H Azlet Board to Close 3 Schools; W Ill Establish M Iddle School in 1983

Matawan J o in t Free Public; Library f *? Main S t . ' wan, N,. J . 077^7 THE Special education Rockets qualify busing costs: for state playo ffs: Page 2 I n d e p e n d e n t Page 13 ☆ The W eekly N ew spaper ☆ tV ☆ Vol. 11 No. 3 Tuesday, Nov. 18, 1980 20 Cents H azlet board to close 3 schools; w ill establish m iddle school in 1983 By David Thaler According to Board Vice President Joseph would not be willing to pay the cost of retain said. “I don’t believe it should be decided by HAZLET Morales, the reorganization could save the ing all seven elementary schools. referendum.” The Board of Education Monday night district $1 million a year by 1985. “Eventually, you'll be choked by taxes,” he “As elected officials." Ms. Engelman said, voted to close three elementary schools and Bu board members who endorsed the reor told residents in the audience. establish a middle school for grades 7-8 by ganization emphasized that the primary goal “we have the duty and obligastion to make a decision.” 1983. is to improve the quality of education in the For several months, the board had been In a climax to a controversy over the pro district. considering six restructuring plans submitted Morales agreed. posed restructuring of the school system, the “We have found major flaws in our school by Superintendent of Schools Roman Ca “The board has to bite the bullet," he said. board agreed to close the Sycamore Drive district," said Carole Lopato. “The time is brera. The plan it adopted is a combination of “1 can’t see how you can avoid making that School next year and phase out the W. Keans upon us to remedy those deficiencies. Our stu two of Cabrera’s proposals. decision tonight." burg and Raritan Valley school by 1983. dents deserve better that what we’ve been The Union Avenue School will house grades giving them, and this is the opportunity to The board had also commissioned a study Weisberg said that libraries in the elemen 7-8. provide it.” by a consultant, Joseph S. Weisberg Educa tary schools are inadequate, class sizes vary The restructuring plan, contained in two “ Our educational program is lacking,” said tional Associates. Weisberg presented his widely, and laboratory science and vocational resolutions, was approved by 6-3 votes at a Mary Donohue. “We’re doing our children a report at the meeting. He recommended a re education courses are lacking. special meeting held at Raritan High School. disservice, especially in the area of practical organization which would include the estab The science and vocational education The dissenting votes were cast by Stephen arts. Less than 50 percent of our high school lishment of a middle school. courses could not be offered at all seven ex Franz, Martin Marino, and Kenneth Han- graduates go on to college. I hope to see us go Weisberg said he found an "alarmingly isting elementary schools at a reasonable bury. in a direction that will seve the needs of all of high failure rate of one or more subjects by cost, he said. But consolidating grades 7-8 in Approximately 200 residents attended the our children. Raritan High School freshmen” and attrib one building would enable the district to in three-hour meeting, and many of them op Hanbury said he believed the educational uted it to inadequate preparation of elemen stall the facililies needed for the courses, he posed the school closings. program could be improved under the exist tary school students. said. Board President Bonnie Mitchell said the The resolutions passed Monday night, Ms. Joseph Weisberg of Joseph Weisberg Educational Associates presented his report on Board members said the reorganization ing structure. failure rate among freshmen is four times the Mitchell said, authorize Cabrera to retain an Hazlet's declining school enrollment Monday before the Board of Education voted to close was needed to accommodate a dramatic de Marino called for a referendum on the rate in other suburban school districts. architect to plan the improvements needed to three of its elementary schools and convert Union Avenue School into a middle school by cline in enrollment and improve the quality of restructuring proposal, predicting that it The failure rate among Raritan students in the Union Avenue School to accommodate an 1983. (Photo by Mike Stark) education in the district. would be approved eventually because voters grades 10-12, she added, is also higher than expanded program for grades 7-8. the rate for freshmen in other districts. The cost of the renovations will not be T & M to borough: Get out of the water business Asked by a resident to give her opinion of known, she said, until an architect has studied the district’s educational program, Ms. the school and made recommendations. Mitchell said, “I