Educators to talk consolidation as enrollment changes region
By DIANE D'AMICO
Education Writer, 609-272-7241
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008
MAYS LANDING - Enrollment in almost every Cape May County school district is shrinking. The tiny Cumberland County school district of Shiloh has closed its school and sent its students to neighboring Hopewell Township.The Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District is building a third high school in Egg Harbor City to handle its growing high school enrollment.Taxpayers in beachfront communities worry how consolidation will affect their property taxes. A new state law calls for the consolidation of all of the state's school districts into K-12 systems. But just what does that mean for local schools, children and taxpayers?
The New Jersey Association of School Administrators will sponsor a workshop on the issues involved in school consolidation from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Walter Edge Theater at Atlantic Cape Community College in Mays Landing. The Press of Atlantic City is co-hosting the event because of its potential impact on every school district in The Press coverage area."Our concern is that there is not enough information out there," said Anne Gallagher, communications director for the NJASA. "There is a lot of confusion."Among the speakers will be Terrence J. Crowley, the new executive county superintendent in Cape May County, who has been meeting with stakeholders there about the issue. He said people understand that shifting enrollments likely will necessitate change."The big question is exactly what will happen, and that we're still working on," he said. "There are questions of transportation, finance, curriculum-sharing and, of course, how it will affect the tax bill."Crowley will give a status report on the Cape May County effort.NJASA president-elect Douglas Groff, superintendent of the K-8 Galloway Township School District in Atlantic County, will moderate the panel discussion. He said the construction of a third high school in the Greater Egg Harbor Regional district likely will generate discussion of creating new K-12 districts from the three high schools and their K-8 sending districts. That topic has been studied before but never implemented."People don't understand what consolidation means, and there is a lot of misinformation," Groff said. "There might not be any schools that close, but they might become part of another district."Other speakers include Ernest C. Reock Jr. of the Center for Govern-
ment Services at Rutgers. Reock has studied the financial aspect of consolidation and the relationship between the high number of school districts in the state and the cost.Dean Richard Perniciaro of ACCC will talk about enrollment and growth issues in the region.John M. Yinger from Syracuse University will discuss fundamental issues associated with school consolidation. State Senate Education Committee member Jim Whelan, D-Atlantic, and Assemblymen John Amodeo and Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, will provide updates on the legislative role in consolidation.The event is free and open to the public. There will be a question-and-answer period following the panel presentations.E-mail Diane D'Amico:DDamico@pressofac.com
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