Parents and students say school‑closure plan is rushing students into uncertain transition

Board members and dozens of public commenters at a Middletown Township Public School District workshop warned that the district’s plan to close multiple schools is moving too fast and lacks the staffing, transportation and facility details families need.

Multiple board members asked administrators for cost estimates and for a clear, documented plan before the final budget vote next week. Administration said some figures — notably transportation bids — will not be available until routes are put out to bid in June, and acknowledged health‑benefit and other budget pressures. "Right now we're running roughly $1,000,000 more than what we budgeted," a district staff member said, noting higher prescription claims and increased rebate income that has helped offset some costs.

The facilities and budget items under debate include proposed kindergarten bathrooms and playground purchases for Bayshore and New Monmouth, repair work on an athletic field, a Chromebook refresh and possible changes to courtesy busing for families in the Port Monmouth sending zone. Board members asked for architect cost estimates for new bathrooms and for clarity about whether projects should be itemized in the final 2026–27 budget or held in reserve for later approval.

Public commenters said the closure timetable is disrupting students now. "I'm here tonight just to speak as a parent of a middle schooler... stop doing things that are traumatizing our children unnecessarily," said one parent during public comment. A student from Bay Shore Middle School asked how receiving schools will staff electives and where students will eat lunch, saying, "At Thornton and Thompson, where will we eat lunch?" Another parent said she had not received a response to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting request made seven weeks earlier and asked how IEPs will be executed during the consolidation.

Speakers also pressed the board for a clear accounting of the expected savings from the closures. One resident cited his estimate that the town pays about $1.8 million a year for Class‑3 officers and asked whether shared‑service agreements with the township were firm. Board members replied that the budget currently reflects class‑3 officers at full cost while negotiations and shared‑service meeting scheduling are ongoing.

Administration reiterated options for including projects in the budget: include placeholder estimates now, then adjust later, or approve items after cost estimates are finalized and vote to withdraw from reserves if necessary. The board discussed the option of amending the consolidation resolution timeline to delay implementation from 2026–27 to 2027–28 to allow more planning; several members urged that change, but no binding vote on that amendment occurred during the workshop.

Community members urged the board to slow down and provide specific route maps, class‑size projections and firm cost data before finalizing the budget. The meeting ended without votes on closures; the board adjourned after taking public comment and moving to executive session earlier in the evening.