The decision has been made to create a committee that will engage communities and take next steps on the issue of a possible change to the structure or funding formula of the West Morris Regional School District.

Government and school board elected officials came to the conclusion on Wednesday, April 18 at a closed meeting in Long Valley. Representatives from Washington Township, the Chesters and Mendhams were present and decided on the action.

The following information is from a press release provided by the mayors of the five towns, which hosted the meeting. 

On April 18^th the Mayors of the WMRHS District met with representatives from the Board of Education of each of the sending districts and the Regional High School to discuss the issues surrounding a possible change in school configuration or funding formula, maintaining the excellent educational quality of our schools and the need for accurate communication to our citizens.  All participants recognized that any changes to our current school district need to be driven by the Public involving the greatest number of our residents in the process.  As Mayor Tolley stated we owe it to our residents to go through this process thoughtfully and methodically to ensure the right decision is reached. 

Therefore, we believe an official committee needs to be organized to arrive at a satisfactory resolution to these challenging issues.  The committee will be comprised of the Mayors and representatives from the Board of Education of each district including the high school.  The Board of Education representatives present at the meeting will be requesting that a resolution be passed of each of their Boards to assign to two members to this committee.  The committee will be responsible for deciding the appropriate next steps including a pursuing a feasibility study, the scope of that study, possible funding formula changes, legislation changes for school funding, and communication to and participation by the public.

We feel confident that with the involvement of our Boards of Education, municipal bodies and increased participation by the public, that we will reach the solution that is best for our children now and in the future. 

The next meeting will be held on May 10^th at the Municipal Building in Chester Township at 7pm and will be open to the public.  The agenda for this meeting will include the organization of this committee  on education, selection of a Chair and Vice Chair and decisions on the next steps.  As every tax payer will be affected by any decision we make, we strongly urge our residents, whether or not they have students in the school system, to join the meeting and the conversation to ensure they can make informed decisions.