High School Redistricting Decision Reversed

On May 18, roughly 15 families received letters that their 8th grade Fords Middle School children would attend WHS instead of JFK due to capacity issues. This letter came after the students had already received their schedules for JFK and attended orientation.

The timing of the letter was the main concern for most parents. Many expressed that it was too late to take private school exams at that point and they should be given the opportunity to choose where their child would attend high school.

At the July 18 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Zega told parents he understood their frustrations, but that the board wanted to address the capacity issues facing JFK sooner than later.

“We felt it important to address that situation,” he said. “It is not fair to Iselin residents that the school is becoming overcrowded with students who don’t live in Iselin.”

The students in question resided in the Woodbridge Plaza Apartment complexes.

Zega also pointed out that most of Fords Middle already attends Woodbridge High School, so it was the most logical choice.

The parents said they understood the need to address capacity issues, but choosing about 15 students right before summer did not seem like the most fair option. Fernando Rojas, a father who received the letter in regards to his twin boys, addressed the board by saying it was probably best to do this with the next group of students and inform them now so they at least have plenty of time to make a decision.

After a lengthy debate at the meeting, Zega asked the parents to call him in the morning to meet, which they did.

Rojas said that although Zega did not to commit to changing the decision during a meeting with parents on July 19, he sent out a letter the following week to the same parents announcing that their students will continue to attend JFK.

“Our kids were so happy,” Rojas expressed. “My boys attended their first Kennedy football practice yesterday and they were just so happy to be there.”

At the official Board of Education meeting on July 18, parents questioned when the decision to redistrict the students was voted on. Rojas and the other parents said they could not find any mention of this issue in past minutes dating back to May. Board member Judy Leidner said she did not recall ever voting on the issue, only discussing it in committee. The parents received letters revoking the decision during the week of July 22 without an official vote by the board.

It is not clear if the board will be sending out a letter to 7th graders at this time in order to prepare for the change, but that was what many parents suggested at the meeting in order to give families adequate time to make a decision. Check back with Woodbridge Patch as more information on redistricting becomes available.

Some of the parents plan on attending the next Board of Education meeting to thank Dr. Zega and the board for revoking their original decision.