Historian and author Jack Grodeska will be the speaker this month in the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society’s Speaker Series accenting local history and little know facts about the Bayshore.
Grodeska will highlight little known local hero Captain Adam Hyler and his whaleboat the Revenge, on Wednesday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Strauss Mansion Museum.
Grodeska will speak on Hyler’s contributions to the Revolutionary War effort and how he helped the patriots overcome the British and the loyalists. He will speak on how the Revenge, under cover of darkness, was successful in capturing several British ships in the Raritan Bay.
There is no charge for the event, although donations are always welcome. Guests are urged, however, to bring some item non-perishable food or baby item to become a part of the Historic Society’s support of the local food pantry.
The Osprey bird, the only living species that can be found nearly all over the world, is a soaring bird, one frequently seen in the Bayshore and nesting near the ocean.
But at the Highlands Public School, the OSPREY is the award giving to the students who are selected for SOARing for the month.
SOARing stands for the student selected in each of grades kindergarten through sixth grade who has particularly exhibited ideal examples of SAFETY, OVERCOMING difficult challenges and motivation and positivity in school activities, ACCEPTANCE and being inclusive of others, motivated to achieve goals and having a positive attitude and mindset and RESPECT, treating peers and teachers with kindness, being punctual and great in attendance and being cooperative and helpful.
The award is given monthly at a Highlands Board of Education meeting and Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon is part of the ceremony that recognizes each of the recipients. Mayor Broullon also honors the students at the Highlands Borough Council meeting when she announces the activity at the Public School and her appreciation of being part of the award ceremony.
School Principal Dr. William Jacoutot, board secretary Christopher J. Mullins, and School district Superintendent Tara Beams also participated in the ceremony along with the board of education members.
Dr. William Jacoutot
SOARing OSPREYS at the Highlands School this week were kindergarten students Anyela Betancourt and Jenna Kurdes, first graders Charlie Pugh and Arianna Cervantes, second graders Luke Baker and Chase Savin, third grade students Arianna Brown, fourth grade student Robert Nonnemacher, fifth grade students Bryce Coleman and Dominique Baros and sixth grade student Mia Longo.
Each was selected by his teacher for the award and received a certificate from both the school district and the borough in recognition of his selection.
The new contract replaces the superintendent’s current contract with the Henry Hudson Regional School and the two elementary schools in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands which would have terminated her contract in 2026.
Terms of the contract were not included in the resolution, though a copy of the contract is maintained in the district’s business office.
At the same meeting, the board also unanimously adopted the same resolution (5-28-2024 – HHRS Board Cert of Resolution) the school boards in the district adopted this week amending the revised Settlement Agreement and authorizing principals to sign agreements with Oceanport and Shore Regional under specific conditions. This is the same settlement agreement first proposed and unanimously approved by the Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Henry Hudson Regional boards May 28 and revised after Superior Court injunction request (Verified Complaint) was filed by Highlands Councilwoman Joann Olszweski.
It was a busy night at Henry Hudson Wednesday with a variety of activities and actions: There was no mention of the court date set for June 24 on complaints filed by the Highlands municipal leader against the three boards of education. (Jo-Anne Olszewski-Letter brief in support of order to show cause(7728181.1))
Actions did include:
The public hearing on Beam’s five year contract and another for the business secretary,
A regular meeting and an annual meeting
A sports award ceremony for school athletic teams,
A regular and final meeting of the current Henry Hudson board of education which ceases to exist in hits current form July 1.
All of which took 42 pages in three separate documents for the public to see the agendas for the evening.
The public hearings on the proposed superintendent and business administrator board secretary contracts were early on on the agenda for the first meeting with board attorney Jonathon Busch explaining the contracts are necessary since the personnel will be operating under the expanded district board of education and encompasses duties for the three schools in the new regional district.
No one explained however, why the transitional board, which did not meet in executive session to discuss the matter, extended Beams’ current contract signed last year by many of the same board members ,rather than continue it for the two year period already approved.
