Did you know that New Jersey has nearly 600 school districts? Florida has 67, Maryland 24, and Nevada just 18. That’s a staggering difference — and it’s clearly caught the attention of state lawmakers.
Recently, legislation was introduced in the New Jersey State Senate that would require county superintendents to develop consolidation plans for school districts with fewer than 500 students.
While this bill has not been voted on and no companion bill exists in the Assembly (meaning it will expire this session), it is very likely to be reintroduced in the next legislative session.
Based on current enrollment numbers, both Ventnor and Margate have fewer than 500 students.
If this type of legislation eventually passes, our communities could be forced into some form of school consolidation — potentially without meaningful local input.
The question we should be asking now is this:
Shouldn’t Ventnor and Margate start having serious, local conversations about consolidation on our own terms?
If we don’t proactively explore options and plan thoughtfully, we may end up with a state-mandated solution that we don’t want and didn’t help shape.
This isn’t about panic — it’s about planning, transparency, and local control. Let’s stay informed, engaged, and involved before decisions are made for us.
kreischer_timothy@aclink.org
Timothy Kreischer
Atlantic County Shared Services Coordinator
What effect will a combination of schools districts have regarding school taxes for homeowners?
Lots of senior homeowners here at the Jersey Shore who don’t have any children/grandchildren that attend local schools.
Will there be a discount or some type of waiver since seniors don’t benefit from the local school tax?
Think about this for a minute. Did the seniors in your parents’ community receive a discount if they had no children or grands in the school system?
Thank you Tim for caring so much for Ventnor City. Great memories for all who grew up there.
Best Wishes,
Marti Cronin Froio
NJ is out of control with the number of school districts. Having Ventnor and Margate join together as one school district is fiscally responsible and should lower taxes for both towns.
Why does Margate have two schools? What is the student / teacher ratio?
It’s time to put the 1970 home rule to bed.
It’s time for the city leadership to start thinking about the citizens of their respective towns and not what they can do for friends and family.
I totally agree with you, Peter. When I taught in Margate many moons ago, there were close to 1,400 students in the K-8 grades…..and 25 kids in a classroom wasn’t unusual.
I’m not saying it should be like that now, but I do think there is room for some changes.
Margate’s school and local school tax approximates 16.6% of Margate’s real estate tax bill.
Last year’s school revenues approximated $14,158,000 with an estimate for this current year of $14,804,000. This supports an On Roll Full-Time enrollment of 328 students for the past year and an estimated 335 students for the current year.
The Advertised Total Budgetary Cost Calculation was $33,087 per student in the prior year increasing to $35,984 per pupil cost in the current year.
In Northfield, the estimated Total Budgetary Cost Calculation for this current year is $20,241 for an On Roll Full-Time enrollment of 850 students.
In Ocean City, the estimated Total Budgetary Cost Calculation for this current year is $26,993 per student to support an On Roll Full-Time enrollment of 1,684 students.
Throughout Atlantic County, school district per student costs are significantly lower than Margate.
Margate Commissioner Cathy Horn sat on the Board of Education and was its President for a time overseeing declining student enrollment while increasing taxpayer tax costs.
Why is this conversation not coming from local leadership, not from the School Board and especially Cathy Horn?
We all want a quality education for our children. But at what cost? How do we achieve this education goal and control the taxpayer burden?
Is this current approach simply to provide jobs to family and friends? Why two underused buildings? Isn’t looking out for taxpayers part of the leadership responsibilities?
We have all witnessed a spend – baby – spend attitude from Margate’s leadership over the past few years. Do you have confidence the Collins-Horn tag team is watching out for you? And now it’s the State of NJ forcing a conversation about the cost of local schools and their impact on taxpayers. Still… nothing from leadership!
Excellent point on the tax dollars assessed for a few hundred children. We need leaders in Margate to make the tough decisions to make Margate affordable.
Many young families have been forced to leave the island due to pricing. So that number quoted will be getting lower as they force us out. Now is the time to act before the STATE steps in.
Select the best standing school that fits all ages, close the rest , consolidate with Ventnor. That will reduce taxes for residents.
Sell the buildings and land to offset costs of all the lawsuits brought on by employees and contractors.
Remember the debt they’ve taken on without any thought to revenue.
Let’s make Maragte Great Again .
Consolidation can most likely be worse for Margate and Ventnor if they are forced to consolidate with Atlantic City.
Why do you think so? I’m curious.
Change & improvemnt seems best when baby steps are taken. The steps proposed by former Mayor Kreischer appear to do that. Let’s hope the Ventnor & Margate leaders ( Commissioners & Board of Education Members ) can find a way to make his suggestion a reality & lower property taxes for local taxpayers while still providing a quality education for the students.
When I was in office, We tried to work on school consolidation with Margate. They had ZERO interest in even talking about it.
Stay well and Stay Warm.
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