Seaside Heights, Toms River schools have very different students. Would merger make sense?

SEASIDE HEIGHTS - The entire staff of Seaside Heights' Hugh J. Boyd Jr. Elementary School would be hired in Toms River if the two school districts merge this fall, Toms River Regional Superintendent Mike Citta said April 4.

That includes not only teachers and paraprofessionals, but custodians, secretaries and administrators, Citta said.

He was speaking at a meeting held by the Seaside Heights Borough Council to discuss the pending public vote on the school merger, which will be held from 1:30 to 8 p.m. April 16. Seaside Heights residents will vote in the borough's Community Center, 1000 Bay Boulevard.

"Certainly the intention of Toms River Regional schools would be not only would we be taking the entire staff, we will be operating it as it is currently," Citta said. The Boyd school, which educates about 200 children in grades pre-K to 6, would remain open for up to five years if the referendum is approved.

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After that, students from Seaside Heights would attend East Dover Elementary School.

Parents, teachers and some residents raised concerns about the merger plan, questioning the education that Seaside Heights' mostly minority population would receive in Toms River.

"Right now, I have study after study after study that shows the benefit of small class sizes for minorities and English language learners," said Seaside resident Lisa Franciosi. She said she is concerned that Boyd students will not do as well in larger classrooms.

Boyd has a student-teacher ratio of about 1 teacher for each nine students, while East Dover has 1 teacher for each 11 students, according to the latest school performance reports released by the state. There are 600 children in East Dover Elementary.

Nearly 84% of Boyd students were considered economically disadvantaged in the 2021-2022 school year, the most recent year for which state education records were available. About 33% of students had disabilities. Nearly 14% of students were considered homeless that year.

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Spanish is the language spoken at home for about 41% of Boyd students, while English is the language spoken at home for 57%. About 50% of the school's population is Hispanic, with 29% white, 9% black and 1% Asian.

At Toms River's East Dover Elementary, by contrast, English is the language spoken at home for 89% of students, while Spanish is spoken in 9% of households.

Nearly 70% of East Dover students are white, with 19% Hispanic, 5% black and 2% Asian. About 34% of East Dover kids are considered economically disadvantaged, and 24% are students with disabilities.

Seaside resident Matthew Marko questioned projections that Boyd's student population will fall. He said new single-home construction in Seaside could draw more families with children to the borough.

"You claim there is basically no new housing," Marko said. "We see construction all over the place. … Clearly there is a likelihood of more students coming with that."

A feasibility study that looked at the possibility of Seaside Heights merging with Toms River Regional estimated a steadily falling student population at the Boyd school. Many of the people who are buying homes in Seaside Heights are not living there full-time, which means children are unlikely to be going to school in the borough, according to the study.

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Borough Administrator Christopher J. Vaz noted that Seaside was asked to conduct the feasibility study by the state, since the borough has been receiving transitional aid since 2016. Seaside has received $17.6 million since that date, to help the borough balance its budget after a large ratable loss following 2012's Superstorm Sandy.

Vaz said that if the referendum is approved, Seaside Heights would acquire the Boyd school from the Board of Education. There are no plans in place for use of the building, he said.

"This whole regionalization is not driven by our need to acquire or get our hands on the school building," Vaz said.

Seaside Heights would save $9 million over the next decade if the merger goes through, while Toms River Regional would save $40 million.

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If the merger is approved, Seaside Heights would no longer send its middle and high school students to Central Regional in Berkeley, instead formally becoming part of Toms River Regional.

The Toms River Regional school board would grow to 11 members, and Seaside Heights would receive a seat on the school board, along with Pine Beach, South Toms River and Beachwood, which each already have one seat. Toms River Regional would have seven seats on the expanded board.

Voters in Toms River Regional's constituent towns, as well as Seaside Heights, have to approve the referendum in order for the merger to take place.

Jean Mikle covers Toms River and several other Ocean County towns, and writes about issues related to Superstorm Sandy. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle,  jmikle@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Toms River school chief pitches merger with Seaside Heights