Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

RED BANK: MORE FUNDS COMING, SAYS BECK

jen-beck-012216-5-500x375-8553233Senator Jen Beck addressing a hearing on the charter school proposal at the Red Bank Middle School last month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot-topic_03-220x138-2130637The Red Bank school district can expect additional funding from Trenton under the latest Christie Administration budget, state Senator Jen Beck said Tuesday afternoon.

How much? It’s unclear, but it won’t be enough to offset the “devastating” impact that a proposed doubling of enrollment by the
Red Bank Charter School
 would have on the district, Beck told redbankgreen.

Morevover, Red Bank won’t be sharing in a new pot of money created by the administration to help districts that host charter schools shoulder costs, Beck said.
tomazic-beck-rumage-021616-500x353-4235415Beck at Governor Christie’s budget address with Red Bank Superintendent Jared Rumage, right, and Freehold Superintendent Rocco Tomazic. (Photo by SenateNJ.com. Click to enlarge)

Beck, who was joined at Christie’s budget address by the district superintendents from Red Bank and Freehold, said both districts were expected to share in $36 million in “formula aid” to offset their “underadequacy” status relative to the amount they’ve been shortchanged by Trenton over the past six years.

Red Bank, Beck said, has been shorted $10 million, or 37 percent less than it’s owed.

How much of the new aid will wind up in Red Bank won’t be known until the administration releases details on Thursday, said Beck. But she said she doesn’t expect it to match the projected $3 million in costs that the charter school’s controversial expansion plan would saddle the district with, she said.

“I don’t think we’re looking at the those kinds of numbers” in new aid, said Beck, a former Red Bank council member.

In light of that, Beck, a Republican, said she stands by her previously voiced opposition to the charter school’s proposal, which would double enrollment over three years, to 400 students. Education Commissioner David Hespe, who has sole decisionmaking authority on the plan, “should not approve” it, she said “until the districts that are behind are brought up to the adequacy standard.”

The administration, however, has been pushing ahead with charter schools, encouraging them to expand and replicate themselves, with the goal of boosting enrollment statewide by 50,000 students.

With up to six new charter schools and 1,100 seats expected to be created this year, “we’re going to continue working to expand charter school opportunities for families in failing school districts,” Christie said, according to a transcript of his speech posted on NJ.com.

Beck called the added formula funding “a good first step” toward addressing adequacy funding. But she was “disappointed,” she said, to learn that Red Bank would not be getting any funds from a new pool to help districts that host charter schools.

“I can’t give you the logic, the reason or the formula for why we’re not part of this,” she said. “But we’re not.”

Red Bank Superintendent Jared Rumage could not be reached for immediate comment. redbankgreen will update this story once we’ve heard from him.

Here’s the charter school’s application to the DOE: RBCS Amendment Request Dec 2015

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
redbankgreen Classics
Partyline
FEELING LOW?
This very, very, very low-riding Lincoln Continental (due in part to multiple flat tires) sits in contrast to the elevated super jacked Chev ...
CURB YOUR ROADRUNNER
The newly completed mural on the side of taco-lovers mecca International Mexican Grocery at 82 Shrewsbury Avenue features a woman with a roa ...
CURB YOUR SNOWMAN
These two forlorn characters, left on the curb of the parking lot on Wallace Street just east of Broad Street, are in for some serious miser ...
SANTA AND SMILES LIGHT THINGS UP
Holiday Light Fun with the Holiday Express and Santa. Downtown Red Bank (photo by Partyline contributor Adam Kaplan)  
SWIMMING RIVER SUNSET
Recent sunset from Swimming River Park on W. Front St. with the shoreline of Red Bank in the background.  (photo by Partyline contributor T ...
RED BANK, RED CHAIR, ORANGE SKY
A Red living room chair sits on the shore of the Swimming River as the sun sets Sunday. (photo by Brian Donohue)
BROAD STREET GETS LITTY
Turn up the sound to hear the crowd’s countdown to the annual tree lighting. 🎄🌟✨ Santa, The Grinch, a dog dressed as the Grinc ...
SOGGY PICKLE
Several days after a rain, the new pickleball/tennis courts at East Side Park are still partially under water.  Partyline contributor Craig ...
BLACK FRIDAY HITS JACK’S
It’s not even 8am and there’s a line outside of Jack’s Music Shoppe down to Starbucks. Music fans are parked there for  ...
👀 THANKSGIVING EVE FESTIVITIES IN FULL SWING
It wasn’t even 10PM and there was a packed house at Red Rock on Wharf Ave. Blocks away on Monmouth Street, an equally impressive line ...
EARLY THANKSGIVING AT ELSIE’S
Elsie’s Thanksgiving Sub is almost as iconic as Elsie’s itself. On special for $10.99. It even has the cranberry sauce.
MONDAY MORNING QB
The license plate frame on this car parked in a lot in town reflects the sentiment perhaps many who plan fantasy football feel on a November ...
BRING THAT SHEET RIGHT IN HERE
A construction worker waits while a crane sends a stack of sheet rock up to the third story of the new apartment building being built at 120 ...
ELUSIVE SHADOW “MURAL” APPEARS
This pic is a little tricky because it only appears during a sunny day. It is next to 117 Monmouth St in an empty lot awaiting construction. ...
RED BANK FARMERS MARKET: ONE LAST WEEK
Fabulous weather to visit the RB Farmer’s Market Sunday. The market closes for the season after next weekend. (Photo by Partyline cont ...
RED BANK SUNRISE
View of the sun rising over Red Bank Friday morning taken from the docks at Swimming River Park. (photo by Partyline contributor Karly Swaim ...
HAWKISH OUTLOOK
A normally skittish species, this red-tailed hawk allowed humans to walk directly under the light pole on which it was perched in the aftern ...
ARMLESS MAILBOX GUARDIAN
This character was seen guarding the mail atop a mailbox on River St.
YOU LOSE YA SHOES?
A pair of size 12 blue Italian-made Bugatchi shoes were left next to the trash can at Peters Place and Broad Street. Slightly worn, but stil ...
HOLIDAY EXPRESS KICKS OFF SEASON
Holiday Express rolled into Red Bank on Saturday to celebrate the start of the holiday season at Lunch Break, the nonprofit that provides me ...