TOMS RIVER – In a move that has been discussed for quite some time, school district officials confirmed that they will be selling the Toms River Corporate Center at 1144 Hooper Avenue so they can balance the budget.
The district has been facing year over year losses in state aid, which has resulted in cutting jobs, delaying maintenance, and impacting programs.
Superintendent Michael Citta said during a recent Board of Education meeting that they looked at six properties “as far away from students as possible” that they could sell.
An appraiser hired by the district has valued the building at $16 million.
The 2024-2025 school budget was voted down by the Board of Education. The State Department of Education adopted it anyway, forcing a 9.9% tax increase while still leaving a $12.4 million hole in it. This happened in the summer of 2024, leaving many to wonder what would happen when the money ran out. There was a lot of talk that there would be some kind of sale taking place, and many feared that a school (such as North Dover Elementary) would be sold.
Superintendent Michael Citta explains the plan to sell the property during a recent Board of Education meeting. (Photo courtesy Toms River Schools)
Nearby Jackson Township School District is closing down two schools and selling them due to the same kind of budget issues. In 2023, Toms River’s town government purchased 16.6 acres near Silver Bay Elementary School for more than $4 million to fill a budget hole during that school year.
By partnering with a public agency – like a town or the county – the school district has more control in the sales, Citta said. They didn’t have to sell to the highest bidder.
The exact purchase price has not been settled on, because negotiations are still ongoing, he said.
The building houses 350 preschool children in an early learning center. These students will go to North Dover, which has the space for it, he said.
Changing demographics have dropped the enrollment at North Dover, but now it will be full again, he said. The preschool teachers will be able to work in a building with peers. The preschool will operate on a different schedule than the rest of the grades so they won’t disrupt each other.
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