Toms River school board has a new president. What are his goals for 2023?

TOMS RIVER - Pine Beach representative Kevin Kidney will lead the Toms River Regional school board this year, and stressed collaboration with other board members and district leadership, staff and parents as the 15,000-student school system continues to face financial challenges.

"Personally, one of my goals is collaboration - with our central office which I believe is second to none, with each other, and with the community and our district families," Kidney said. "(Former board president) Jennifer Howe did an incredible job last year of fostering collaboration, leading us to an agreement on our new superintendent, and bringing the board together. I hope to continue that work."

Howe guided the board to the conclusion of a lengthy - and sometimes contentious - search for a new superintendent, which resulted in the appointment of former Toms River High School South principal Michael Citta as superintendent early last year.

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"My goals in this role mirror those of the district and the school board, increasing academic achievement, ensuring financial stability especially as we continue to confront the challenges of S2, completing our ongoing referendum and facilities work, enhancing our student-centered approach to technology, and continuing to foster and expand our community partnerships," Kidney said.

S2, the state's latest school funding formula, has been panned by Toms River and other Jersey Shore districts, as it shifted money from districts with declining enrollment, like Toms River Regional, to faster-growing school systems.

School leaders have long contended that the formula unfairly penalizes efficient districts, like Toms River Regional, that have per pupil costs below the state average.

The state aid cuts have led Toms River Regional to repeatedly reduce staff; three years ago, the district cut 37 jobs. That followed 77 job cuts the year before. In 2021,  Toms River Regional slashed 70 positions. The district was able to avoid staff cuts in the 2022-2023 school year, in part because of an influx of federal COVID-19 aid.

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Preliminary budget plans for 2023-2024 do not call for any staff reductions or cuts in programs or extra-curricular activities, officials said at a December meeting of the board's budget and finance committee.

But officials have been warning about a "fiscal cliff" that Toms River Regional faces in the 2024-2025 school year, when the federal aid runs out. And no stabilization aid was included for Toms River Regional in a nearly $30 million pot of money the state plans to distribute to districts whose school aid was cut.

Toms River Regional had requested $5,236,128 in stabilization aid in its application submitted in September.

Toms River Regional, along with several other suburban districts, is still awaiting information from the state about how New Jersey's education aid formula is developed. School board Attorney William Burns said the districts are likely to seek a court order compelling the state to release the information, which a superior court judge ordered be turned over last year.

The districts have not received the information from the state, Burns said last month.

Kidney was selected as board president shortly after he and board member Kathy Eagan were sworn in to their second three-year terms. Eagan is one of six Toms River representatives on the nine-member regional board.

Melissa Morrison was sworn in to her first term, representing Beachwood. Morrison replaces former Beachwood representative Alex Mizenko, who chose not to seek re-election.

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Kidney praised Mizenko's work on the board, and also welcomed Morrison, who he said he believes will be "a great addition to the board."

Eagan was elected board vice president for 2023. Neither the Kidney or Eagan votes were unanimous: Morrison and board member Michele Williams voted against Kidney, while Morrison, Williams and board member Anna Polozzo voted against Eagan.

"Our district does not have easy times ahead, but our staff, parents, students and community have a way of coming together when the going gets tough," Kidney said. "More than anything, I hope we can model this for our kids, as well as other districts, as we are not alone."

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and has been writing about local government and politics at the Jersey Shore for nearly 38 years. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Toms River school board president wants to work with community