West Long Branch and Shore Regional Closer To Sharing Superintendent

The possibility of sharing a superintendent between Shore Regional and the West Long Branch is becoming closer to a reality.

The school districts, along with some representatives from the Oceanport School District, held a joint meeting at the on Tuesday night to discuss their thoughts on the possible shared service.

The West Long Branch and Shore Regional boards agreed that if they are going to share a superintendent, they would also share a business administrator and a director of special services.

The Oceanport Board of Education would be more interested in sharing a business administrator and director of special services as it currently has a superintendent, Andrew Orefice.

Shore Regional has an interim superintendent, Renae LaPrete, and the West Long Branch School District has Herbert Massa as its interim superintendent.

However, Oceanport BOE President Kelly McGowan, said her board would like to be kept in the loop on discussions regarding sharing sharing a superintendent.

McGowan said the Monmouth Beach Board of Education may also be interested in sharing a business administrator and director of special services, but is not interested in sharing a superintendent. No Monmouth Beach BOE members were present at the meeting.

The boards agreed that a feasibility study must be performed to see if sharing the positions between the districts would be the best financial and logistical decision for the schools.

The boards must pass resolutions at their meetings to allow the feasibility study to begin.

Shore Regional Business Administrator Dennis Kotch said the feasibility study would take about 90 days and consultants from the firm Puleio and Strimple Associates would meet board members, administrators and teachers.

Kotch said the findings of the feasibility study would be shared with the public at a future meeting.

"So, we will wait for the feasibility study and then meet again," West Long Branch BOE President Teresa Vaccaro said.