That action would also enable the new board of education, the first to be comprised of elected members to the Prek-12 district, to act on a contract when they assume office in January.
Acting both as a member of the Highlands governing body where she is council president, and as a private citizen of the borough Olszewski filed a Verified Complaint seeking an injunction “preliminarily and permanently” of the resolution unanimously approved by the boards of education in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands from taking any action.
The court action names the Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, and Henry Hudson Regional boards of education as the defendants in the case which focuses on actions taken in connection with regionalization matters concerning Sea Bright’s and the two boroughs in the school district desire to have the people decide whether they can become a part of the new Pre-k-12 Henry Hudson Regional School District.
In that resolution, the boards had authorized their board presidents to enter an agreement with their adversaries, Oceanport and Shore Regional Board of Education. Those boards would dismiss the two towns from their appeal of a court order that would allow Sea Bright to join the two regional schools, the action opposed by the two districts where Sea Bright currently sends its students.
Although the terms of the concept of the agreement have not been released, Olszewski’s formal complaint asks for relief in that the concept of the agreement is for an agreement that is not yet in existence, and yet the resolution authorizes the presidents to sign the still to be developed agreement.
The complaint also charges a violation of the Open Public Meetings Act and the common law rule that public bodies cannot usurp the rights or responsibilities of their successors, something the resolution would do inasmuch as the school boards will be dissolved and cease to exist July 1 when the approved Pre K-12 Regional district for the two towns takes effect.
The Highlands borough council president’s action came after it appears the boards, without any public knowledge entered into discussions with Oceanport and Shore Regional which would include excluding Sea Bright from ever joining the new regional school district, taking the right of voters to make the decision themselves.
With the matter filed in Superior Court in Freehold Monday, Judge Acquaviva yesterday set the June 24 date, 12 days from now, to hear the oral arguments requested in the complaint against the Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Henry Hudson Regional boards of Education.
After receiving notification of Olszewski’s action, both Highlands and Atlantic Highlands boards of education at their meetings this past Monday and Tuesday evening, unanimously adopted resolutions which would approve a revised Settlement Agreement in the matter, with once again the terms of the original agreement nor the revised agreement, made public.
At Wednesday night’s meeting of the transitional board of education, that board also unanimously adopted the same resolution after going into a 15 minutes executive session. That nine-member board will be in control from July1 until Jan. 1, 2025. Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, five residents from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands, who will be elected in November, will be the first nine member elected board of the new preK-12 Henry Hudson Regional School district.
Olszewski sought the court ordered injunction because the school board actions have been unfair not only to herself but to all residents and taxpayers because of the apparent violations of law.
Vito Gagliardi of the Porzio Law Firm is presenting Olszewski before Judge Acquaviva and Jonathon Busch is the attorney for the boards of education named as defendants in the case.
While it isn’t necessary to differentiate between male veterans from female veterans…they all put their lives on the line, it is nice to know that New Jersey is one of the states that designates June 12 as Women Veterans Appreciation Day. It was the late Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver who signed the legislation recognizing the special day for women’s recognition in 2019 and it has been observed ever since.
Whether you are a parent of children in school, a parent of children going to school in the future, a resident of Highlands, Atlantic Highlands or Sea Bright, or a taxpayer with or without children in the Highlands or Atlantic Highlands schools, it would be to your benefit to attend the Wednesday night, June 12 meeting of the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education and learn what the three boards of education are trying to do to you and to Sea Bright, voters in all three boroughs, and ultimately, the taxpayers.
Highlands Council President Joann Olszewski made it clear she’s upset because “things just can’t be done this way, it is not fair to residents”
Highlands Council President Joann Olszewski
Olszewski filed a Verified Complaint against the three boards of education in the two towns, the council president, acting both as a borough official and in her capacity as a private citizen, charging the boards violated several laws in the actions they took at a special meeting May 28.
Wednesday, June 12, the regional board meets at 7 p.m. but without knowing what might be happening at the transitional board meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., both of which will be held at Henry Hudson school, it might be worth it to attend both.
