March 2002

Buena Regional School Candidates

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Buena Regional School Board Election

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Boards debate merging schools

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St. Augustine triumphs

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Newfield, Buena Regional consider consolidating

NEWFIELD - Members of the Newfield and Buena Regional school boards met in this Gloucester County municipality Wednesday night to discuss the feasibility of consolidating the two districts to create an expanded K-12 regional district.

The meeting was not intended to yield a decision about whether consolidation would take place. Rather, it was to look at the pros and cons as presented by educational and financial consultants.

"The follow-up options after this meeting are that the board will decide not to or to continue with status quo," said Robert F. Savitt, President of Educational Guidelines Inc., which provided the feasibility study. "You have a public meeting in a month or so. Have a discussion meeting and then make a decision. If all boards approve, then you apply to the state for authorization to proceed. If they say all right, then you begin preparing for a referendum."

Currently, Newfield students pay tuition to attend J.P. Cleary Middle School in Buena and the Buena Regional High School. Newfield students in kindergarten through fifth grades attend the Edgarton Memorial School in Newfield.

Savitt said the process would likely take a year from the time the boards decide to proceed, if that is their decision.

Guidelines Inc. found several educational advantages to consolidation, including:

[] A voting member on a new regional school board would represent the Newfield School District. Currently, a nonvoting member represents the district.

[] Additional classroom space could be available in the elementary schools by converting the Cleary Middle School to an elementary school.

Disadvantages, according to the report, would be:

[] The Board of Education for the expanded district would have one less member from Buena Vista Township.

[] Additional professional planning and teacher training would be needed to develop a new middle school program.

[] Some staff reassignments would result from planned use of Cleary School as an elementary school.

As for financial implications of the consolidation, residents of Buena Borough seem to be the only taxpayers affected detrimentally in a chart prepared by Guidelines Inc. for the next four years, or through the 2004-2005 school year.

If the tax rate after consolidation were based on how many children are sent from Newfield to Buena for school, for example, the taxes on a $100,000 home in Buena Borough would be $2,507 in the 2004-2005 school year, as opposed to $2,252 if consolidation does not occur.

Residents of Buena Vista Township and Newfield, however, would pay less if consolidation occurred and the tax rate was based on enrollment. A Buena Vista Township resident would pay $2,107 as opposed to $2,278 if consolidation does not occur. And Newfield residents would pay $1,976 as opposed to $2,181.

The full report from Guidelines Inc. is available at Buena Borough Hall.

The boards did not yet determine when a public hearing would be held.

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State: more Internet, suspensions, dropouts

School report card

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Districts consider regionalization

If the Newfield and Buena Regional school districts consolidate, the owner of a $100,000 Newfield home could see his school tax bill drop by as much as $445.

That's because the borough no longer would be a sending district to Buena, eliminating $2.4 million in annual tuition costs.

But after a one-hour school board meeting Wednesday at Edgarton Elementary School, residents remained unsure how else regionalization would affect them and their kids.

"All this is so preliminary, there has to be a lot more discussion on what we'd be gaining and giving up," said Newfield resident John Garavento, 31, one of a dozen residents on hand. "As a taxpayer I'm concerned about the financial impact. I also want to know how this would impact our students."

Garavento's son is a first-grader at Edgarton Elementary. Under the proposed regionalization, the borough would have one vote on a consolidated nine-member school board. Newfield currently holds a seat but has no vote.

"With only one voice out of nine, what will be done with this building?" said Garavento, referring to Edgarton. "I live just down the street from here and it's very convenient to have my son here. But if he's shipped to another school, that would be a bit disturbing."

Robert Savitt, who submitted the regionalization report to members of the Newfield school board, spoke of its advantages.

"In regionalization, you take the best practices in every school and make that the practice for all schools," Savitt said. "We would achieve greater equality in schools once they are regionalized."

The majority of educational improvements would occur in middle schools. Cleary Middle School in Buena would be converted to an elementary school, and a new 654-student middle school would replace it. But construction of that facility likely will happen even without consolidation.

"So what does it matter?" asked Newfield Mayor Everett Marshall. "I don't understand how our education will get better, or how our facilities will get better."

Marshall said regionalization appeared to be "a good deal" financially because of potential tax relief.

But regionalization could mean tax hikes for Buena Borough, where the owner of a $100,000 home could see a $370 annual increase in school taxes.

Buena Borough, Buena Vista Township and Newfield all must approve regionalization before it can go to a public vote. Buena Mayor Joseph Baruffi already said he would be reluctant to support any proposal resulting in significant tax hikes for borough residents.

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Newfield, Buena School Officials Meet

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St. Augustine Prep bids for the third state title

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Little students honor big heroes at Collings Lakes

Bet you didn't know Uncle Sam goes by the alias Isaiah Stratton.

Also bet you didn't know the Collings Lakes Elementary School student, despite his 3-foot stature, can carry a mighty tune.

Isaiah, 6, donned a red, white and blue top hat and a coat two sizes too big Wednesday as he led his classmates in a soulful rendition of "Yankee Doodle."

The song and dance -- which evoked more than a few smiles and contented sighs from the audience -- was part of a one-hour school salute to heroes.

Honorees included Collings Lakes volunteer firefighters, EMTs and N.J. State Police troopers.

The biggest honor went to one of the school's own.

"This is a nice surprise," said Principal Dan Benedetto, as school Superintendent Diane DiGiacomo handed him a plaque acknowledging him as the school's everyday hero.

"But I have to share this with all the true heroes who are standing up here in the front row," he said, referring to firefighters and EMTs in the crowd.

The plaque thanked Benedetto for his "leadership, dedication and kindness" the last nine years.

The "everyday hero" theme was a new spin on the annual "music in schools" program.

This year's program featured the vocal and instrumental talents of kindergartners through fifth-graders, who performed patriotic hymns.

"Today is a celebration of our patriotism," Assemblyman Nick Asselta, R-1, told the students. "You should look to our firefighters, policemen, teachers and legislatures for guidance and for role models."

The message got through to the kids.

"I learned to support our country in times of tragedy," said fifth-grader Amber Conaghy, 11. "And to look at how people are coming together."

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Buena kids appear on TV

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 Everyday heroes build stronger communities

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