State denies bid to divide district Liberty Twp. officials plan appeal. DOE says split would hike costs. Saturday, April 21, 2007 • By Trish G. Graber • The Express-Times TRENTON | The state on Thursday denied Liberty Township's petition to dissolve its relationship with Great Meadows Regional School District. A new district would create an excessive debt burden, lead to underutilization of the existing middle school, and duplicate administrative and teaching staff already in place in the regional district, the state Department of Education's Board of Review said in its ruling. Liberty Township officials said they plan to appeal the decision. "This could have a chilling effect," said Liberty Township Committeeman John Fisher. "The rest of the state will know if they regionalize, they won't be able to get out." Liberty Township officials have argued that an imbalanced funding formula places a greater tax burden on Liberty residents. "The bottom line is districts should not lose money by regionalizing," said Liberty Township attorney Vito Gagliardi Jr. Independence Township's tax base is twice that of Liberty's, and each town pays $7,510 per pupil under the current agreement. Great Meadows School District is the only regional district in the state where towns pay on a per-pupil basis, Fisher has said. In testimony Thursday, Gagliardi urged DOE Commissioner Lucille Davy to expedite creation of a new school funding formula, which has been delayed repeatedly by the state. "The state funding system is a mess," he said. Davy has said the state expects to have a new school funding formula by the start of the 2008-2009 school year. But even without the new formula, the Great Meadows Regional Board of Education and Independence Township Committee have both held that Liberty's split would be counterproductive. Independence Township attorney Bill Edleston argued Thursday that Liberty's attempt to withdraw defies the state's push for consolidation as a means to cut costs. "The petition by Liberty Township really flies in the face of the ... overall state philosophy that has been proposed to municipalities regarding shared services," he said. Independence Township Mayor Bob Giordino lauded the board's ruling. The township has argued that the dissolution of the district would result in an inefficient school system and leave the middle school partially empty. "For the overall benefit of all the students, it should remain intact," he said. Great Meadows Superintendent Jason Bing said the district was pleased with the board's decision but recognizes there are still tax inequalities between the two townships. "The district would be more than willing to enlist the services of a certified mediator to bring Liberty and Independence townships to the table to discuss a revision of the current tax reapportionment." If appealed, the case would go to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. Trish Graber is Trenton correspondent for The Express-Times. She can be reached at 609-292-5154. © 2007 The Express-Times. Used with permission.