Our Real Work for Holmdel Schools

In a recent Patch article titled “The Commitment I Made To Holmdel Students And Our Community,” the current Board of Education President claimed that the Township “did nothing” to support our schools when we were on the committee . As someone who served as your Deputy Mayor and worked closely with the Board, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

In 2021, under the leadership of Mayor Greg Buontempo and myself, Holmdel Township entered into two formal shared services agreements with the Holmdel Board of Education — likely the first such agreements in our town’s history. These weren’t symbolic gestures or handouts — they were real partnerships designed to enhance student safety and promote responsible cost-sharing between the Township and the school district.

• We created a School Resource Officer (SRO) Agreement in which the BOE committed $50,000 per year to help fund officers stationed in our schools.
• We also established a Special Law Enforcement Officer Class III (SLEO III) Agreement, where the BOE began sharing the cost of additional certified officers, with their contribution increasing each year over a five-year term

These agreements were formally approved by the Board of Education at their July 28, 2021 and May 25, 2022 meetings — facts that are a matter of public record.

To say the Township “did nothing” is either a misunderstanding of what actually occurred or a political misstatement. Either way, it ignores the documented efforts that Greg Buontempo and I initiated — not for headlines, but because keeping our students safe and strengthening intergovernmental cooperation is the right thing to do.

We led the way on shared services with the schools. That’s a fact. And it’s time the truth took its place ahead of politics.

Prakash Santhana
Former Deputy Mayor
Please vote for Santhana and Buontempo in the upcoming Republican Primary.
Note: Unaffiliated voters are eligible to participate in the Republican Primary. Your involvement is crucial to shaping Holmdel's financial future.
Mark your calendar: early voting kicks off on June 3, 2025, and the primary election takes place on June 10, 2025.