As earlier reported, New Jersey education officials have confirmed that it has taken the first formal step toward a full state takeover of the Lakewood Township School District, citing years of mismanagement and a recent court ruling that found students were being denied their constitutional right to a quality education.
The New Jersey Department of Education announced Tuesday it has filed an Order to Show Cause seeking to place the district under state control, a move that could strip the local board of education of its authority and transfer governance to the state.
The filing follows a September ruling by the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court in Alcantara v. Allen-McMillan, which concluded that Lakewood students “suffer from an ongoing constitutional deprivation” caused by what judges described as a “consistent pattern of neglect and misfeasance” by district leadership across multiple areas, including finance, governance, transportation, curriculum and special education.
Under state law, the order requires the district to explain why the state should not assume control of the system, which serves roughly 6,000 public school students in one of New Jersey’s most complex and financially strained districts.
“For more than a decade, the New Jersey Department of Education has been working with the Lakewood Township School District to address ongoing fiscal and operational concerns that impact students, staff, parents, and the entire Lakewood community,” Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer said in a statement. “For all of those impacted, most especially the students of Lakewood, we are obligated to intervene in this situation and provide the district with the necessary oversight to course correct.”
Lakewood has long faced extraordinary financial and logistical pressures, driven largely by the rapid growth of the township’s nonpublic school population, which has required the district to spend tens of millions of dollars annually on state-mandated transportation and special education services for private-school students.
State officials said they have provided extensive support over the years, including financial assistance, administrative help and the placement of state monitors to oversee district operations. The state has also issued tens of millions of dollars in aid advances to help the district meet payroll and other immediate obligations.
Despite those interventions, the state said major deficiencies remain, prompting the move toward full state control.
If the takeover proceeds, Lakewood would join a small group of New Jersey districts that have been placed under state supervision, including Newark, Paterson and Jersey City in past decades. Under a full intervention, the locally elected school board would be largely sidelined, with a state-appointed superintendent assuming authority over operations, finances and academics.
District officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though Assemblyman Schnall and Senator Singer have released a joint statement. The school system will have an opportunity to contest the takeover as the legal process moves forward.
what does the Vaad say?
It’s the states say, now.
First Newark, Jersey City and Paterson. And now Lakewood. I’m sure those other cities did nothing wrong. Is misfeasance a crime punishable by jail time?
No problem.
If the state takes over the school system, then our taxes should fund our tuition.
Why would that be the case?
Exactly!! We should only pay tax for those services we use. Actually the best model would be to pay for services as we use them. After the fire you pay the fire department, no fires – no taxes. Why do I have to pay for your kid to get bussing? Or go to SCHI? Or get Wic and Hud and section 8 and everything else? You use it you pay for it. Simple simple simple. Works for me.
No need to pay for tuition, which is your choice. Lakewood offers free public education for your children.
The very opposite. Taxes will increase to properly fund the public school system.its not a state problem. Its Lakewoods
That isn’t the attitude the state has towards districts such as Newark and Trenton…
Yes it is. And why should the state have to pay for a public school system in any particular town. What precedent does that set? If a town doesn’t want a public school system then simply ignore it? Just flip the switch and turn off the lights? Bankrupt it? I remind you the state is broke as is the federal government. There is no money in the bank. Sooo it’s Lakewoods problem and force them to properly fund it.
As much as we don’t want the State running the district , we all knew for a long time that there is no other choice. As long as the formula is not fixed , Lakewood will need 50 to 70 million dollar loans annually. That obviously makes no sense. You can’t borrow hundreds of millions when you are broke . So once the State takes over ,they will have to figure it out. There will probably be some pain for our Mosdos in the beginning ,but eventually the State will realize that they also will be running a 50 million dollar deficit and will have to come up with some solution . It is a chutzpah of them to make it sound as if the deficits are due to mismanagement when everybody knows that the busing and special Ed is what is causing the deficit and not mismanagement.
Remember why we voted for him?
We were told, rather commanded, to have Hakaras Hatov for closing down our schools, killing our elderly in the nursing homes, and arresting those making a minyan.
BH our Hakaras Hatov paid off. Murphy is now leaving us with this charming goodbye present.
Next time, don’t be told what to do. Use your G-d given brains.
Remember…. ?
Yes, I remember well. I have a diary from the that year. Including what many government officials said and did daily. You memory of it, is not the truth.
Get acquainted with the truth, before spewing whatever your own brain comes up with.
So, what does your diary say?
Maybe he didn’t have to say it as sharply as he did, but do you mean to say that Murphy did not kill 8,000 seniors in nursing homes – copying Cuomo who killed 15K?!
And they allowed HCQ (in all states)?!
And they had any proof that a shutdown was necessary?! And why did no one department store shut down for a day?!
Lakewood only gets 70 million allocated by the state we had to get a 130 million loan and that’s for 5,000 enrolled Public School students, Newark got 1.4 billion dollars and they have under 40,000 students, make it make sense, the state is delusional
Lakewood still hasn’t paid back any of the previous loans. They own over $1 billion. And keep asking for more. That’s ridiculous. We never had this problem when I was in school. Lakewood was a great place to learn.
The reason they need loans is due to the formula that does not account for mandated services to non-public students. It is not mismanagement. Its is a state funding problem.
No, it’s a tax issue that was specifically addressed by the state. Lakewood must raise it taxes to fund the public schools, but they won’t.
DOES THIS MEAN THAT PROPERTY TAX WILL BE GOING DOWN??????????
