Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon, hopeful the school regionalization with Sea Bright question will make it on the ballot in 2026, said the mayors of the three boroughs met the week before Christmas to begin discussions on questions that must still be settled before voters get to vote once again whether to accept Sea Bright into the current three school district of some 700 students.
Bouillon said when she, Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner and Sea Bright Mayor Brian P. Kelly met last month, they had the updated enrollment and equalized value numbers from October of 2025, so they can now can update their calculations. “ Everyone was upbeat and seemed willing to finally make this happen this year,” Broullon said.
“ I believe we can finally make this work this year, “ the mayor continued, “ I remain hopeful that we can get it on the ballot AND that the people will vote yes.”
In order to be approved, voters in the three towns must approve a ballot question that includes the tax formula for the three towns to finance education. Voters in both Highlands and Sea Bright in the past gave their overwhelming support to having Sea Bright become part of the district; however, Atlantic Highlands Mayor Hohenleitner had indicated she preferred to wait to see the outcome of the appeals presented by Oceanport and Shore Regional school districts to the question of Sea Bright leaving their school systems.
Oceanport and Shore Regional have been legally opposing the departure of Sea Bright, and have contested every decision by state and education officials up to the New Jersey Supreme Court which also recently upheld Sea Bright’s right to choose.
While she is hopeful and confident Sea Bright will become part of the Henry Hudson district, Broullon, in response to a question on whether a negative vote on that could mean the possibility of the Highlands and Atlantic Highlands schools becoming part of Middletown ‘s current 16 school district, saying “it is always on my mind.”
Recent state laws are geared towards eliminating smaller school districts and creating larger districts because of the ever expanding cost of education. At least one school district, tom River, has declared itself bankrupt, and Middletown itself is facing crucial questions on closing two schools because of extensive renovation and repairs necessary as well as higher taxes.
Middletown is so much larger than Hudson, the Highlands mayor explained, noting there are 8895 students in Middletown’s 16 schools. “ We have shown the legislature that we have merged with Atlantic Highlands and now, hopefully, Sea Bright, so we are doing everything the new law asked us to do.” However, she said, “ with the new Governor, we do not know what she has in store on this subject. “ Our plan, she said, is to plan to control what we can control: to update the numbers and get the question on the ballot.”
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