BERKELEY, NJ — Following the news that the state Department of Education would allow the Toms River Regional and Seaside Heights school boards to hold a referendum on a proposed merger of the districts, the Central Regional School District is blasting the decision for moving too fast and potentially violating election laws.
In a letter released to the districts Thursday, Kevin Dehmer, the acting commissioner of education, said he was approving the request for a referendum to be held on April 16. The proposal also would allow Seaside Heights to withdraw from the Central Regional School District. Read more: Toms River-Seaside Heights School Merger Referendum Approved By State
“Central Regional is shocked that the Acting Commissioner made such an important decision so quickly without further study of numerous factors likely to affect Seaside Heights students for many years – factors which are not resolved by Toms River’s 11th hour commitment to keep Boyd Elementary School open, subject to a stipulation involving student enrollment which we suspect will result in the school closing much sooner than five years from now,” the district said in a statement to Patch via their attorney Eric Harrison.
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Seaside Heights has been sending students to Central Regional since 1956, Harrison said.
“We are surprised the Commissioner was so willing to allow the dissolution of over 65 years of history, and to tear apart Central Regional just to bail out Toms River Regional because of budgetary issues,” he said.
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“While we also believe that holding a vote in April on this referendum would violate applicable election laws, we will await word from the Ocean County Board of Elections on that issue before taking any further action,” he added.
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