Ms.
Geri Margin, Acting Superintendent, North Brunswick Twp. School District (NBTSD) spoke about the shared services
between the school district and the township. NBTSD educates approximately
5,500 students and consists of 4 elementary schools, a middle school and a high
school. The district is currently undergoing a $29 million renovation of it’s
high school which includes additional classrooms, technology, media center, new
auditorium, new cafeteria, etc. It is anticipated that the new auditorium will
be used to generate income. The district plans to put forth to voters in a
referendum in January for an additional renovation project.
Among
the interlocal agreements the district has with the township are: plumbing
services, HVAC and regular maintenance. Profits go directly to adding more
personnel.
NBTSD
also offers technology services to other school districts. They establish
networks, run cabling and do other maintenance on all their computers. They
have 2 staff members who are certified in running cable and lines. Again, the
profit goes back into hiring additional personnel in these areas and benefits
the district.
Geri
states districts should focus on something that they do well and then share
that service with the township and/or with other districts. The program (i.e.
shared service) must be marketed well. Funds can be run through an Enterprise
Fund and can then pay salaries with the profits.
She
also stated that the district and township share their athletic fields,
however, whenever the twp. utilizes the buildings, they are charged for the use
of the building and custodial services. NBTSD will be adding supervisors to the
buildings so that when other organizations or the twp uses the buildings there
will be a staff member on-site to oversee (and hopefully eliminate any issues
of people being in areas they should not be, any potential mishaps or
vandalism). These supervisors will be paid for by the fees generated by
building use fees.
The
Mr.
Robert Baroska, Principal, Bayshore Jointure Commission spoke about the
Commission’s programs. The Bayshore Jointure Commission is 4 years old and is
comprised of 9 school districts (Union Beach Borough, Highlands Borough,
Atlantic Highlands Borough, Hazlet Twp.,
The
goal of the commission is to provide quality services that are cost-effective
and are profitable. Currently they focus on the areas of special education,
transportation and staff development.
Students
are enrolled, on a tuition basis, in either of the two schools to meet their special
education needs. The schools offer services for students, ages 3 – 21, with
diagnosis in autism spectrum. The Commission offers community based instruction
and programs for parents and have been quite favorably received.
They
are able to bring in experts in a particular field for workshops and open to
other districts, fee based, for staff
development.
The Commission’s website: http://www.bayshorejointure.org/ for further information.