Chiropractor in Sea Bright, NJ

Six lawsuits underscore a protracted legal war over where Sea Bright students will go to school.

Now the battle moves to a new stage at the ballot box, where Highlands and Sea Bright residents will cast their votes on an initiative that -- once decided -- could cost Shore Regional High School and Oceanport schools millions of dollars.

On Nov. 5, Sea Bright and Highlands voters will be asked whether elected officials should continue with a plan to bring Sea Bright students into Henry Hudson Regional schools as a way to lower taxes. Henry Hudson Regional currently serves students from Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.

To accomplish that, Sea Bright must first manage to break its educational arrangements with Oceanport School District and Shore Regional High School. Lawyers for the latter districts are working through the courts to stop any attempts by Sea Bright to secede.

At least five lawsuits in the past four years have been filed between Sea Bright, Shore Regional, Oceanport schools, Oceanport Borough, Henry Hudson Regional, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands over the matter.

A sixth lawsuit was filed in June by Highlands Council President Jo-Anne Olszewski about a May school board meeting. The lawsuit accuses then-members of Henry Hudson Regional and the since-dissolved Atlantic Highlands and Highlands school boards of failing to properly advertise a public meeting where they voted to approve a settlement agreement with Oceanport schools and Shore Regional. The agreement aimed to avoid future lawsuits regarding Sea Bright.

For years, Sea Bright officials have tried to break their existing educational relationships with Oceanport and Shore Regional and move their students to Henry Hudson. Yet the legal fights are likely far from being over.

Oceanport schools and Shore Regional face losing millions of dollars of school funding if Sea Bright leaves their districts. Legal fights are the less expensive option for both districts, said one school official with knowledge of the situation.

Sea Bright has about 40 to 50 students living in the borough, said Mayor Brian Kelly.

"Our goal (with the ballot question) is really to get it into the hands of the voters," he said. "Let them decide…what course they want to take for each town."

Who's not voting on Sea Bright joining Henry Hudson Regional?

While Highlands and Sea Bright voters will see the Henry Hudson Regional question on their ballots, Atlantic Highlands voters will not weigh in on the issue this year.

Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner said another ballot question would be repetitive since voters last year supported the creation of a regional school district with Atlantic Highlands and Highlands elementary schools. In the past, they supported including Sea Bright.

However, she is not sure that bringing in Sea Bright now would lead to substantial savings for Atlantic Highlands taxpayers. Hohenleitner said she would want to see updated studies on the issue.

"I'm not hearing clamoring" to bring Sea Bright into Henry Hudson Regional, she said. However, "we’re constantly looking for ways to maintain our tax rate and hopefully lower it."

Who would benefit from Sea Bright joining Henry Hudson Regional?

Elected officials in Highlands and Sea Bright said adding Sea Bright would be a financial benefit to all three towns and Sea Bright students.

Sea Bright's tax base — an average assessed home is worth more than $1 million — is expected to alleviate some of the tax burden shouldered by Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, according to borough officials.

For comparison, Atlantic Highlands has an average assessed home value of $581,639, while Highlands home values are around $400,893 as of 2023. Both boroughs contribute more than 700 students to Henry Hudson Regional School District.

"We would have an influx of those taxes from Sea Bright and that would… make it more affordable for all three towns," said Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon.

Kelly, the Sea Bright mayor, hopes a new arrangement could lower school taxes for his residents as well.

"Sea Bright is (currently) locked into a pretty unfair school formula, especially as it relates to Shore Regional," he said. "Our per-student cost is phenomenal."

Last October, 13 Sea Bright teenagers attended the 514-student high school and made up just 3% of the student body. Yet Sea Bright taxpayers provide nearly 19% of Shore Regional High School's $21.8 million budget for the 2023-24 school year, according to school district documents.

Payments to Shore Regional make up 24% of a Sea Bright resident's property tax bill, while another 8% goes to supporting Oceanport School District's budget, according to budget presentations.

If Sea Bright left Shore Regional and Oceanport schools to join Henry Hudson, "it would reduce taxes for all three towns," Kelly said. "It would also bring more money into Henry Hudson… compared to what they currently have, since Sea Bright would still pay a higher share."

