The question of why Margate needs to fully staff 2 schools, once again reared it’s ugly head at the Feb. Margate Commissioners meeting.
It’s true. Margate taxpayers do foot quite a hefty bill each year to educate our local kids. Resident John Sewell says taxpayers spend a whopping $32,000 per student…per year in tuition.
The $13.5 million annual school budget represents more than one-third of the entire Margate City budget.
When combined with teacher salaries averaging close to $90k + benefits, there’s been a growing call for Margate to consolidate their 2 school buildings, Tighe & Ross.
368 Students. Margate School Enrollment as of Feb 2018.
Sewell: Why run 2 half-empty schools in Margate?
Why appoint an interim school superintendent? Let’s just share that service with neighboring Ventnor.
During public comment, it was noted that Margate has 3 kindergarten classes, with barely 10 students each. There’s also a Margate pre-K with just 2 students.
With Jersey shore communities losing full time residents at a faster clip, it’s getting tougher for towns to defend against the need for 2 schools, complete with duplicate staffs. Locally, both Margate and Brigantine are examples of this expensive, educational infrastructure.
Shore News Today: Tighe School Principal, Audrey Becker, said the lower grades have had fewer students in the past few years.
“We need to find out how one building can meet all our children’s needs,” member Catherine Horn said.
“Our population is trending down, but spreading it over two buildings looks like we’re trying to save the buildings and employment,” Board VP James Olivo told the Shore News Today.
Recent Margate Board of Education Action: Approve payout of $125 per day for unused sick days as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Margate Board of Education and the Margate Education Association, maximum 200 days payable in two payments for retirees.
Ex: A recent retiree had 179 days of un-used sick days, and received a payout of $22,375. This is not common in the private sector marketplace.
Margate School Board:
| J.B. Sless | President | |
| James Olivo | Vice-President | |
| Tracy Santoro | Board Member | |
| Lisa Youngblood | Board Member | |
| Cathy Horn | Board Member | |
| Joel Frankel | Board Member | |
| Joanne Kulzer | Board Member | |
| Carl Tripician | Longport Rep. | |
| Susan Palaia | Secretary |
This is more than one would pay to send their child to a private school most places. It is time to find a more economicable way to educate the children of margate.