Highlands Council President Olszewski, as always, will be at the meeting to hear and see the final actions of the board, which, like Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, will simply be a piece of history July 1, 2024.
The new Henry Hudson Regional School Board will be an expansion of the present board, with newly elected board members in November, five from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands, representing the new preK-12 district approved by the voters. The transitional Boards will be the operative board between July 1 and January 1, when the first all -elected nine-member board will take over.
The Highlands councilwoman said the boards violated not one, but several laws in taking action. Action which has still not been revealed to the public and which is designed to impinge on the power of the board of education which will be seated after a vote in November’s election.
In short, Verified Complaintwhich in part requests an injunction, which is filed in the law division of the Monmouth County Superior Court, charges that the May 28 resolution adopted after an executive session and absent the details of specifically what was included, was actually giving the boards’ approval for its presidents to sign an agreement with Oceanport and Shore Regional Board of Education that would essentially make it prohibitive for Sea Bright to ever be a part of the new Henry Hudson regional School district. The suit points out the boards unanimously passed a resolution to “approve the concept of Settlement …” and further “authorized counsel and the Presidents of the Boards, to negotiate a resolution with attorneys for the Oceanport and Shore regional.”
Olszewski’s action said that it has been learned that sometime this past winter or spring Oceanport and Shore Regional, the two entities that had filed suit against the boroughs for entertaining Sea Bright become a part of the new regional district, began negotiations with the boards which would result in the boards’ agreement to a dismissal of Oceanport’s and Shore Regional’s appeal of the decision the Commissioner of Education made to uphold Sea Bright’s right to be included with a vote of the people.
However, according to the Verified Complaint , the agreement the boards agreed to make with Shore Regional and Oceanport came with the condition and stipulation that Sea Bright first become an operating school district on its own before they could be considered. Such an action could not happen under current law inasmuch as Sea Bright does not have any schools in the borough. Effectively making it next to impossible for Sea Bright to join the newly formed regional school system.
That resolution, the court papers said, was passed in violation of the Open Public Meetings Act and wrongfully delegates authority to the Boards’ respective Presidents and counsel to approve and execute a settlement agreement that does not yet exist and which may not come into effect until after two of the boards, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, fail to exist. Advertisements for the meeting did not meet OPRA regulations for identifying the specific reason for the executive session. The boards also voted on a resolution without making it public, simply referring to the actions taken during the executive session, which were not disclosed.
Th court action said this agreement approved in the resolution would “make it nearly impossible for Sea Bright ever to join the new Henry Hudson Regional School District.” The suit further argues that “even perhaps more importantly,” it prevents “voters in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands from voting on a “referendum to consider this important issue.”
Apparently Olszewski’s Verified Complaint was made known to the school boards when it was filed in Superior Court, because Monday night, the Highlands Board , one of the two boards which will no longer be in existence July 1, at its last meeting before being dissolved, met in executive session for 15 minutes, and returned to unanimously pass a resolution to amend the May 28 resolution, but still not revealing the terms of the May 28 resolution. Beams said at that meeting she had just received the resolution 15 minutes before the meeting, presumably from Jonathon Busch, the three boards’ attorney for regionalization.
Tara Beams
Similar action took place at tonight’s last meeting of the Atlantic Highlands Board of Education and Beams confirmed that a similar executive session and action is expected to take place at Wednesday’s Henry Hudson meeting.
Olszewski, who is a regular attendee at school board meetings, frequently asks questions. Both as a former department, department chairman, and District Supervisor in the Teaneck School District, as well as elected council member she is well aware of Roberts Rules of Order and requirements of school boards in taking action. In addition to the OPRA violations, the suit charges board actions would limit the rights of their successor board by making an agreement that would restrain future boards from further action.
At Tuesday’s meeting in Atlantic Highlands, while the Board Administrator confirmed in response to an e-mailed question that there would be an executive session at the meeting, both the agenda available online in advance of the meeting and the agenda made available to anyone attending the meeting still indicated there would be no executive session.