"Having their (Sea Bright) students come into our (Henry Hudson Regional) schools would not trigger any additional staff," said Broullon, the Highlands mayor. "We would have more socialization with kids from another town, which is always good, in my opinion."

In addition, the students would be closer to school if they switched, Kelly said.

"Henry Hudson, you can see it from Sea Bright on North Beach," he said. "As soon as you cross over the Highlands Bridge, it's right there."

Would Oceanport and Shore Regional students loose out?

In September, attorneys for Oceanport and Shore Regional sued and attempted to stop Highlands and Sea Bright from putting their nonbinding ballot questions before voters; however, a judge dismissed their case.

Last year, Sea Bright contributed $889,680 toward Oceanport School District's $13 million school budget, or nearly 7%. Sea Bright taxpayers also paid $2,619,615 to Shore Regional High School to educate 13 students, at a cost of $201,508 per student.

It remains unclear how each of those school districts would recoup the financial losses if Sea Bright officials broke out of the current arrangement.

Representatives of both districts did not immediately return calls and emails for comment.

What's next for Sea Bright?

Whether Sea Bright can leave Oceanport schools and Shore Regional will ultimately be up to the New Jersey Commissioner of Education and voters of Sea Bright, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands.

Under New Jersey law, schools that regionalize must be close together, have the potential to become more efficient and less costly, and coordinate curriculum across buildings and grade levels. However, they are not permitted to regionalize if the result would increase segregation in the newly formed schools or within the schools where existing students are withdrawing.

"We are excited that we regionalized… Atlantic Highlands and Highlands," said Henry Hudson Regional school board President Cory Wingerter. "It's been a long time coming. We've saved money. We've clearly shown that regionalization is good for the students and for the towns."

That said, Wingerter said he wants updated information on the benefits and potential impacts of adding Sea Bright into the district.

Broullon said the nonbinding referendums on Highlands' and Sea Bright's ballots are about collecting information about the will of voters.

"Nonbinding (ballot) questions don't cost a dime," said Broullon. "So why wouldn't you want to know what every single voter in your district wants?… Should we continue along this path?"

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 16 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

2 minute read

Asbury Park Press

After five years of serving burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries and shakes at The Grove West in Shrewsbury, Hearthly Burger has expanded south.

Chris and Alexa Gooch's second restaurant opened in late July on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright. Hearthly Burger is located at The Break, a new residential and retail building across from the beach.

"I've always wanted a beach location, and I wanted someplace that was close enough yet far away enough (from the Shrewsbury restaurant)," Gooch said. "I'm a surfer. I grew up in Rumson going to the Sea Bright beach."

The new 42-seat restaurant is 50% larger than the original.

"It's been very busy. It’s been busier than we expected, really," Gooch said of the fast-casual lunch and dinner restaurant, which he plans to keep open year-round.

The menu in Sea Bright is the same as in Shrewsbury, including popular burgers like Endless Summer, with American cheese, house-made pickles, fried onions, barbecue sauce and slaw; and the Maple Shroom with sautéed mushrooms and onions, Swiss cheese and maple syrup aioli.

Gooch is a former Wall Street broker whose love of cooking started as a child, developed during college in Hawaii, and continued at the International Culinary Center in New York City and in the kitchens of city restaurants.

“It was at this time that I also came up with the idea for organic fast food,” he told the Asbury Park Press in a prior interview. "I wanted to include quality ingredients and better cooking. I was always a big fan of Shake Shack and, every time I ate it, my stomach would hurt and I wouldn’t feel very good.

"I realized it was all about the ingredients that they were using, and I figured if I could replicate the taste, but use organic products, I would have a great idea.”

Burgers are made from grass-fed, free-range beef; chicken is cage-free, hormone and antibiotic-free; and milkshakes are made with organic ingredients. Vegan and gluten-free items are available.

Hearthly Burger is open Thursdays through Sundays for now; it will be open daily within a week or two, Gooch said.

DoorDash delivery is available, and he plans to launch beach and beach club delivery next summer.

Go: 1080 Ocean Ave., Sea Bright; 732-268-7204, hearthlyburger.com. Also at 520 Broad St. in Shrewsbury; 732-704-3447.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.