find it is not what I hoped it A referendum on the proposed renovations Union Beach ponders sale of water utility would be. I find a strong need to strengthen it. may be required. Morales said. The board If we continue along the same road we’re on could authorize the renovations, he explained, now, I see a deterioration of our system.” if it has sufficient money in its capital im By Judith McGee Feeney Keansburg Water Co. According to Hahne, W. “Also, if the borough sells the system, it will “And, there is no additional construction to Weisberg and board member Charlotte En- provement budget. If there is not enough UNION BEACH Keansburg is interested in buying the Union have over $1 million in additional bonding ca taking this alternative,” Hahne added. “Only gelman rejected suggestions to submit the re money in the budget, voters would be asked to The borough engineer last week advised the Beach system. pacity,” Hahne said. “The borough will be the negotiation is necessary.” structuring proposal to a referendum. approve a bond issue to finance the renova Borough Council to “get out of the water Another choice investigated was to sell the able to pay its outstanding debt and have If the council decides to sell the system, an “It’s an educational decision," Weisberg tions, he said. business.” treatment facilities, and become a bulk custo some cash in hand.” appraisal would be done first. Negotiations “ In the long run, there would be more ad mer of the W. Keansburg Co., Ellison said. “This could put the borough in a very good would propably last for 18 months, he said. vantages to the borough to sell the entire The borough would then buy and distribute position, financially,” Hahne added. “The system," Borough Engineer Frank Hahne of treated water, he said, and own the water council could use the money from the sale to The borough can attach stipulations to the T&M Associates said. pipes and storage systems, he said. reduce taxes or to obtain federal matching sale to make certain that residents receive BRSA approves budget; The water system would not be sold for at Finally, the engineers considered renovat grants. If you have hundreds of thousands of needed improvements. least a year, he noted. ing the existing water treatment plant or dollars and you can get 90-10 ( 90 percent fed “Increasing the size of water lines and T&M gave the council a report which as building a new one. eral, 10 percent municipal) matching, you’re other improvements can be made conditions rates to increase $7.30 sesses the water system’s condition and in The cost of constructing a new treatment in excellent shape. of sale,” he said. “The borough has enlarged vestigates several options for the future., plant would be approximately $3 million, Hahne would not estimate how much money many of the lines already, though.” By Barbara W. Prabhu now pays approximately $180 a year in BRSA'' Ellison said, and the cost of renovating the a sale could bring the borough, because an ap “ In this report, we are looking out for the in Councilmen have called the report “a water UNION BEACH charges alone, Cohen said. master plan.” present plant would not be much less. praisal of the system has not yet been done. terest of the town,” Hahne added. “The other The Bayshore Regional Sewerage Author “ Member towns that have their own “The engineer looked into all the possi “The system needs a new plant and an addi “The W. Keansburg Co. realized over $1 alternatives of making improvements would ity Monday night approved a preliminary sewerage authorities usually double our bilities,” Councilman Richard Ellison said tional well,” Hahne said, adding that water million from the sale of the Cliffwood Beach be more likely to put money in our pockets*” budget for 1981 that will increase service rates,” Cohen noted, “and charges from the pipes throughout the borough also need more system to Aberdeen," he said, “and that was last week. “First of all, we could just do The engineer’s report itself would facilitate costs to users by $7.30 per year. Outfall Authority must also be added. nothing. That’s what’s been done for years improvement. a smaller system.” a sale, he noted, because “W. Keansburg The budget, totalling nearly $3.4 million, is “ It’s getting to be a pretty tough bill for the If the system is sold, the borough’s water Another advantage of a sale, he said, is that wouldn't have to analyze the system. They and that’s why the system is like it is.” approximately $300,000 higher than the average family to pay each year,” Cohen rate would be similar to the rate projected for the water system’s properties will become would have a clear-cut picture of what they’re The alternative recommended was to sell authority’s 1980 appropriation.

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