17-Acre Land Deal To Save Toms River School Budget For 1 Year Moves Forward

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A land deal to fill a nearly $4 million hole in the Toms River Regional Schools' budget for 2023-24 moved forward Wednesday night.

The Toms River Township Council introduced ordinances Wednesday night to purchase a nearly 17-acre parcel next to Silver Bay Elementary School from the school district along and to bond for $4.5 million for the purchase. About two hours later, the Board of Education approved a resolution to sell the parcel for $4.15 million to the township.

A public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, May 1, in the gymnasium at Silver Bay Elementary School, 100 Silver Bay Road, Toms River, with Toms River township and school district officials.

The property will become open space, Mayor Maurice Hill said; it will mean the town will have preserved 100 acres of open space in each of the town's four wards.

Business administrator Louis Amoruso said it is prime developable space, and the appraisal and purchase price offer resulted from the information about how it could have potentially been developed.

Robert Chankalian, the township engineer, said the Silver Bay property as a whole is 34 acres. The 16 acres is a prime parcel because it is serviced by all utilities, doesn't have wetlands on it and is out of the flood plain.

In addition, under the town's existing zoning a developer would have been able to put 49 homes on the site without the need for variances, which makes it nearly impossible for the town to reject such an application, he said.

Purchasing the land for open space eliminates the possibility of additional traffic from the potential development, Chankalian said. (You can see his presentation in the YouTube video of the meeting.)

Superintendent Michael Citta, during the school board meeting, said the land sale makes the district budget whole for 2023-24, but doesn't address the bigger issues of S2.

The district is facing a $26 million shortfall for 2024-25 because of the ongoing situation, Citta said.

In addition, the district is more than $70 million under adequacy, meaning it is not spending the amount of money per student that the state Department of Education defines as necessary to provide a thorough and efficient education.

The Township Council is anticipated to have a hearing on the ordinances to buy the property and to issue bonds to do so at the May 10 council meeting.