Vote date set that could end this Seaside Heights school, send students to Toms River

TOMS RIVER - A March 12 referendum could determine if the Toms River Regional and Seaside Heights school districts will merge, Toms River Superintendent Mike Citta said.

Toms River schools are awaiting approval from the state Department of Education to set the referendum date. Seaside Heights would hold a referendum on the same day. Voters in both districts must approve the merger in order for it to happen.

Citta said he plans to hold a series of public meetings next month to explain the regionalization process to the public, and the benefits he thinks it holds for both the Toms River and Seaside Heights school districts.

"We do see an educational benefit, not only for your students but for our students, and our community, of regionalization," Citta told Seaside Heights parents and teachers who attended Wednesday's Toms River Regional Board of Education meeting.

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Citta said that adding Seaside Heights to the four-municipality regional school district — which includes Toms River, South Toms River, Pine Beach and Beachwood — would bring millions of dollars in state aid back to the district, which has faced millions of dollars in cuts from Trenton. He also believes it will improve educational outcomes for the about 200 students at Seaside's Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School, who would move to East Dover Elementary if the two districts merged.

The Seaside Heights students would have access to more afterschool activities, including clubs and sports, than they do now, he has said.

More than 83% of Boyd School students are considered "economically disadvantaged," according to state Department of Education figures from the 2021-2022 school year. About a third of Boyd students have disabilities.

About 34% of East Dover students are considered economically disadvantaged, according to the state.

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If the districts merged, Toms River Regional would have state funding restored due to a law passed in August known as S3950, the superintendent said. The new law exempts regional school districts serving five or more New Jersey municipalities. To qualify, these regional districts must also have administrative per-pupil costs that are at least 15% below the state average and their boards must have raised school taxes by the maximum allowed by law over the previous five years.

By restoring Toms River Regional's state funding through S3950 and adding Seaside Heights' $7.1 million school budget into the regional budget, Toms River Regional's $26 million fiscal loss would be eliminated, he said.

Without the merger, Toms River Regional faces a $26.6 million state aid loss for the 2024-2025 school year, which will lead to cuts in teaching positions and the elimination of extracurricular activities and sports would likely have to be considered.

"Our kids are nice kids," Seaside Heights Mayor Anthony Vaz said. "They deserve this opportunity. … This is a great opportunity for the kids to get a better education."

Seaside Heights students in grades 7 to 12 now attend Central Regional, which has indicated it will oppose the merger and is exploring legal options to block it.

Sherie Ensor, co-president of the Seaside Heights Education Association, said, "It has been a been a challenging time for our staff and our school families. … Over the last year and a half or more, this cloud of uncertainty, this fear of the unknown, I believe it’s started to take a toll on our staff and our families."

Ensor noted that if the merger is approved, Seaside Heights children would be the only ones in Toms River Regional's district not to have a neighborhood school to attend.

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Several Seaside Heights parents have expressed concern about their kids attending school "across the bridge," as many do not have cars and would have difficulty attending parent-teacher meetings.

Citta said Toms River Regional will provide transportation for programs before and after school for Seaside Heights students, and added that transportation could also be made available for parents who wish to attend meetings with teachers.

In Seaside Heights, school officials last month voted in support of their own referendum, citing declining enrollment at the borough's Hugh J. Boyd Elementary and a feasibility study that estimated both Seaside and Toms River could save about $2.7 million by merging.

Seaside Heights teachers would be hired to teach in Toms River schools.

Toms River Regional School Board member Ashley Lamb reassured Seaside Heights parents that if the referenda pass, Toms River's staff and school board will treat the borough's children with the same care that current Toms River Regional students receive.

"We will love those kids," she said. "We will do everything that we can to be the best for those kids and those staff members."

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and writes about issues related to Superstorm Sandy. 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: Voting day set for merging Seaside Heights school with Toms River