Cape May Thanked for Sharing School Funding Data with Peer Municipalities

CAPE MAY – Towards the end of a mostly routine council meeting, City Clerk Louise Cummiskey read into the record a letter from Long Beach Township thanking Cape May for sharing information on the city’s recent efforts to challenge the funding formula for the regional school district. Deputy Mayor Jack Wichterman explained that he had met with representatives from Long Beach because they face a funding issue very similar to the one confronting Cape May. “They were very appreciative of the information we were able to share with them,” Wichterman said. He indicated that Long Beach, with support from other municipalities on Long Beach Island, would be going forward with a similar plan to see changes to their funding formula.
Cape May City’s recent move, submitting a petition to the state Commissioner of Education requesting a referendum on withdrawal from the Lower Cape May Regional School District is the latest effort in a long- standing struggle over the funding allocations for the district. Now it appears that Cape May’s effort is being watched by other state municipalities who may be facing similar issues.
Wichterman explained that since the petition has been submitted, the other impacted parties, principally Lower Township, have 15 days to respond. After that period, the Commissioner of Education will submit the petition and any responses to a review board consisting of the commissioner, a representative of the state Board of Education, a representative of the state Treasurer, and the director of Local Government Services. Within 60 days, the review board should rule on the petition. If the petition is approved, Wichterman hopes to be able to submit the issue of withdrawal to the voters in September. Making that schedule will be very tight depending on the time the review board takes with the petition.
In the past, Wichterman has made clear that Cape May does not expect that a referendum would be successful and various council members have stated that it is not the city’s wish to actually withdraw from the district system. The effort at the referendum, and the expected loss on the issue with voters, are part of a process that will let the city seek redress in the courts where council members feel they have the best chance at successfully getting an adjustment to the funding formula and still remaining in the regional district.
Wichterman said he hoped the voters of Cape May would give the issue strong support in any referendum. During public comment, it was clear that there was one vote he would not get for the measure. Jo Tolley, a past member of the board of education and current resident of the city, urged the council to “drop this.” She pointed to the problems of poverty in the county and the importance of education for addressing those problems. “The city can afford this tax,” Tolley said and we should “keep paying what we are paying.”
Guide Book Available
The new 2014 city guide is available on the municipal website and will be out in print form next week. In response to a question about potential duplication between the guide and a similar publication by the Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Edward Mahaney Jr. noted that the two publications have different purposes and that while plans call for a future convergence of the two documents, scheduling difficulties did not permit that this year.
Health Benefits for Retired Employees
Council approved a resolution amending the Cape May Code in order to allow retired employees with 25 years of service that may not all have been consecutive to qualify for health benefits. This was a move fully allowed under state law and corrected a problem for long-standing employees who may have had a break in service. Retired employees with health benefits are expected to pay their share of the cost in the same way that current employees do.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.