The Atlantic Highlands Board did go into a half hour long executive session at the end of the meeting, came out and adopted the same resolution Highlands had adopted the night previous and ended their meeting. It is that same action that is anticipated at the Wednesday meeting at Henry Hudson.
Olszewski’s action was filed by Vito Gagliardi, an attorney in the law firm which has been representing both Highlands and Sea Bright in the regionalization issue.
While terms of that May 28 resolution have not yet been made public with Busch saying at the May meeting, they would be part of the approved minutes, the Highlands board took no action at Monday’s meeting to approve the minutes either the special or executive May 28 meetings. Atlantic Highlands board approved the minutes for both the regular and the executive session at their meeting Tuesday, and both should be available Wednesday morning.
VeniVidiScripto will print the minutes as approved should they be available.
School board members from all three boards, together with Beams, have frequently and consistently said publicly they “want Sea Bright to come into the District,” saying only they would want it to happen after the regionalization of the boroughs’ three schools was in place first. “The Second Step,” they said.
Without Olszewski’s injunction, their behind-the-scenes actions appear to make that a virtual impossibility.
However, it appears, the resolutions adopted by the boards this week, again with details discussed in executive session, are designed revise a new Settlement Agreement on behalf of Oceanport and Shore Regional School Districts and once again authorize the Board Presidents to sign on behalf of the Boards. The new resolution further authorizes the Busch Law Group to take all action necessary to enter into a Stipulation of Dismissal of the matter with Oceanport and Shore Regional, apparently on their terms.
“It is clear that the conditions of the purported settlement agreement are designed to exclude Sea Bright from the new all-purpose Henry Hudson Regional School District and to prevent the voters in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands from ever considering adding Sea Bright as a constituent of Henry Hudson Regional,” Olszewski’s court action states.
Olszewski said she conferred with Mayor Carolyn Broullon, other Council-members along with Borough council who all felt she should exercise her personal right both as a resident and a representative of the residents of Highlands. The Councilwomen has their full support to take the action.
Grandma, Dad, Aunt Gert South Bay Ave Beach Next to King Boat Works Highlands NJ 1924 Highlands NJ 1923
Grandma, Dad, Aunt Gert South Bay Ave Beach Next to King Boat Works Highlands NJ 1924
It isn’t unusual for the Guenther family to get together every summer, generations of the family coming from states across the nation to celebrate their family, their successes, their events and their history.
But this year, the Guenthers will mark a special occasion as they can trace these annual get-togethers back 100 years.
And the celebration as always, will be held in Highlands where Bruno and Mary Guenther first brought their three children for a summer holiday in 1924. The Guenthers had come from Germany and settled in New York and had taken their family on camping trips every summer. But in 1920, when there was illness in the family, the camping trips had to stop.
However, the family lived between 9th and 10th streets in New York and knew about a ferry they knew went to Highlands. So they decided to see what the little New Jersey town was like for a summer.
The couple packed up their young ones and took the ferry to Highlands, staying first at the Blair House on Navesink Avenue, a hotel which was across Route 36 from the current Off the Hook Restaurant.
The family had a boat that first year and knew from the onset that Highlands was where they wanted to spend every summer.
After that first year at the Blair House, the family rented a bungalow in The Grove, a group of bungalows on Portland Road. By 1938, as the youngsters grew and enjoyed swimming in the Shrewsbury River as well as across the bridge in the ocean, the Guenthers bought their first house here. It was obvious they loved Highlands, as they made their purchases three days after the Great Hurricane of 1938.
Five yeas later, the couple moved from that house and purchased another, this one at 4 Marine Place in the Water Witch section of the borough. It was September, 1943, and the Guenthers now owned a “Kit House,” a type of bungalow popular at the time and made by Montgomery Ward or Sears and put together on the site.
Those houses and much of Highlands underwent considerable damage in the next big hurricane that ravaged the area in 1944. Undaunted, sons Arthur and Walter rebuilt their summer home facing the Shrewsbury River and it has survived many storms since then, the most damaging through those years, Hurricane Donna in September, 1960.
