N.J. Commissioner of Education Rules Freehold Schools Must Execute $33 Million Expansion

NJ Commissioner of Education Ruling Ends 10-Year Battle Between Local Taxpayers and School Officials

The NJ Commissioner of Education, David Hespe made a final ruling yesterday in the case in the matter of the Board of Education of the Borough of Freehold Monmouth County for an order Directing the Issuance of Bonds, Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-12, Agency Docket No. 42-3/15.

“We thank the Commissioner for this favorable final ruling, which will allow us to move forward and address our overcrowding,” said Rocco Tomazic, Freehold Borough’s Superintendent.

Freehold Borogh ended the 2015-2016 school year with 572 more students than it had space to adequately house, the school board said in a statement issued after the ruling yesterday. The district rents nine classrooms in neighboring Freehold Township and has class sizes that exceed levels set by state regulations.

The state will pay 85% of the construction costs, with local taxpayers covering the remaining 15%. The ruling ends a 10-year fight between some local taxpayers and school officials and Latino and other community leaders. Many local taxpayers complained that they were not in agreement to additional local taxes to fund education for the children of immigrants. New Jersey residents pay some of the highest property taxes in the U.S., and the majority of local property taxes homeowners pay are used to fund local school districts education budgets. Freehold Borough, NJ is home to one of the largest Latino populations in the New York metro area, the second-largest Hispanic market in the U.S.

Advocates for the construction cite classroom size regulations and state law, low bond rates and the idea that social security and other social programs for U.S.-born aging residents of the Borough and other communities like it will not be viable without a young, educated workforce, represented by the younger-than-average Latino immigrant population and its children in Freehold and across NJ.

“The Board of Education is very pleased with this outcome, said Dr. Michael Lichardi, Freehold Borough Board President. “It will allow us to provide the instructional space needs of our students while providing necessary aid to our overburdened local taxpayers. It’s a fair way to address the district’s needs without creating additional problems.”

With this decision, the district will now work with the Schools Development Authority to plan and build necessary facility additions and renovations to meet district requirements, the school board said in the statement issued after the ruling yesterday.

“The district will continue its effort to address severe underfunding in state aid in order to bring its operating budget in line with the number and types of students in the district,” The Borough’s Public Schools said in a statement issued yesterday.