After reading last week’s Guardian, it seems as if the Celotex property is off limits to the Board of Education for creation of a new high school according to the City. By whose authority does this come from? It couldn’t be the Mayor or the Business Administrator or even the Council because that would be a breach of ethics.

The City administration cannot by law inject themselves into the operation of the Board of Education as they so flagrantly have done in the past.

The City Administration contends that it would be generating tax rateable’s by bringing in businesses, industries and possible even housing. There is a plethora of waterfront property, along High Street. (e.g. the former Cableworks) The prime Celotex property in question is ideally suited for a new high school.

Having this property would mean we would have suitable space to fulfill the state mandate of a thorough and efficient education.

The Naval Junior ROTC program would have the potential to have the program expanded. There is a strong probability of grants being made available for boats and docking facilities.

The property in question is sufficiently large enough to build a swimming pool using grants just as was done in several Hudson County Schools.

The school would be large enough to accommodate not only the present student population but would be able to accommodate future growth.

Presently the City’s responsibility would be to re-mediate contaminated soil for which there may be State and Federal Brownfield grants available to do this.

I have been led to believe there are available funding grants which would enable the City of Perth Amboy to build a much needed school.

Now what would be eliminated by having this new school on this site. For one, there is severe overcrowding 2250 students in a building designed for 1300.

Many of these students are taught in trailers converted into classrooms. Former parochial schools are now rented by the Board of Education to accommodate an overflow in student population.

Example! An unvented former storage area next to a furnace room. Under these conditions which are not conducive to good learnings could result in a hazardous situation for students and teachers alike.

What we have is a school system which has become fragmented due to lack of available space.

All of this can be corrected. How? The Board of Education has been entrusted by the taxpayers of the City to properly educate their children.

Many people have been led to believe that the Celotex property is owned by the City. We don’t know this and the answers are not readily available.

What prompted my ire was the statement made by the Business Administrator in which she claimed that , “after speaking with Mr. Jess, I informed him that the Celotex property is off the table!”

The future of our students will be shaped by decisions made here and now by you. Let me reiterate – it is the legal and moral responsibility of the Board of Education to bring about a much needed new High School. It is not within the realm of the Mayor, Business Administrator or the City Council to determine the proper location as to where that school be built.

Barbara Skokan