Toms River Business Group Backs School Aid Fight

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River business community has joined the school district's fight against state aid cuts that are threatening the Toms River Regional School District's programs.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce said its 400 members are on board with doing whatever it takes to get legislators' attention about the possible cuts facing the district.

Toms River Regional Schools Superintendent David Healy last week said a potential cut of $4.3 million in state aid form the bulk of $5.3 million in reductions the district will need to make in the 2020-2021 school budget. Sports, clubs, and the district's full-day kindergarten — all non-mandated programs — are at risk, he said.

The possibilities have angered parents and prompted a variety of initiatives, including phone calls to state Senate President Stephen Sweeney's office, emails and petitions, among other things.

Parents are expected to pack Wednesday night's school board meeting, which is scheduled to be held in the media center at Toms River North. The public portion begins at 7:30 p.m.

Healy addressed the chamber recently about the potential impact of the state aid cut, part of S2, the law that modified the School Funding Reform Act of 2008.

"Even those who were aware of the ill-advised bill’s impact could hardly believe the real-life ramifications and urgency of the situation," the statement said.

"From the outset, the GTRCC has made clear its opposition to the bill and publicly supported the district’s numerous efforts to convince NJ legislators to restore its state aid and fix a critically-flawed funding formula," the chamber statement said. "But now, it’s even clearer to the owners and operators of local businesses and nonprofits how the decimation of the township’s school system will impact the future of Toms River and Ocean County."

"The Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce stands with Toms River Regional Schools in its fight to restore millions in necessary state aid that was unjustly lost as a result of S2," said GTRCC Chair Ralph Wolff. "And more than just stand, we act. Our network of 400-plus members will make their voices heard on this issue.

"Our organization is vested in this community, and the negative effects of this bill transcend the classroom," said Ralph Wolff, the chamber's chair. "We understand that the future of Toms River and Ocean County is at stake."

The members plan to add to the volume of letters, phone calls, and social media conversations that have been directed at state legislators.

"I'm thrilled but not surprised that the Greater Toms River Chamber of Commerce has rallied to support us in this extremely urgent fight," Healy said. "Toms River is what it is because of the leaders, entrepreneurs, and committed, high-character people who make up this chamber. Many of them are graduates of this district, and many of them have become the invaluable educational partners our students depend on, serving as mentors, sponsors, and role models."

"They understand exactly how important a well-rounded and thorough education is to the future of Toms River business and Toms River life," he said, "and how tragic a future the state has laid out for us all if these cuts remain in place."

At the Toms River Regional Board of Education's committee meetings on Nov. 13, Healy told the board that the district is facing the possibility of having to cut sports and clubs for the 2020-2021 school year, and that the full-day kindergarten program started five years ago is at risk.

The district eliminated 77 staff and 55 assistant coaching positions heading into the current school year as a direct result of S2-related aid cuts.

"There is nothing left to cut, and that was the case last year," Healy said. "Every decision moving forward will be a drastic one."

"We need the state to hear us on this, to understand what’s happening here," he said. "They’re decimating our district, based on a formula that’s critically flawed. We will never relent this fight, and we’re proud to have the chamber on our side."

The chamber's statement urges residents — there are about 100,000 combined in Toms River, South Toms River, Beachwood and Pine Beach, the four towns in the regional district — to continue making their voices heard.

This flyer is being distributed to explain the details of S2.

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