Red Bank Borough Board of Education Vice President Ann Roseman addresses the Borough Council on Thursday, October 8, 2026. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
“The existence of two separate public school systems in our small borough perpetuates enrollment disparities in economically disadvantaged students,” Roseman told the council, adding the district could “easily accommodate” any resulting influx of new students caused by the closure of the charter school.
Red Bank Charter School Trustee Patrick Dorsey (blue shirt) and Red Bank Borough Schools Superintendent Jared Rumage talk in the hallway of Borough Hall after Dorsey called the school district’s effort to close the charter school “despicable.” (Photo by Brian Donohue)
At the end of the meeting, however, Mayor Billy Portman indicated the governing body would be unlikely to formally jump into the debate this time – or at least not with his support.
“I do find it a divisive issue,” Portman said of the charter school debate. “We work very hard to bring everyone together in this community. It feels misguided.”
Portman expressed “a little frustration” at the appeal being aimed towards the council and encouraged citizens on either side to write letters to the state Department of Education instead.
“The reality is the state likes charter schools,” he said. “And I don’t think that they’re suddenly saying, ‘Oh, the mayor in Red Bank doesn’t like the charter school, we’re going to close the charter school.’ I really think that that’s where the effort should be placed.”
Watch the full video of the council meeting above. The charter school discussion begins at the 50:45 mark.
Red Bank Charter School trustee and Branch Avenue resident Patrick Dorsey said he had no plans to address the council, but took the dais to argue against any non-renewal resolution and called the effort to close the school “despicable.”
“Once again, we’re here tonight to justify our existence,” he said. “This is not a new issue. The debate surrounding the school has existed since its inception. After 28 years, the response is going to remain the same: look at the students, our families and the facts.”
Red Bank Charter School board of trustees member Patrick Dorsey addresses the Red Bank Mayor and Borough Council. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
Dorsey said the school undergoes a “comprehensive review” every five years when it applies for charter renewal, adding, “We welcome that accountability.”
“There’s enough decisiveness (sic) going on in this town, in this country,” Dorsey said. “I sit here, and I see neighbors. And for an educator or a neighbor to come in here and say that they want their children’s school ripped away from them is despicable. We intend to continue to serve the children and the families of the charter school for years to come.”
Speaking in support of an anti-renewal resolution, Mechanic Street resident Wayne Woolley cited the RBCS enrollment drop. “I’d like to ask this body to consider that a unified school district is not the controversial issue it was a decade ago.”
“I believe the best way for education of every child in Red Bank is one town, one school system,” he said. “And that one school system would be spectacular.”
While the Mayor and Borough Council play no official role in the matter, the governing body has weighed in in the past.
In November 2021, the Borough Council unanimously backed the district’s opposition to the state’s renewal of the charter, citing an estimated $2 million in annual duplicative administrative and other costs, and calls for a transition plan if the charter is not renewed.
Of the seven members of that governing body, only Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano remains in office.
The district’s renewed push to close the charter school come as it faces strong fiscal headwinds.
The Board of Education increased its tax levy by 9.5 percent this year, citing a 30 percent increase in costs for the state health insurance plan. A state benefits commission last month approved another 34 percent increase for the coming year.
In an email exchange last week, Superintendent Jared Rumage said the additional increase would be an “immense strain” on district finances again this year. He said the district will continue to look for alternative plans, as some districts across the state have done.
“However, based on the current data and market conditions, we expect those alternatives to be strictly limited,” he added.
Rumage was in attendance at Thursday’s council meeting but did not address the council.
Besides Portman, Council member Ben Forrest was the only member of the governing body to address the issue publicly.
“This is a financial question,” Forrest said. “I love my neighbors, and I love my charter school neighbors too.”
It’s something I’m wrestling with a little bit; I’m sure everybody up here is wrestling with it. But this is why we’re paid the big bucks to make these big decisions, to weigh in on this or not. In any community, closing a school is always fraught. So it’s something that has to be handle carefully and I’m sure we’re going to have some conversations about it.”
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
