Sharon Del Valle
FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION
Are We Using Our School Buildings Efficiently?
Neptune Township School District has experienced a substantial decline in student enrollment. That raises an important related question:
Are we operating more school building space than we need?
The district’s own 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Schedule J-18, reports the capacity and enrollment of each Neptune school. Several buildings are operating substantially below their stated capacity.
The Numbers Raise Important Questions
These figures do not by themselves mean that Neptune should close a school. Building capacity is only one consideration. Class size, specialized programs, preschool, special education, transportation, neighborhood needs, and future enrollment all need to be considered. But when several schools are operating at roughly 40% to 60% of their stated capacity, taxpayers and parents deserve answers.
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Are we operating more space than our current and projected enrollment requires?
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What does each school building cost to operate and maintain each year?
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Could facilities be consolidated without increasing class sizes or diminishing educational programs?
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Could savings from more efficient use of our buildings be redirected into classrooms and student achievement?
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Before making major investments in existing buildings, should we determine which facilities Neptune will actually need over the next 10 or 20 years?
We Should Have a Plan
The answer should not be to close schools simply because a spreadsheet says there is unused capacity.
The answer should be to study the issue, make the costs transparent, examine future enrollment, protect educational quality, and develop a long-term facilities plan.
Our buildings exist to serve our students. As enrollment changes, we should continually ask whether our facilities—and the dollars we spend maintaining them—are being used as effectively as possible.
Source
Neptune Township School District, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Year Ended June 30, 2025, Schedule J-18, “School Building Information — Last Ten Fiscal Years,” p. 140. The District reports that enrollment in J-18 is based on average daily enrollment from the School Register Summary Report and identifies the source as District records.