JACKSON – Township officials paved the way for further land preservation with a purchase of several small parcels of land from the school district.
“I want to thank our mayor and the business administration for bringing us Ordinance 11-23. I know they’ve been working very hard for the last several months. This ordinance is collectively, approximately 114 acres. This is a win-win for all residents of Jackson,” Councilwoman Jennifer Kuhn remarked. “It is a great way to not only purchase land through preservation, it is a great way to help the Board of Education to weed through their budget crisis after Democrats in Trenton cut their funding in the state budget.”
This is in reference to the funding formula that New Jersey lawmakers pushed through that redirected state aid away from some districts, like Jackson, in 2018. The cuts have been cumulative and have resulted in millions of dollars of lost revenue.
Council President Flemming explained later during the meeting that “the parcels (of land) were being held for future expansion but that isn’t happening now.”
Superintendent Nicole Pormilli told The Jackson Times that the purchase that was being negotiated includes small parcels of district-owned land that have been sitting dormant for decades and that the district cannot use for any purpose.
“This is a very good example of how the township and the school district work together for the benefit of students and taxpayers,” Pormilli said.
Board of Education President Giuseppe Palmeri said the funds from the purchase are much needed at this time, as the Board continues to work on the district’s budget in the wake of millions of dollars of lost state aid and rising costs.
“This land purchase will create open space for recreational purposes in our town and the purchase will benefit our students at a time when we need these funds the most,” Palmeri said.
The Council voted to purchase the 114 acres from the Board of Education for around $1 million and since Open Space funds will be used, no additional taxes will be collected for this purchase.
When finalized it will add to the township’s recreational facilities with the addition of new hiking and biking rails along with playgrounds for public use.
During last month’s Board of Education meeting the subject of possibly selling Rosenauer Elementary School to make up for the state aid loss was brought up by Pormilli.
The school based in the Brookwood 1 neighborhood was said to be in consideration of possible sale as Pormilli said all options were being considered but added that most likely, this wouldn’t occur as its sale would cause other issues for the school district such as added bus transportation costs and increases of class sizes to the school that would be receiving Rosenauer students.
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