TOMS RIVER, NJ — A request by the Toms River Regional and Seaside Heights school boards to hold a referendum on a proposed merger of the districts has been approved by the New Jersey Department of Education.
In a letter released to the districts Thursday, Kevin Dehmer, the acting commissionoer 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.
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“The application submitted by the Petitioners is approved and the proposed referendum may proceed,” Dehmer wrote. “Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:13-43, I hereby authorize the question presented by the proposed referendum to be presented to the voters at an election to be held on April 16, 2024, the third Tuesday in April 2024.
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In approving the request, Dehmer cited the Feb. 27 response from Toms River and Seaside Heights to concerns raised by Central Regional High School that said Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School would remain open for up to five years.
“Central’s arguments do not specifically address most of the requisite factors in N.J.S.A. 18A:13-47.11,” Dehmer wrote. “Further, Central’s primary argument is that the closing of Boyd Elementary School will detrimentally impact Seaside Heights students. Petitioners, however, indicated that Boyd Elementary will remain open for the 2024-2025 school year and for up to four years after that, depending on enrollment. (Petitioner’s February 27, 2024 Reply Letter).”
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“The commitment to leaving Boyd Elementary School open for up to five years post-consolidation will ease the transition and dispells many of the concerns raised by Central,” he wrote.
The full letter can be read below.
Read more: Seaside Heights-Toms River School Regionalization: What It Would Mean
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