Blue Ribbon Committee suggestion sound familiar

Last week the Sayreville Blue Ribbon III Com-mittee released its recommendations concerning solutions to the overcrowding problem in Sayreville.

And wouldn’t you know, one of the highlights of the report is to take back the Samsel School on Ernston Road when its lease expires in 2003. Currently, the Middlesex County Educational Services Commission uses the building as an alternative school.

Anyone who has followed the politics of the Board of Education over the past few years may remember this recommendation.

It came from two board members, who were highly criticized during their time on the school board, and who now longer serve.

In 1997 during discussions to relieve the overcrowding at the district’s elementary schools — particularly the Emma Arleth Elementary School — it was suggested that the district not only reopen the former Selover School, which houses the district’s administration offices, but also use the Samsel School as a district school and not renew the lease with the county.

However, the majority of the board decided to head in a different direction.

Now the district is building a $4.9 million addition onto the Arleth school and a committee is recommending taking back the Samsel School in 2003 and building an addition onto it to accommodate fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Could this have been avoided if the board took over the Samsel School a few years ago?

Sure, the district would still have had to build an addition — maybe a larger one — onto it to accommodate more students, but would the addition onto the Arleth School still have been necessary?

It seems the taxpayers may end up paying for two additions when one may only have been necessary.