News Transcript: Court date set on school issue

Candidly, what drew me to my first NOPE meeting in April 2008 was my admittedly selfish concern about the impact of the school issue as a Tinton Falls taxpayer and why my mayor and town council were surprisingly mum on an issue that could be devastating to our kids, but clearly the objections of the group that I now chair are much broader-reaching and do not take sides (i.e. town vs. town). To be sure, a few naysayers from my town suggested I was naive for joining what was taken by some in my town as strictly a pro-Colts Neck initiative, but history will reflect that NOPE's efforts have broken down steep barriers and facilitated a rational and respectful effort that has now drawn the attention of our U.S. and state Senators, Congressmen and local politicians and citizens alike. This would not have happened with the towns at loggerheads.

The progress that NOPE has made notwithstanding, the issue of where kids will attend school in the event that Laurelwood is occupied by civilians remains an overhang, but one that will play out in the courts and not distract NOPE's neutrality. NOPE comprises multitudinous supporters from both Colts Neck and Tinton Falls - the primary parties to the lawsuit over the school issue by Tinton Falls - and beyond our two towns, and as such will remain steadfastly opposed to any Monmouth County or New Jersey school having to take on prospective civilian children who may reside at Laurelwood. If the U.S. Navy so egregiously elects to compromise base security and not exercise its contractual right to void or buy out an outdated privatized housing contract, then it should construct its own educational facilities and remove that financial burden from its neighbors.

Anyway, to keep our supporters abreast of the school issue (which is separate from the Colts Neck lawsuit against the U.S. Navy or any other such litigation), this piece from the News Transcript reports that July 25 is the date where an administrative law judge will decide whether the 1988 law that enabled Tinton Falls to become the receiving district for Earle's military dependants (domiciled in Colts Neck) states that Tinton Falls needed to request the civilian children and, since they did not, then become Colt's Neck's responsibility. We will keep our supporters posted on this issue.