Probably up. They’re taking over because of mismanagement and or not enough to cover public schools.
No they aren’t taking over because of mismanagement
No, mismanagement and lack of funding on Lakewoods part = state takeover. Now they will force the increased taxes. Especially with Murphy out
FOLKS: Please tell me why this is a bad thing??? The state will come in, run the system for a few years (cover the funding gaps they will see firsthand) and realize the problem is quintessentially unique to Lakewood and our local Private School system. This will inevitably bring more state money to support the Lakewood and Greater Lakewood public and private school system.
What am I missing??
Lakewoods financial problems are well known to the state. The issue is their governance of where money should be spent.
Money spent on private school students is mandated, not optional. The state has had monitors in Lakewood for years! No one can balance a budget that doesn’t account for thousands of students that receive mandated services.
Courtesy busing is optional.
You must be really new here. Lakewood has had courtesy busing for years. Parents claim that, due to the heavy traffic on most streets, the town WILL have courtesy busing for all students. Also, you may not know, separate busing is provided for girls and boys. Frum children may not ride a school bus with mixed male & female riders. Also, you may not know, there are approximately 180 schools in the town of Lakewood, which is only about 25 square miles.
Fact check: Lakewood School District does NOT pay for courtesy bussing. LSTA has arranged for non-mandated nonpublic school students to sit on busses that are paid for by the funding for mandated bussing students, along with a copay by the parents. Lakewood Township covers courtesy bussing for the public school students.
No not where money is spent but where it’s coming from. State not supplying endless loans which the town will default on anyway. The state clearly said taxes in Lakewood need to be raised to support public schools
If there’s a shortfall, who do you think is going to pay for it?
That your thought is fantasy. State will force increase in property taxes. The state is broke my friend
Breaking News: NJ Dept. of Education Seizes Control of Greenland’s Board of Education & Its School Districts
The NJ Dept. of Education Wednesday seized control of Greenland’s Board of Education and all of the country’s school districts in what NJ Governor Phil Murphy described as “a successful and crucial operation to secure New Jersey’s educational interests in a vital and strategic part of the world.”
“Greenland’s vast educational resources is vital to New Jersey’s scholastic security,” Gov. Murphy told reporters shortly after announcing the takeover of Greenland’s school system.
Sources say that a special-op team consisting of dozens of highly trained NJ state troopers descended upon the huge Island this afternoon and quickly seized Greenland’s Board of Education headquarters and all of the Island’s school districts.
“Mission accomplished!” Gov. Murphy announced via Twitter at 4:00 PM EST – 9:00 PM Greenland time.
“My fellow New Jerseyans congratulations!” the Governor proclaimed in jubilation, “Greenland’s Board of Education and its school districts are now officially ours!”
Greenland’s Prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, released a statement shortly after the operation had concluded saying: “My fellow Greenlanders, what can I say. I have no choice but to recognize Gov. Murphy and the State of NJ as the new proprietors of our country’s educational institutions.” “However,” the Prime Minister added, “you can rest assured that I will never allow the traffic-congested State of NJ to take control of our country’s traffic systems! That’s for sure! That’s a red line that will never be crossed so long as I am the Prime Minister of Greenland! And that’s a promise you can take with you all the way to the jam-packed streets of NJ!”
Hmmm…. So now separating the schools district from the private school will help us become self sufficient. we will keep the money that we are taxed for the 6000 public school kids and use it ourselves. Great idea.
Let the state take over. The moment we all collectively enroll our yeshiva children into public school, the system will be compelled to fix itself – and fast.
Yes this has been suggested by many but that trigger hasn’t been pulled. If the Roshei Yeshiva and Vaad all come together and realize how that will change things quickly, I doubt they’d disagree. Imagine that we all actually enroll all our girls and boys in the system… they have absolutely no place to put even a small percentage of them. They’ll need to rent out all the yeshiva buildings for exorbitant amounts of money and probably use most of the staff cause remember their capita of teachers per student. The salaries and benefits they’ll pay are astronmical compared to the current situation. And how many teachers and principals do you think they’ll really obtain from outside the community assuming they’d really want to teach in such an environment. So it would probably never get off the ground and they’ll see this for themselves so they’ll have no choice but to allow our schools to run in our buildings and staff and fit the bills.
This idea has been discussed here in the past (sometime this past summer or Fall). People were saying it’s not so simple that the federal gov would just step in with the shortfall. It could be they’d raise taxes, so we wouldn’t end up spending less – we’d have lower tuition but higher taxes.
Another point has been mentioned that actually, a lot of our tax money is going to fund poorer districts in NJ. Who knows.
You would never enroll your child into public school and you know it. And if you think you can enroll and never show up, well that puts you in trouble with the state because of a now truant student. Keep wishing.
Satmar did that in Monroe
Are you open to sending your child prior to a ruling for the change?
but in lakewood everyone would be too “frum” to actually enroll their kids in public school
“me?! enroll my child in public school?! gevalt! chas v’shalom!”
Correct, one person wouldn’t, but the entire community would… because it simply would never take place… the state cannot handle dealing with tens of thousands of kids… so enroll, yes, but they’d have no choice but to leave things the way they are and pay.
wow what an awe inspiring thing to say im inspired by you!!!!!
Consolidate busing. That will alleviate millions.
it has been discussed. apparently not so easy
It is easy if you agree to it.
This criminal syndicate has destroyed a school district in New York already. They are experts at exploiting social services and welfare. They are proficient at embezzlement too.
Who?
NJ DOE.
NJ DOE