MIDDLETOWN – The district’s board of education voted 5-4 last week to close three schools under mounting financial pressures. The highly emotional and often turbulent meeting ended past midnight Feb. 27, with parents threatening litigation over a school closure plan that was revived this year despite a 10.1% tax hike last year to prevent the closures.
Under the plan, Leonardo Elementary and Navesink Elementary schools would close, and those students would attend the new Bayshore Elementary School in the current Bayshore Middle School building. Bayshore Middle School students would be relocated to the two other middle schools in the district, Thorne and Thompson.
A nine-page “Restructuring Proposal” recommending school closures was released to the community by the district Feb. 21. District officials have used the ongoing financial challenges to justify the closures. “If we only anticipate tax levy increases 2% each year and receive minimal – if any – increases in state aid, we’ll still face budget deficits of $6.6 million in 2027-28, $10.2 million in 2028-29, and $13.9 million in 2029-30.” board president Chris Aveta said, summarizing a recent finance committee report. The district has reported a budget deficit of over $3 million for 2026-2027…