Oakhurst resident presses board for facilities usage fee discussion, questions committee meetings and public access

Alex Hayes of Oakhurst used the public-comment period at the Township of Ocean Board of Education meeting on May 20 to press the board for a follow-up on facilities usage fees, to ask about committee meeting frequency and to criticize meeting length and public access.

Hayes said board leadership had previously indicated staff would research facilities usage fees and bring the item back to the board. "I'm just wondering when that's going to be," she said during the public-comment period. She also criticized the meeting format and timing, saying, "you guys have successfully succeeded in silencing public comment, public opinion, any public access, to public questioning and answering of elected public school board members," and questioned why several committees do not appear to be meeting as separate bodies.

President McCarthy acknowledged the public comment and Mister Hastings, the district's school business administrator, told the board that the facilities-usage-fees discussion is tentatively scheduled for the board's second June meeting. "We're tentatively scheduled for the second meeting of June," Mister Hastings said. A board member later confirmed the date as June 17.

Hayes also raised concerns about committee transparency and membership, saying some committees appear to meet more frequently than others and asking why so many committee chairs are maintained if committees do not hold separate meetings. She attributed certain claims about committee activity and ethics violations to her public remarks; those statements were presented as her opinion during public comment and were not confirmed by board action during the meeting.

The board's public-comment rules were read at the start of the meeting; the presiding officer emphasized that public comment is not a question-and-answer session and directed members of the public to contact the superintendent for specific follow-up questions. The meeting record shows that the board plans to return with information on facilities usage fees at the June 17 meeting.