No New Pre-School for Asbury Park
By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
There will not be an early childhood center in Asbury Park after all.
In his monthly report, state financial monitor Mark Cowell told the Board of Education at its March 26 meeting that the state had made the decision.
You are not getting an Early Childhood Center, Cowell said.
Cowell said, however, that a proposed addition to the middle school has been approved along with the demolition and rebuilding of the Bangs Avenue School.
Funding for the middle school and Bangs Avenue projects, Cowell said, are underway in Trenton.
Cowell also said board offices for Central Administration will be included in plans for the rebuilt Bangs Avenue School.
There will be no land purchases or anything like that, he said.
I know some of you are disappointed, Cowell said of the decision not to build an ECC.
He said the ECC classrooms will be in the elementary schools.
Board Member Frank DAlessandro said, We should be furious that the state does not believe Asbury Park is worthy of its own Early Childhood Center.
DAlessandro made reference to two other Abbott districts, Neptune and Long Branch, which both have new ECC facilities.
We asked before Neptune and Long Branch, he said.
DAlessandro said he was a board member and participated in the process when the state purchased the Braverman Building on Memorial Drive for the purpose of turning it into an ECC.
Me and Robert DiSantos (board president) sat through hours and hours of meetings, he said.
We are the first to be cut out. Whats good enough for Neptune and Long Branch should be good enough for us, he said.
Board Member Adrienne Sanders asked about the time frame for tearing down Bangs Avenue School.
Cowell said it could take as long as five years due to a bill now pending in the legislature on how to come up with the funding.
Its not going to happen next year, thats why we decided to open Bangs Avenue, Cowell said.
The school, which has been closed this school year is scheduled to open in September.
He added that the building has a new sealant on the roof and the inside has been painted.
Its a beautiful building on the outside youre not going to get a building like that, he said.
Although Cowell acknowledged board members might not be happy with his facilities report, he urged the board to approve it.
You should approve this or you wont get put on the list, you will get put at the bottom of the list. You would be shooting yourself in the foot and not getting anything again.
He advised having the facilities committee get together to discuss the issues.
You guys know what you want, Cowell said.
Board Member Garrett Giberson said the city school district is like the ball in the game Monkey in the Middle, with Asbury Park stuck in the middle.
We are always left behind we need to start catching that ball, Giberson said.
Board Member Tom Pivinski said he believed the board shared some of the responsibility.
We not only have to hold the states feet to the fire, but our feet to the fire as well and not blame, but work together the school system should be better, he said.
DAlessandro said four years ago members of the board were very diligent in working to make the ECC a reality.
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