While Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon welcomed the Supreme Court ruling on Sea Bright’s ability to proceed with regionalization plans with the Henry Hudson school district, Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner said there have been no updates for that borough’s governing body to consider so “it will not be under consideration until the new year.”
The mayor did say, however, she is sure she will be meeting with her counterparts in both Highlands and Sea Bright soon.
The Supreme Court of New Jersey, in its unanimous decision, ruled against the appeals sought by Oceanport and Shore Regional school districts and made it clear Sea Bright would be following state law and the state’s intentions for larger school districts by becoming part of the Henry Hudson district.
While the school board has to approve expanding the district, it is the boroughs who have to work out the financial means among themselves on how the millions of dollars for education in the district are divided among the three towns.
Broullon went a step further in supporting a regionalization which would expand the number of taxpayers paying the millions of dollars it costs to educate students in PreK through 12th grades by inviting the board of education to meet with the three towns “to bring this 60-year old idea to fruition.”
In a statement issued this week, in which she issued the invitation, the Highlands Mayor said “ we are so pleased to hear the New Jersey Supreme Court has decided that Sea Bright can be the master of their own destiny. Now is the time that Atlantic Highlands, Highlands and Sea Bright can finally come together to expand our Henry Hudson Regional School District. Our youth and our taxpayers need to embrace the synergy of our region as natural partners in moving forward toward better educational opportunities as well as tax savings for all. Let’s make it happen for all of us.”
On the other hand, while Mayor Hohenleitner said while she had seen the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, she declined to explain why that decision is not an update and further information that Sea Bright has the right to act on its own on education matters.
Nor did the mayor reference the correspondence the Commissioner of Education Kevin Dehmer had sent last June which reviewed in detail actions to that point. In his letter, Commissioner Dehmer wrote
“On September 26, 2023, the registered voters of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands approved the referendum to form a new expanded all-purpose regional school district, now known as Henry Hudson, which was completed by July of last year, making Sea right’s application “ripe for consideration.”
A few months later, when the Commissioner reviewed Sea Bright’s application to become part of the district, and considered the Monmouth County Education Office’s recommendation for regionalization, he ruled Sea Bright had met the statutory criteria for withdrawal, providing there was an agreement with Henry Hudson to enable Sea Bright to join, and Sea Bright and Henry Hudson pass resolutions memorializing their agreement.
The Commissioner said it was then up to Sea Bright and Henry Hudson to resolve “any outstanding issues with respect to the tax apportionment.” Once that is completed, then the terms of the agreement can be presented to the taxpayers for their vote.
In seeing the approvals by both the Commissioner of Education and the Supreme Court, it would seem if the Atlantic Highlands Mayor and Council do not act quickly on this week’s Supreme Court ruling by negotiating a tax apportionment and allowing Sea Bright to join the Henry Hudson School district, they put the students and residents of their borough at significant risk.
What is now at stake is millions of new dollars which Sea Bright would bring to the school district with relatively few students opening both expanded education opportunities and reduced taxes for the residents. In addition, it most likely eliminates the risk of the Henry Hudson district being consumed inside the Middletown school district. Given Middletown’s current problem with schools in need of updates or demolition, increased taxes for educational purposes this year, and continuing to face financial increases for education in the future, there could ultimately be mounting consolidation pressures at the county and state level to incorporate one or more of the towns in a small Henry Hudson district into Middletown.
It is now up to the Mayor and Council of Atlantic Highlands to follow through on their promise to move forward with a referendum in 2026 which would finally allow the residents of all three towns to decide how their students are educated and how that will education is paid for. The clock is ticking.
Read the Commissioners Letter Decision-on-Sea-Bright-Amended-Petition-June-2025-2
You can also Find ViniVidiScripto on the Following Platforms …
Update Update Update Update Update Update Update
