Old Bridge Township Closes Cooper Elementary School After Budget Struggles

Old Bridge Township School District will shut Cooper Elementary. Students transfer to a different school in September. Superintendent Vincent Sasso sent the news in a letter last week, citing money problems as the main reason.

Parents erupted in protest. Around 200 people crammed into the gym last Thursday to confront school officials, according to Old Bridge Councilman David Merwin. A Change.org petition demands the district reverse course and has collected over 370 signatures.

Sasso said that the district has weathered "some really tough financial years" while watching student numbers drop. Programs that help struggling students have been spread thin across schools.

"[The Board of Education] is trying to look at our district, from the inside out, and do everything we possibly can to maximize the efficiencies of our school district overall," said Sasso, according to NJ.com.

Cooper Elementary opened 60 years ago. Families have deep roots there. PTA board president Jennifer Mastorio attended as a child, and now her eight-year-old son, Jaxon, does too. He was "heartbroken" when he heard the news and fears losing his friends.

"We as a community are fighting until the last breath," Mastorio said.

This isn't the first closure. The district shut Cheesequake Elementary in 2019 after state officials slashed $15 million in aid over five years. Enrollment had plummeted nearly 13% across 15 years.

Petition organizers want answers. When did the Board meet about this? Where were those meetings held? "We are not only concerned about the outcome, but about the process," organizers wrote. "Decisions that directly impact our children, families, and community should not come as a surprise."

Merwin blames New Jersey's school funding system. He called the closure "a done deal" despite community pushback and pointed to the "inadequacy of the funding of schools by the state of New Jersey."

Sasso promised no layoffs. Some positions will disappear through retirement and natural turnover, but everyone keeps their job. Class sizes won't grow. The Board wants to use the building for something else but hasn't picked a purpose yet.

"My heart is certainly with families impacted by this," said Sasso. "I know it's been tough for some people. I love this community. I love this place and we'll do the best we can to make sure our kids are supported and transitioned during this change."