BERKELEY, NJ — The Central Regional and Ocean Gate school districts are considering the possibility of combining and making it so Ocean Gate students would be in the same district from pre-K through 12th grade.
A feasibility study on the unification of the two districts was approved at the January Central Regional Board of Education meeting and initially reported by Jersey Shore Online.
Presently, Ocean Gate students attend Ocean Gate Elementary School through sixth grade, then head to Central Regional Middle School and High School.
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The possible combination of the districts seemingly is in response to the potential loss of Seaside Heights, one of Central’s sending districts, as they seek to join Toms River schools. Read more: Delay Likely For Vote On Toms River-Seaside Heights Regionalization
While officials from Central and Ocean Gate are the ones interested in combining, any of the other sending towns (Island Heights, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park and home district Berkeley) are invited to join.
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The state offers a School Regionalization Efficiency Program grant, which reimburses districts for feasibility studies.
This study “would result in a comprehensive report that will outline the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed unification, as well as the steps and requirements for implementing such a change,” according to the resolution approving the study.
Once the study is complete, if the parties decide to move forward with unifying, then voters in each participating town would decide what will happen, as is currently planned in Toms River and Seaside Heights.
Read more: Seaside Heights-Toms River School Regionalization: What It Would Mean
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