Council Continues to Change in School Funding

CAPE MAY – City Council passed two more resolutions related to the funding issue for Lower Cape May Regional School District. At its May 6 work session, council authorized two unanimous resolutions requesting both that the Lower Cape May Regional (LCMR) school board authorize a referendum to allow voters to alter the current school funding formula to one based on number of students enrolled and to grant the city greater representation on the school board.
The agreement that set up the LCMR district in 1956 utilized a funding formula based on enrollments. At the time, the driving force for the agreement was the serious overcrowding the Cape May City High School, built in 1917, and serving students from the then smaller but growing Lower Township, Cape May Point and West Cape May.
A commission with representation from each of the municipalities finally settled on a site in Erma for the new regional high school. As the regional school system took form, the postwar population boom saw a dramatic increase in older residents in the city and burgeoning number of families with children in Lower Township. In 1975, in response to a number of court cases regarding school funding inequalities, the state legislature changed the funding formula to one largely based on property values.
A shift in the relative obligations for funding followed and was exasperated by the continuing trends in property values and demographics.
Councilman Jack Wichterman pointed out that the city pays 30 percent of the funding from the municipalities while contributing a little over 5 percent of the students.
In 1993, the state again altered the law regarding funding to allow school systems to use formulas based on enrolled students, property values or a combination of the two. The votes on the school board for LCMR have never been available to alter the existing formula based on property values. An alteration in the formula to one based on enrolled students would significantly lower the obligation of the city to the regional system and conversely increase the obligation of the more populous Lower Township.
Council also requested the school board grant the city greater representation. Currently the board has nine members including seven from Lower Township and one each from the city and West Cape May. While on the one hand requesting a change in the funding formula, the city is pointing to the current funding allocation as the basis for its request for greater representation.
“We should have at least one-third of the board members. We’re paying for one-third of the school costs,” said Wichterman.
Wichterman also noted that he had contacted Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) about the matter and that Van Drew expressed a willingness to get involved in seeking some form of mutually agreed upon solution.
The maneuvers in council are unlikely to result in a voluntary change from the school board. “This is part of a process,” stated Cape May Mayor Edward Mahaney, Jr., referring to the long process this council undertook months ago to prepare for an eventual resolution of the issue in the courts. An exhaustive effort to seek redress by all other means is seen by the council as a requirement for an eventual court case. In public comment, a letter of support from the Taxpayers’ Association of Cape May was read into the record.
Winter Is Over
Amid the many resolutions necessary for the operation of city government were several that should raise the spirits of those seeking to recover from the past winter. Council approved the seventh annual Harborfest celebration, the annual Sidewalk Sale to be held from May 15 to 18, and the Seafood Festival to be held on June 28. As a further sign of warmer times, council issued a proclamation praising the work of the Knights of Columbus on behalf of individuals with special needs. The group’s annual fundraising drive is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend and the official start of the summer season.
Wellness Fair
The city will host a combined blood drive and wellness fair at Conventional Hall May 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The blood drive, in conjunction with the American Red Cross, represents a chance for the region’s residents and visitors to save lives.
Reservations for the drive are preferred and individuals can register online at. www.redcrossblood.org or by calling Patricia Harbora at 884-9530. In an adjoining section of Convention Hall, the city will host a Community Health and Wellness Fair with health care professionals available to perform free tests for blood pressure, pulse and general fitness along with audiological screenings. A variety of other topics will be covered with handouts available. The event is open to all and refreshments will be available.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.