But it was the next Guenther generation, the generation of Walter, Kurt, Eric and Janet who once again rebuilt the Guenther Summer residence. Superstorm Sandy ravaged the entire lower level of Highlands in 2010, and the family, still devoted to summers in Highlands, rebuilt the Marine Place sanctuary and raised it in anticipation of possible future storms. Through it all, their motto has always been “Living right on the river is sometimes tough, but always wonderful.”
Nor has the family simply come to town summers and enjoyed all that Highlands has to offer. They became involved not only in the borough but in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church as well, where they are summer parishioners. Walter is recognized as one of the historians of the borough and has given walking tours identifying the families, stores, and other businesses that earlier Guenthers frequented during their summers at the shore.
Now, a century after Bruno and Mary brought their three children for a summer holiday by the sea, there are five generations of the family, together with extended family and the scores of friends the family has met through the years, who have shared memories, laughter, unique experiences, comfort in sad times, and summer recreation and relaxation in Highlands, with plans and hopes to continue the family tradition for another century or more.
With the entire school in attendance, along with veterans of several war periods, Highlands council president Joann Olszewski and local residents in attendance, the Highlands Elementary School student council retired the American flag in front of the Highlands Elementary School and raised a flag flown over the Capitol at a moving ceremony honoring the borough’s veterans of all wars.
Student Council Advisors Lauren McBain and Megan Harbstreet thanked everyone for attending the ceremony designed and enacted by the fourth fifth and sixth grades, and thanked the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Base Honor Guard who conducted the lowering of the old flag and the raising of the flag presented to the school by Congressman Frank Pallone.
Student Council President John Moore welcomed the guests and led the group in a pledge of allegiance, with the student body presenting the National Anthem. The choral group also ended the ceremony with the new flag aloft singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
Each of the student council students participated in the ceremony, including student council vice president Sean LaRue, Secretary Isabelle Thorpe and treasurer Jack Hanratty. The officers read a history of the American flag, from the time it was first designed and sewn to the 20th century when it contains the 50 stars and 13 stripes. Students explained the meaning of the stars, number of stripes and reasons for the colors.
The ceremony was first conceived by School principal William Jacoutot after the flagpole, one of the highest points on Route 36 and a focal point to travelers along Route 36, was damaged during a December storm.
Local contractor CharRon, headed by Charles LaRue, the parent of children in the school district, offered to make repairs so the flag could be hoisted throughout the winter; however, continued poor weather and the necessity to bring heavy equipment to the front of the school property in order to make repairs delayed the actual restoration for a short time until weather improved.
With the reception of a flag from the Congressman that had flown over the Capitol, Jacoutot and the Student Council advisors decided to hold a formal ceremony to raise the new flag and honor the borough’s veterans.
With veterans in the audience for the outdoor ceremony, both McBain and Harbstreet, as well as Jacoutot and the student body, thanked the borough’s veterans, and indicated their pride in the number who have served the community in all wars.
After lowering the well-used American flag and folding it, the Honor Guard from Joint Base presented it to Jacoutot. The principal announced the flag will be encased and remain on display within the school.
The Honor Guard also hoisted the new flag before saluting it and tiring their formation.
Student Council chorus members included fourth grade students Sydney Sanfratello, Gavin Devine-Nickerson, Isabella Jenkins, Amellia Penschow and Annabelle Clark, fifth grade chorus members Isabelle Thorpe, Dominique Baros, Lorilai Mannix, Isabella Roga, Isaiah Snow-Hernandez, Teagan Sachok-Ross and Lill Reeves, and sixth grade students Kaitlin Guiney and Gianna Way.
Students, advisors and Jacoutot gave special thanks to the Joint Base honor guard, hometown veterans and recognizing them as “someone who helped protect our freedom” and Congressman Palone for presenting the flag to the school.
