Margate School Board take note: Brigantine will soon consolidate it’s two, half-empty schools. That announcement was made at the recent Brigantine City Council Meeting.
Will Margate leadership take a cue from Brigantine? The 3 Commissioners often catch hell from residents about this issue. Listen to recent commissioners meeting. >
Brigantine Mayor Andy Simpson shrugged off reports that suggest the soon-to-be-shuttered school could be torn down, with the land being sold off to developers. 10 or more Brigantine school district jobs could be cut. Maybe more. Taxpayer savings would be substantial.
Many credit the Brigantine Taxpayers Association for it’s relentless pressure on the school board.
School Student Enrollment
- Brigantine – approx 500
- Margate – approx 350
NOTE: Mayor Andy Simpson, unlike his predecessor Phil Guenther, has been in favor of school consolidation and reduction of duplicated positions within the district. For the past 2 decades, Guenther wielded great power by handing out well-paid school district jobs to those who remained loyal, particularly those with voting rights in Brigantine.
There’s increased pressure from the State of NJ to ensure each district is operating in a financially responsible way. The State of NJ has been reducing funding, and mandating that ALL municipalities do everything they can to cut cost and be more efficient. Sharing services and reducing redundant work force personnel is high on that list.
Brigantine will soon restructure the school employee contracts as well, just like they did with new hires within the Brigantine Public Safety departments.
Note: It’s true that Brigantine has lowered it’s property tax rate by a few pennies, for the past 3 years. BUT… this was only possible by over-taxing residents for the previous 3 years. It’s a common trick used during election season: Headlines that shout ‘Tax Reduction’. Combined with millions in new tax-ratables, many Jersey Shore towns are flush with new cash that comes from new construction and higher assessments.
Margate needs to see that a referendum is included in the upcoming elections, so that residents can vote on closing the two schools. Common sense and financial responsibility have NOT been factors on this issue for years! There is no justification for having two schools in Margate! We’ve been complacent fools for too long, allowing those who are selfishly stealing high salaries and allowing nepotism-based hiring of employees. Let’s get a referendum to close the two Margate schools in a.s.a.p. for this upcoming election. Our taxes will finally be manageable. This, combined with all of the money coming into Margate thru a ton of new construction and higher assessments. Enough is enough!!