Former Ventnor Mayor Warns Taxpayers about AC School Board

Ventnor spends over $21,000 per student for the 90 students we send to Atlantic City High School (ACHS). However, we have no control over how this funding is allocated or the curriculum our students receive.

Under current New Jersey law, Ventnor has no options available, as the state does not allow us to withdraw from the sending-receiving relationship with the Atlantic City Board of Education.

Taxation without representation. Ventnor taxpayers send approx $2 mil per year to the Atlantic City School District run by LaQuetta Small, wife of Mayor Marty Small. Both Smalls are accused of abusing their teen daughter and will soon face a judge or jury.

Note: Former Ventnor Mayor Lance Landgraf and former Police Chief Doug Biagi sent a letter to the ACBOE demanding LaQuetta Small step down from her position until if/when found not guilty. See letter.

Margate taxpayers send approx 35 student to ACHS. Margate Commissioner Cathy Horn works for LaQuetta Small at ACHS.

Note: Margate Mayor Mike Collins did not demand Ms Small step down from her job as school boss. ‘Let it play out’ said Collins who presumably didn’t want Commissioner Cathy Horn to face blowback from her boss, LaQuetta Small.

Tim Kreischer: Let me provide a brief historical context:

In the mid-1990s, ACHS / Atlantic City High School eliminated all ability grouping and honors programs while imposing a prohibitively high tuition rate. The city officials, Ventnor City Board of Education (VCBOE), and the residents of Ventnor strongly opposed this situation, voicing their concerns loudly.

They were met with the response, ‘that is the law; nothing can be done.’ Fortunately, the city refused to accept this and continued to fight against it, even threatening legal action against the state for civil rights violations and taxation without representation.

This persistent effort led to significant changes in the law, allowing a sending district with 10% of the ACHS student population, or two districts with 15%, to have representation on issues concerning ACHS.

Initially, Ventnor, Margate, and Brigantine each had their own representatives. However, as circumstances changed, Brigantine and Margate merged to share a single representative.

Eventually, both districts fell below the 15% threshold and lost their representation, leaving Ventnor as the sole representative.

Now, Ventnor has also fallen below the 10% threshold and has lost its representative.

I recently spoke at a school board of estimates meeting, urging our elected officials and the Board of Education to take a more assertive stance against this gross violation of our rights regarding taxation without representation.

I was informed that discussions have taken place but were met with the belief that no action could be taken.

A Board of Education member mentioned that all is well at ACHS and that parents are satisfied with the education and environment. While this may be true today, we remain vulnerable to decisions made by a future school board in Atlantic City that could significantly affect our tax dollars and the quality of education for our students.

I may be seen as a lone voice in this matter, but I am eager to hear from taxpayers and parents of students regarding their feelings about the current situation.

If you prefer not to make a public comment, feel free to send me a direct message.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

Tim Kreischer

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Ken Mosca: Would you consider scheduling one of your quarterly sessions at the library? This is a very important topic for both long and short term.

Marylou Reiff: Any time you want to discuss that disgraceful period prior to moving to the new high school..I would love to give you “my take’..as a taxpayer, but also as a faculty member. It was absolutely demoralizing. Good teachers were transferred. There were interviews held at the old Atlantic Electric building in Pleasantville? Professionals were interviewed by students, district administrators, non high school teachers and community members, some of whom were from Ventnor. And then there were the “coffee klatches” in private homes where people were making their little deals. I sat at my kitchen table w a legendary teacher and we wrote down 15 names of teachers we thought would be transferred. We had 14 correct. The media added fuel to the fire. Do you have change for a “paradigm”?

Salvatore Spena: We all know nothing is good at that high school, it’s a complete and utter failure with tax money being burned away…