Grand Old Flag Grand Old Flag Grand Old Flag Grand Old Flag Grand Old Flag Grand Old Flag
The Highlands Board of Education, and just as certainly the members of both the Atlantic Highlands and Henry Hudson boards of education, are all great residents of these two towns. Great people, great families, great volunteers and so generous in donating so much of their time and talent to serve on the boards of education. Million Dollars
But sometimes you have to wonder whether they know all the intricacies before they vote on matters.
Take this regionalization for instance. Talk about it has been going on for years, but no board ever took any firm action to do anything about it. A new law comes up that would allow the three boards to pull in another town so the heavy cost of education is shared by more than the same taxpayers.
Makes sense.
Sea Bright wants to be closer to Highlands, isn’t bringing in many kids, nor shows indication of having any mass infusion of kids in the future. But they’re willing to bring over a couple of million dollars and split the costs of education three ways. Instead of the two ways this regionalization already approved continues to do.
Three ways!
Three Towns.
The regionalization the voters approved doesn’t save a heck of a lot of money since it’s the same two towns paying all the bills, be it to one, two or three boards of education. If these three boards really wanted to, they could have regionalized the three schools anytime they wanted, without new laws or anything else. But they didn’t. Until Sea Bright indicated they’d like to join. The law was created to enable just that.
Legislators who drew up this new law with their experts must have anticipated there could be law suits. Why would a town like Oceanport, which is reaping all kinds of money from Sea Bright, want Sea Bright to leave?
They must have known there would be lawsuits.
They must have put something in the new law to prevent or overcome that, you would think. If they did not, you can start worrying about them as legislators protecting your tax dollar., too.
But, when lawyers are involved, I guess you can pretty well fight over anything. Lawyers get paid whether they’re right or wrong, just like weathermen.
So Oceanport and Shore regional filed suit; they don’t want Sea Bright’s money to go anyplace else.
So they sue.
Attorneys get to work and get paid.
Then an attorney figures a way, he says, to settle it all. There’s a special meeting called for May 28 for all three boards in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands. They meet, they go into executive session, they come out, they vote on something but won’t tell the public the details.
The attorney gets paid.
Then about ten days later, there has to be another meeting. Another vote. Another change in what everyone has agreed on May 28.
All the members of all three boards apparently agreed.
Nobody asks any questions, at least publicly, but apparently the attorney figures he needs something else. Did he forget something?
Did he not know the whole story when he urged the May 28 vote?
Who knows?
That’s not explained publicly either.
So each of the boards apparently agrees to change what they decided at that May 28 meeting.
They meet again.
The first met last night.
It went into a 15 minute executive session, came out. In their haste to do whatever the attorney wanted them to do, they didn’t even formally go back into open session by a formal vote.
They just listened to the Superintendent read the new revised Settlement Agreement and voted to make a change in what they had unanimously agreed on ten days before.
Why?
Because the attorney told them to.
Why?
Did he make a mistake?
Did he forget something?
Did he learn something else and needed a new resolution in order to profit from it?
Or did he make a presentation to Oceanport and Shore Regional and they offered something different and now he wants the boards he represents to do what their attorney wants? Hard to tell. Because the boards are not giving the terms of the agreement now. Or at any specific date in the future.
Does the attorney get paid for the first resolution he had everybody unanimously sign, and then get paid once again for the second resolution that amends the first resolution he had drawn up? Or did the boards agree to something Oceanport or Shore Regional wanted without bothering to tell the Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, or Sea Bright taxpayers anything about?
As a resident, I can’t answer any of these questions. Because I’m not privy to any of the answers.
For the attorneys among you, here are the two resolutions:
Adopted unanimously May 28 by all three board of education:
…Now therefore be it Resolved that after careful consideration, the Boards of Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, and Henry Hudson Regional (7-12) School districts approve the concept of Settlement of the matter in accordance with the options discussed in closed session with legal counsel and hereby authorize counsel and the Presidents of the Boards to negotiate a resolution with opposing counsel and consistent with the parameters provided to Counsel to execute the Settlement Agreement revised in accordance with the matter of “ I.M.O the Verified Petition for the Proposed Creation of a PK-12 All-Purpose Regional School District by the Borough of Sea Bright, Borough of Highlands, Borough of Atlantic Highlands, Henry Hudson Regional School District, Atlantic Highlands School District and Highlands Borough School District, Monmouth County, Docket NO. S-0716-23T4 NMS
Be it further resolved that the board Presidents are authorized to sign the Settlement Agreement on behalf of the Boards, and. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Settlement Agreement shall be made a part of the official minutes of the Boards’ meetings held on May 28, 2024 when available.
