1st Of 3 Strategic Planning Meetings For Middletown School District

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The first of three strategic planning meetings will be Thursday night at Middletown High School North. Open to all residents.

These meetings are open to all residents, not just Middletown school parents.

All three meetings are hosted by the school district and will be facilitated by the New Jersey School Boards Association. They are holding the meetings to hear from the community as the Middletown school district is about to embark on a "Strategic Planning process."

This "Strategic Planning process" will possibly include closing at least one — but likely multiple — Middletown schools in the future. Redistricting is also on the table.

"They are likely going to recommend closing at least two schools, possibly more," Board member Gary Tulp said previously.

Here are the meeting dates:

• May 29 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Middletown High School North
• June 16 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Middletown High School North
• August 28 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Middletown High School North

The school district already hired an outside strategic planning firm and is paying that consulting firm $24,000 to tell the district how to solve its budget holes, said superintendent Jessica Alfone.

First, the consulting firm will assess all the buildings in the district; that facilities assessment will take place during the month of June.

They will then present a report in mid- to late September about "how our boundaries could be redesigned" and any Middletown school buildings "that are aging and could be taken offline," said Alfone.

"I think we all know that something needs to change," Alfone said at the April 30 BOE meeting.

Prior: 3 Public Meeting Dates Announced As Middletown Schools Begin Strategic Planning (May 7)

Middletown School Board Approves Budget With 10.1 Percent School Tax Increase (April 30)