Ventnor Educational Community Complex
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR The city has lost its seat on the Atlantic City Board of Education due to declining enrollment.
Ventnor Board of Education President Doug Biagi said Interim Executive County Superintendent of Schools Robert L. Bumpus notified the district in a letter dated Nov. 28 that it is sending 161 students to Atlantic City High School, which is less than the 10% required to hold a seat on the board.
Atlantic City High School has 1,760 students in grades 9-12. To maintain the seat, Ventnor would be required to send 176 students to the high school.
Enrollment numbers are based on the school count as of Oct. 16 each year; however, the board uses the prior year's enrollment number to determine if the sending district can maintain representation. This year, Ventnor is sending 128 students to the high school a loss of 33 students from the prior year's count.
According to state law, if enrollment from the sending district drops below 10%, it is not entitled to representation on the receiving district's board of education. If two or more sending districts that do not qualify for representation can show a combined minimum of 15% of the high school's enrollment, they would be permitted to have two representatives on the receiving district's board, which would be determined on a rotating basis.
Biagi said he hopes state legislators will review the law and help Ventnor restore the seat.
Our enrollment has progressively been going down ever since Hurricane Sandy, Biagi said.
Biagi said Atlantic City should do the right thing and reinstate the seat because Ventnor sends $3.2 million to the district to cover tuition for its 161 students and now we can't even vote on it, he said following the Ventnor board's meeting on Dec. 14.
According to operating statistics for the Ventnor schools, the district sent 286 students to ACHS in 2013, the year after Sandy hit the shores of Absecon Island. The local district's enrollment for pre-k-Grade 8 in 2013 was 905 and as of Oct. 1 this year, total enrollment is 508 students.
Despite all the rebuilding going on in Ventnor, most of the property owners are out-of-towners, Biagi said. Many renters have also moved out of the city, he said.
Ventnor's representative to the Atlantic City Board of Education Michael Cupeles said he learned he would no longer be on the board when he attended Atlantic City board's meeting on Dec. 13.
Cupeles said Atlantic City High School enrollment has also declined over the years.
There are just fewer kids going to the high school, he said.
Cupeles said although he will not be able to vote on any issues, he plans to continue attending Atlantic City board meetings to keep tabs on what's going on there.
Mayor Beth Holtzman said the city is working with state officials on regaining the seat.
At the Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday, Dec. 15, Holtzman introduced a resolution supporting legislation introduced in the NJ Senate by Sen. Vince Polistina, but the bill was not available for review.
An attempt to reach Polistina for comment earlier in the day was unsuccessful.
Copyright Mediawize, LLC 2022
