Voters in Seaside Heights rejected a ballot question Tuesday that would have dissolved the town’s small K-6 grade district by authorizing a merger with the much larger Toms River Regional School District.
There were 231 votes cast in Seaside Heights against the merger and 167 in favor, according to unofficial results posted on Ocean County’s website.
While voters in the four towns currently in the Toms River school district overwhelmingly supported the merger, under state law, approval from both districts was needed to proceed with the switch starting in the 2024-25 school year.
Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River residents cast 7,145 votes in favor of the merger and 1,070 opposed.
Tuesday’s outcome means that Seaside Heights students in grades 7-12 will continue attending middle school and high school in the Central Regional school district, which opposed the merger and had asked the state education commissioner not to allow the ballot question.
It also saved the lone school in Seaside Heights, the Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School, which would have remained open for no longer than five years if the merger had been approved.
The Boyd school currently has about 200 students in grades K-6.
“On behalf of the staff, Hugh J. Boyd is very excited about the results of the vote,” said Douglas Corbett, the schools superintendent in Seaside Heights and also the assistant superintendent in Central Regional.
“Thank you to the community for their tremendous support. We look forward to continuing to provide the children of Seaside Heights a welcoming and caring setting to learn, grow, and dream big,” Corbett said.
Vito Gagliardi, attorney for Seaside Heights borough, said officials are proud of their work on the proposal.
”In successfully bringing this before their voters, Seaside Heights, along with Toms River Regional, created a path for other districts seeking tax and education benefits through consolidation,” Gagliardi said. “We will be working with officials in both communities to consider other options for improved educational opportunities and efficiencies.”
Seaside Heights’ school board voted unanimously in December in favor of leaving Central Regional to send its students to Toms River Regional. In a separate meeting, the Toms River Regional school board voted 7-2 in support of accepting Seaside Heights’ students.
Toms River Regional has nearly five times as many students as Central Regional. It oversees 18 schools, including three high schools and three middle schools, and enrolls approximately 15,000 students from Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River.
Central Regional enrolls about 2,300 students from Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate and Seaside Park, in addition to Seaside Heights.
The merger discussion touched on significant financial stakes in both the Central Regional and the Toms River Regional school districts. Michael Citta, Toms River Regional’s superintendent, said previously that adding Seaside Heights to Toms River Regional would have restored enough state aid to the district to eliminate a projected $26.6 million shortfall in next year’s budget.
“I’m extremely proud of our Toms River Regional Schools family, and I am humbled and grateful for their support. I am just disappointed that the kids in Seaside are not going to have the benefit of a Toms River Regional education,” Citta said.
“Certainly we did our job educating our community, and that showed up in the polls. They listened to us, they heard us and they supported us. That will keep me moving forward to find solutions, which is what we will continue to do,” Citta said
Central Regional said it would lose $3.071 million in tax revenues, along with a reduction in staff, if Seaside Heights students left the district.
Stories by Rob Jennings
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
