Central Regional School Budget Goes Down By 106 Votes

Tom Parlapanides and Kevin O'Shea gave it all they had. But in the end, it wasn't enough.

Although voters in Island Heights, Seaside Heights and Ocean Gate approved the $27,489,152 tax levy portion of the Central Regional $33,252,531 budget, it went down Wednesday in Berkeley Township and Seaside Park. The total vote was 2,485 to 2,379.

"It's disheartening," a weary Parlapanides said after the votes were in Wednesday night. "The old adage is close only counts for horseshoes and hand grenades. You have to pass the damn budget."

Parlapanides estimated that he and O'Shea had made at least 40 budget presentations in the last six weeks.

They spoke to senior citizen communities, homeowners' associations, Parent-Teacher Associations and most of the governing bodies of the five towns in the sending district. On Tuesday night they hit both the Berkeley Township and Island Heights council meetings.

The budget as it stands now calls for the elimination of 10 teaching positions, primarily through attrition. Freshman sports, with the exception of football and girls lacrosse had already been eliminated.

"But everything is a possibility now," Parlapanides said.

The defeated budget now goes to the governing bodies of each of the five towns, which can make suggestions about where to cut expenses.

"There's not a whole lot there," Parlapanides said. "It's going to impact the kids, and that's tragic."

School taxes on a home in Berkeley Township assessed at the township average of $201,400 would have risen $0.94 cents per month. Seaside Park residents with a home assessed at the borough average of $558,160 would have seen the largest increase, at $20.65 per month.

The budget approval would have meant a hike of $18.74 a month for an Island Heights home assessed at the borough average of $388,981, primarily because of an influx of 15 additional students into the Central Regional school system.

Seaside Heights would have seen the only decrease — 78 cents per month on a home assessed at the borough average of $302,035. Ocean Gate property owners with an average assessed home value of $242,300 would pay an extra $3.13 per month.

The district is hampered by the small amount of state aid it receives. Central Regional only receives 11 percent state aid to fund the budget each year, unlike some other districts that receive much more, Parlapanides has said.

Former Seaside Heights Councilman Michael Graichen defeated incumbent Frances Little in the race for the Seaside Heights seat on the Central Regional Board of Education. Graichen had 128 votes to Little's 44 votes. In Ocean Gate, Stephanie Jensen has won the Ocean Gate seat on the Central Regional Board with 109 votes. Challenger Michael Passeri received 95 votes. Tracy Mianulli  won the Seaside Park seat on the board with 244 votes. She ran unopposed. There were no seats up in Berkeley Township or Island Heights this year.