Some Middletown BOE Members Decline American Rescue Plan Funds

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Some Middletown school board members refused to approve the district's application for grants from the American Rescue Plan, because they say the money comes with COVID testing, quarantining/isolation and mask obligations required by the federal government.

This was discussed at the most recent Middletown Board of Education meeting, held Nov. 22 before Thanksgiving, which you can watch here.

The largest of the grants is a $4 million federal grant, as well as three other smaller state grants. However, all five are funded through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the massive COVID recovery bill signed into law last March by President Biden.

This also comes at a time when the Middletown school district has consistently, year over year, received funding cuts from Trenton.

Board member Jacqueline Tobacco said she will be voting "no" to apply for the grants, calling it "COVID money."

"This money is encumbered by questionable ties or strings from the federal government as to masking, vaccinations, testing and continued COVID protocols," she said at the meeting. "So I vote 'no' on this. I don't trust or believe I have gotten a clear answer as to what our obligations are."

Tobacco supplied a copy of Middletown's grant application. In it, the Middletown school district had to answer, in detail, how it would implement the following:

• Universal mask wearing
• Physical distancing
• Hand-washing
• Facility maintenance and cleaning, including improved ventilation
• Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine
• Diagnostic and screening testing
• Efforts to provide vaccines to teachers, other staff and students.

"I'm not for this criteria at all," she said. "We have never applied to any grant, federal or state, that had these kinds of ties to it."

"I knew I was taking the chance that by voting 'no' on this, people would say, 'Oh, she turned down money,'" Tobacco later told Patch. "But my point has always been we have to protect the children. To me, $4 million is not a big enough carrot to sell out our children's future, especially when the Newark school district received $176 million in American Rescue Plan money, and especially when we just found $2.5 million in savings by switching to a self-insurance plan." (The Newark school district received $177 million in federal COVID-related stimulus.)

However, Middletown superintendent Mary Ellen Walker urged the board to approve the grant money, saying it could pay for "really valuable learning acceleration programs for our students," and the hiring of additional mental health counselors. She spoke directly to Tobacco at the meeting:

"Getting this money is not going to impact what we have to follow. We're going to follow what is the law," she said.

For example, "If masking is no longer a law, we can change our plan," she said. "If they (meaning the state or federal government) enact other laws, we are going to have to follow them," referring to masking, testing or vaccine requirements handed down from the state.

"Mandates are mandates," said the superintendent.

Tobacco responded:

"I don't feel comfortable accepting this money with the strings attached to it. I've looked into this; I've researched it. It's very concerning to me. And again it also ties back to we didn't even apply for unencumbered money. It just bothers me ... this money is tied to COVID."

In response to Tobacco, Amy Gallagher said the Middletown school district did not meet the criteria to apply for other grants, such as stabilization aid, that had no COVID stipulations attached.

Board member Leonora Caminiti then entered the discussion, asking if, for example, all New Jersey COVID rules were relaxed or dropped by Gov. Phil Murphy, but the federal government maintained its own COVID rules (such as federal vaccine mandates that are currently being challenged in many U.S. states), would Middletown schools have to follow the federal rules, should they accept the grant money?

"I can't say that," said Walker.

Assistant superintendent Kim Pickus said it's her understanding that school districts all across America are applying for these federal education grants, even school districts in Florida and Texas that have no mask mandates.

"As to what future mandates may be upon us, this money was portioned out to every state and not every state has a mask mandate, yet they are adopting the money and using it," said Pickus.

"For the record, if there are any stipulations to this I don't think we should spend this money,"said Board president Joan Minnuies, who voted to take the grants. "I don't want to tie money to stipulations for our kids, either. But I have an issue not taking the money."

The final vote count to approve the grant application was:

• Leonora Caminiti: No
• Michael Donlon: Yes
• Tom Giaimo: Yes
• Harmony Hefferan: No
• John Little: Yes
• Jackie Tobacco: No
• Deborah Wright: Yes
• Frank Capone: No
• Joan Minnuies: Yes

The five grants are:

• American Rescue Plan-ESSER sub-grant $4 million - grant from the federal government
• $763,006 - for Evidence Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Activities Grant - state grant
• $52,021 - Evidence Based Comprehensive Beyond the School Day Activities Grant - state grant
• $52,021 - NJTSS Mental Health Support Staffing Grant - state grant
• $45,000 - NJTSS Mental Health Support Staffing Grant - state grant

All five of the grants come from money released under the American Rescue Plan.

Starting in 2018, Middletown schools started receiving millions less in state aid due to a change in how the New Jersey school funding formula is decided. Large suburban school districts that had decreases in student enrollment, as Middletown has, lost the most state aid. Prior: Middletown Schools Get 7 Percent Less Funding From Trenton This Year (Feb. 2021)

Here is the Nov. 22 meeting; the discussion of the grants starts around the 2 hour, 30-minute mark:

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