Mendham Twp. Won't Commit School Study Funds

The traveling roadshow request for money to fund a feasibility study on the dissolution of the West Morris Regional High School came to Mendham Township Monday night with a request for the Township Committee to appropriate $15,000 to fund the study.

The governing body decided that further examination on the study is warranted before a final decision is made.

"I'm going to work with [Mendham Township attorney] John Mills to come up with a scenario that I believe would be in tune to what we think is an appropriate study," Committeeman Sam Tolley said. "The Township Committee will look it over and then we'll float it out to the towns to see if they're agreeable, which I think is the appropriate approach."

At the last meeting, for their share in a study estimated at the time to cost $50,000.

"What we're proposing is dissolution of the high school district, and a reconstitution of Mendham High School within a Chester-Mendham high school district," said Brian Cavanaugh, who gave a similar presentation at the Mendham Borough Council meeting last month.

At the last Township Committee meeting, Mayor Rick Merkt said that he needed to see where the other mayors in Mendham and Chester were in regards to funding the study.

"The truth is the other parties would really have to play a role in this, meaning the Chesters," Merkt said. "Whereas last year we were hopeful that something might come out of this, we're also looking at trying not to retrace our steps on something when we're not sure that that's going to be the most productive path to follow."

The g toward a study and .

The governing bodies of Chester Township and Washington Township have not yet been approached. Neither have the K-8 boards of education in Mendham.

The Chester Consolidated School District was approached last month but declined to finance the study.

Cavanaugh's said the motivation for the shake-up is the fact that "there has been, for probably 20 or more years, some form of subsidy, that I refer to it as, coming from the Mendhams and the Chesters going to Washington Township by way of funding formula and spending at the West Morris Regional High School district, which is constituted of Mendham High School and Central High School. There are historical reasons for this, the way it came to be, but the simple fact of it is it's based on property values as opposed to per-pupil spending from each district."

Cavanaugh said that the subsidy in 2012 was $6.6 million, of which Mendham Township was on the hook for $3.3 million.

The first step in putting the wheels in motion with regards to any of this, Cavanaugh said, is to fund a feasibility study. That will assist the township in evaluating alternatives it would want to consider before proposing a specific alternative to the voting public within the five jurisdictions.

"In order to put something on the ballot, you can only have one alternative to the status quo on the ballot, so we'll need to choose," Cavanaugh said.

For his part, Merkt said he is concerned about the weight of the lift necessary to make such a drastic change to the district.

"The state is not our friend in this issue," Merkt said. "Can it be done? Perhaps, but I'm not sure it's the smooth road that's presented here."

Mendham Township resident Phil Schlegel urged the Committee to go along with the plan.

"I'm on Social Security and pension, and it kind of makes me wonder why I'm subsidizing another town 10 miles away with my taxes. It just makes no sense to me and is disappointing," Schlegel said. "Do I think we need to divest ourselves from Washington Valley? Yes, absolutely. I don't understand why we can't provide $15,000 for a study that might divest ourselves of Washington Valley because they've been a drag on us for 20 years."

According to Cavanugh, the feasibility study will probably cost $40,000, but it could range anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. On top of last year's appropriation of $10,000, Cavanaugh asked that the committee set aside another $5,000 to add to the pot.

"The intent is to distribute the economic burden of the study, which is minimal compared to the savings achieved, among the towns in general relation to the benefit that they would achieve if we're able to pass the referendum," Cavanaugh said.

Merkt said that the issue was more complicated than it was being made out to be.

"If there were a way to wave a wand and somehow fix this financial inequity," Merkt said, "I don't believe anybody here would be opposed to doing so. It is not that simple, it's a very complex process."

Schlegel, who said he had four children in the district, said it was more than just finances.

"I understand that it's not only a financial thing, it's an educational thing," Schlegel said. "We all moved here to get better education for our children. I'm disappointed in my representatives tonight. I understand you have reservations. All I've heard tonight is we can't do this or we can't do that."

For his part, Merkt was unconvinced of the educational side to the argument.

"I see two issues coming out of here. One is the fair allocation of costs; I'm in full agreement with you that what is happening now is not equitable, the question is how do you get it fixed," Merkt said. "The other is the school quality issue. That I'm not as clear on."