COURT HOUSE – Saving taxes on schools is nothing new. While the concept of consolidation has surfaced in many areas of local and state governments in recent years, the subject was alive and well in 1967.
According to a story in the Cape May County Times of 1967, the question of a North Cape Regional High School was “raised again.”
The concept, “dormant for several years, has been raised again by Elmer Smith of South Seaville.
Smith’s statement written to that newspaper was “addressed to the school boards of Avalon, Dennis Township, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor, Upper Township and Woodbine.
Smith recalled that Avalon, Stone Harbor, Dennis Township and Woodbine wanted to join Middle Township and build a new high school.
Sea Isle City and Upper Township “preferred to have their obligations to their high school students performed by a neighbor school (Ocean City).
Smith added, “We have to start this school, or we will have many more pupils than we can care for.”
He stresses that “experience shows that if we were already active, we could not be ready before 1970.”
Lessons of Time
Since Smith’s concern advanced in 1967, populations have shifted. There are fewer school-aged children in Sea Isle City.
In 2008 the city had 67 school pupils and 12 full-time teachers.
An agreement was made with Ocean City School District to accept the city’s students on a tuition basis. Since then, all city students, pre-K to 12th grade have attended Ocean City schools.
Ocean City High School also has pupils from Upper Township.
Woodbine sends its high school students to Middle Township High School. Before that arrangement, Woodbine sent its high school students to Millville High School.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
