JAMESBURG — In an effort to stop students who do not live in town from enrolling in borough schools, the Board of Education is exploring the feasibility of hiring an investigator to verify pupils’ residential status.
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The board last week assigned school Business Administrator Thomas Reynolds to explore options, including hiring a private investigator, having a member of the Jamesburg Police Department investigate or potentially sharing enrollment enforcement personnel from a neighboring school district .
Reynolds will look at the costs involved in the potential investigation as he reviews the options.
The board, during its Dec. 15 meeting, discussed the subject at length after member William Cicoria made a motion to allocate an amount not to exceed $5,000 to hire an investigator.
“This needs to be done now,” Cicoria said, adding that he initially wanted a parttime investigator to look into home address discrepancies.
“Our district pupil totals have increased significantly,” he said. “At this current rate, we’ll be looking at higher expenses.”
His comments drew applause from the audience.
Cicoria also noted they recently found three discrepancies that underscore the need for an investigator.
Reynolds briefly discussed one of three known cases in which students were wrongly attending Jamesburg schools. He said the parents of a student erroneously believed they were residents of the borough, but were instead residing in Monroe. When the discrepancy was discovered, the parents transferred the student out of the district, he said .
Cicoria opined that the costs incurred in hiring an investigator would be recouped if only a few additional discrepancies were found.
“It would almost pay for itself,” he said.
Board President Darren Larsen did not disagree with Cicoria’s measure, but suggested that it be tabled until Reynolds can look into the matter further.
Reynolds noted that parents or guardians are required to provide a lease or rental agreement proving they reside in the borough. If the student lives with another relative, that person must supply a domicile agreement, he added. In both cases, parents, guardians or other relatives are required to provide a utility, phone or cable bill verifying that they reside in Jamesburg.
Reynolds admitted that controlling enrollment is a challenge in the borough.
“Jamesburg has a transient population,” he said. “We have a lot of renters. People will stay for two or three years.
“It’s a crapshoot. We try to monitor it,” he added.
Parents praised the potential measure.
Sandy Sussman commended Cicoria for his desire to find personnel to rid the district of enrollment fraud.
“This isn’t something that belongs to Jamesburg,” Sussman said. “Unfortunately, it’s everywhere.”
He suggested that probe focus on a specific segment of the student population, possibly beginning with lower grades.
Sussman agreed with Cicoria’s assertion that any enforcement personnel would pay for themselves.
“The savings would far offset any expenses,” he said.
Monica Ludwig suggested the board seek out a neighboring district to share their enrollment personnel.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Ludwig said. “If there are other schools that are doing a similar thing … why don’t we use those people?”
