Midland Park March 6, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 The Midland Park Board of Education is reaching out to neighboring school districts to determine whether those districts would have any interest in accepting Midland Park High School students on a tuition basis or sending their students to Midland Park High. Midland Park Board President William Sullivan said last week that, as the first step, he and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Cirasella would meet this Friday with their Ridgewood counterparts to discuss the feasibility of a send/receive agreement. Similar discussions are also planned with Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, and perhaps other districts. “This is an informal meeting to discuss the ‘hypothetical question’ of whether they would be able to absorb our high school students into their district as a sending agreement,” said Sullivan. “We are just gathering information to share with the board, and District explores possible send/receive options nobody should assume that the board has reached any sort of consensus on send/ receive.” The board president said the goal is to have as much information as possible available to the board in making decisions. “We have to consider accurate information along with the aspirations of the community when we make decisions regarding the educational welfare of our students. With that in mind, I felt it was necessary to reach out to other districts and explore both ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ options that may exist to our benefit. Ultimately, each board member must use their own ‘independent judgment’ when they choose to support or oppose an issue, but it’s important to have enough information as possible to make those decisions,” he explained. “We’ve been speculating about the financial impact, but we need more accurate information,” he said by way of example. Sullivan added that if the board decided to move forward with a sending or receiving agreement, it would have to commission a formal study with the other district to evaluate the impact on facilities, transportation, and educational considerations. Entering into a receiving agreement with another district is also a possibility, Sullivan noted, recalling the receiving agreement with North Haledon that was basically a done deal until it was struck down by the courts 10 years ago. “Perhaps the judiciary would look differently on this now,” he said. Sullivan also recalled that the quality of education offered at Midland Park High School had caught the eye of the Maywood Public Schools two years ago when Maywood considered ending their long-standing agreement with Hackensack High School. Sullivan said questions about Midland Park High School’s viability are nothing new, remembering that, 20 years ago, parents not familiar with the school were raising concerns. “Most of those parents had a completely different view after their children graduated and realized how well prepared they were for higher education and the workplace,” he (continued on page 15)