Middletown, N.J. residents grappling with closing schools or raising taxes
The fight to keep schools from closing in one New Jersey community is still going.
It's in response to Middletown Schools Superintendent Jessica Alfone suddenly threatening last week to close two elementary schools and a middle school.
Parents gathered Wednesday night to hear more about ways to balance the budget at the first of four hearings.
Overcrowding a major concern under closure plans
The board proposed two options that they believe will help fix the $10 million budget deficit.
"Either raise taxes further on those who can't really afford it or shut down schools and hurt the property values of those who are depend on the equity in their homes," parent Dennis Doyle said.
"We've built ourselves into different focus groups or committees to focus on different points that the board has made," parent Daniel Lizon said.
"The proposed tax hikes, now you're pinning half the community against the other half, the families with kids versus the families that don't have kids," parent Laura Bingham said.
"I think we all feel like the rug was pulled from under us," parent Jessica Donahue said.
The board anticipates adopting the final budget at its April 30 meeting after hearing public comments, but parents say not so fast.
"Overcrowding in our middle schools will happen on day one of Plan A," said a speaker at Wednesday's meeting. "It should be fully planned. It should be fully funded. It should have the broad support from the community."
Class sizes are a big concern.
"I am scared that next year at Thorne [Middle School], my class will be a lot bigger," one child said.
"Dr. Alfone had to really Band-Aid last year's budget with a lot of cuts to be able to get to the point that we could even extend through this year. Respectfully, that was the time to communicate that there may need to be a closure for the '24-'25 year," one mother said.
When reached for comment, Alfone said in a statement, "The district is committed to moving forward in a manner of preserving the quality of education for all of our students."
Blindsided parents mobilize in a hurry
From her Middletown basement, Ashley Keene is printing and pressing hundreds of shirts. She said it's an S.O.S. to "save our schools."
"We have about over 900 shirts made at the moment, and there's still more orders coming in," Keene said.
She is also printing signs that are all over town.
"I was shocked. I was almost like, I cannot believe this is happening," parent Nancy Borriello said.
Parents say they are upset over what they call a lack of transparency.
"It's essential to have your community involved in such a drastic proposal, and the community was not involved from the beginning," Emily Cameli said.
"I just want them to do right by our children," Borriello added.
Parents are looking to prove that sometimes it takes a village to save a community.
