this expenditure at the 9/29 meeting, no one could provide a legitimate justification as to why it was necessary for Middletown taxpayers to fund an investigation into something that wasn’t, in reality, an issue.

At the 9/29 meeting, outgoing BOE member Tom Giamo, who chose not to run for reelection, noted that a lack of transparency and a silencing of input has become a real problem for the Board. Under the leadership of Minnuies, it has become more difficult for parents and community members to voice their views at meetings, as asynchonous comments and Zoom participation are no longer allowed. Additionally, the BOE has moved its meetings multiple times to avoid Murphy’s mask mandate on school grounds.

Regardless of whether one agrees with Murphy’s mask mandate at schools, the practice of moving meetings sends a clear signal that Minnuies and company believe that if there’s a law they don’t like, rather than follow it, they should find a workaround. This practice raises ethical concerns about the way in which this Board is currently operating. When questioned whether the District had to pay to host their maskless meetings at the VFW, Frank Capone attempted to allay taxpayers’ concerns by revealing that an anonymous donor had provided the space free of charge. Yet, when pressed for details, no one on the Board could provide the name of a donor, a point that raises additional concerns regarding transparency and the potential for quid pro quo arrangements on lucrative school contracts.

At this point, concerned taxpayers and parents might want to ask Minnuies and her BOE majority several important questions: (1) Should divisive arguments about hot-button issues continue to take precedence over discussions about the long-term health and viability of Middletown schools? (2) Should available public funds continue to be rejected simply because members of the BOE don’t like the current state and federal leadership? (3) Is this Board really doing what is best for taxpayers and for the people who work and learn inside Middletown schools?

Fortunately, local residents who wish to voice their concerns about these and other matters do still have the option to email the BOE.

Residents can send a single email to all BOE members by pasting this list into Gmail:

caminitil@middletownk12.org; caponefr@middletownk12.org; donlonm@middletownk12.org; giaimot@middletownk12.org; heffernanh@middletownk12.org; littlej@middletownk12.org; minnuiesj@middletownk12.org; tobaccoj@middletownk12.org; wrightd@middletownk12.org