Middletown parents want answers about plan to close schools
The district says the gap this year is $3.2 million and gets bigger down the line.
More Stories
Parents in Middletown want more answers as two schools are set to close.
The school board voted last month to close two elementary schools - Leonardo and Navesink - and repurpose Bayshore Middle into an elementary school. Students all over the district would be impacted.
Last year, residents paid a 10% increase in school property taxes to help close a multi-million-dollar budget gap. One year later, the district says that was a “temporary bridge” and that more cuts are needed.
The budget presentation calls for a 2% tax levy increase - the maximum allowed most years. There's also a staff reduction of 40, largely from attrition, the presentation says.
The district says the gap this year is $3.2 million and gets bigger down the line. They say closing the schools will save more than $3.5 million yearly.
But parents have concerns. They staged a protest earlier this month.
“One of the things why we moved to this area was the small school vibe," said parent Vanessa Bannon. "It's unfortunate what's been happening without the consideration of the children.”
“When you've been given no details, it feels very much rushed through," said Jeff, a Middletown parent. "The reality is, this is what they tried to do last year.”
“There's really not enough room for all the middle schoolers in those schools," said parent Kristin Rooney.
Rooney is one of the parents who filed an appeal to the Department of Education, arguing the plan broke policy, would lead to overcrowding and could enhance school segregation.