The second resolution, the one unanimously adopted by the Highlands Board of Education Monday night, and expected to be approved by the next two boards Tuesday and Wednesday nights is:
RESOLVED, that the Board hereby approves the revised Settlement Agreement received on June 10, 2024 from counsel on behalf of Oceanport and Shore Regional School Districts and authorizes the Board President to sign the Settlement Agreement on behalf of the Board, and further authorizes the Busch Law Group to take all action necessary to enter into a Stipulation of Dismissal of the matter, I/M/O the Verified Petition for the Proposed Creation of a PK-12 All-Purpose Regional School District by the Borough of Sea Bright, Borough of Highlands, Borough of Atlantic Highlands, Henry Hudson Regional School District, Atlantic Highlands School District, and Highlands Borough School District, Monmouth County, Docket No. A-0716-23T4, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Settlement Agreement, subject to ratification and full execution of the Settlement Agreement by the Oceanport and Shore Regional School District Boards of Education.
Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars
Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars Million Dollars
The Highlands Board of Education amended the resolution they had unanimously approved regarding regionalization at a special Tri board meeting May 28 at their final meeting of the Board of Education last night.
School Superintendent Tara Beams said the resolution, which she indicated she had just received 15 minutes earlier from attorney Jonathon Busch, was discussed in the executive meeting at the end of the regular meeting and members acknowledged it with their unanimous vote in approving it.
Tara Beams
The resolution, as approved by Highlands at its Monday meeting, will also be presented in the same manner for the Atlantic Highlands Board to vote at its meeting Tuesday, June 11, and the Henry Hudson Regional Board to act on at its meeting Wednesday, June 12.
The resolution approved by the Highlands boards Monday, June 10 and scheduled to be presented to the other two boards this week, reads:
Resolved, that the Board hereby approves the revised Settlement Agreement received on June 10, 2024 from counsel on behalf of Oceanport and Shore Regional School Districts and authorizes the Board President to sign the Settlement Agreement on behalf of the Board, and further authorizes the Busch Law Group to take all action necessary to enter into a Stipulation of Dismissal of the matter, I/M/O the Verified Petition for the Proposed Creation of a PK-12 All-Purpose Regional School District by the Borough of Sea Bright, Borough of Highlands, Borough of Atlantic Highlands, Henry Hudson Regional School District, Atlantic Highlands School District, and Highlands Borough School District, Monmouth County, Docket No. A-0716-23T4, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Settlement Agreement, subject to ratification and full execution of the Settlement Agreement by the Oceanport and Shore Regional School District Boards of Education.
Be it further resolved that a true copy of the Settlement Agreement shall be entered into the permanent minutes of tonight’s meeting.
Terms of the original settlement agreement, which was unanimously approved by all three boards of education at the special May 28 meeting of the three boards, have not been disclosed but will be part of the minutes whenever they are approved by all three boards. No details of what the proposed settlement agreement is was given during the public portion of that meeting either, other than the boards approved the concept of settlement of the litigation in the matter of a PK-12 all-purpose regional school district by the boroughs of Sea Bright, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Henry Hudson, as well as the boroughs of Sea Bright, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands.
No indication has been given as to when the minutes will be approved for any of these meetings. Nor is there any indication when the public will learn what the boards of education have unanimously agreed to enable their presidents to sign, either in the May 28 agreement or in the revised agreement Highlands was the first to approve Monday night nor was any reason given why the attorney was making changes to an agreement he had presented and the boards unanimously approved May 28.
