NJ News & Views

[Editor's Note: At 11:11 p.m. on November 11, at 10:12 a.m on November 12, at 10:52 p.m. on November 14 and at 8:10 p.m. on November 15, 2010, this story was edited for style, content and accuracy.]

Two years ago, the cash-strapped Lakewood Board of Education sold Princeton Avenue School, the 4.2-acre location of district administrative offices.

The Ella G. Clarke School could be next on the auction block.

Located on Manetta Avenue, the 11.6-acre elementary school is several blocks away from the former Princeton Avenue School, built in 1912, which is being redeveloped by new owner Beth Medrash Govoha.

Since the mid-1990s, the Lakewood rabbinical college leased the Princeton Avenue School's basement before buying the building in 2008. The Lakewood Township Committee rezoned the site last year, enabling Beth Medrash Govoha to begin expanding its downtown campus to the eastern end of town.

Those plans could eventually include the Clarke School.

Built in 1946, the elementary school is named for the principal of Lakewood District School No. 5, which burned to the ground on January 29, 1945. Clarke safely evacuated all students and teachers from the building after a fire reportedly broke out in the auditorium stage area and quickly spread, consuming the school.

The following year, members of the Lakewood Board of Education opened a new elementary school around the block on Manetta Avenue.

On April 4, 1999, the Lakewood Township Committee dedicated the former site of School No. 5, built in 1901, as a children's park and playground.

On October 12, history repeated itself after school administrators evacuated its replacement, the Clarke School.

"About four feet of water flooded the Ella Clarke School this morning, prompting a large response from the LPD (Lakewood Police Department), LFD (Lakewood Fire Department), OEM (Office of Emergency Management), DPW (Department of Public Works), electric company and Lakewood Chaveirim," The Lakewood Scoop reported online. "The cause of the flood – which caused extensive damage to the school – has not yet been determined."

NJ News & Views contacted Lakewood Chief of Police Robert Lawson, who confirmed the report. He said the basement flooded at approximately 12 noon.

On October 13, the district received a permit from the township Inspection Department to repair damage to the boiler room and a boiler room panel.

Lawson said the cause of the flooding was not the basement boiler.

Despite a report by the Scoop that the cause of the flooding was unknown, Lawson said that emergency responders determined that the basement sump pump was to blame.

District, county and state officials do not see any need to replace it.

Leslie Jurgeson, a spokesperson for the Ocean County Board of Health, told NJ News & Views that the Clarke School basement had been dried out. She said determining the cause of the flooding was the responsibility of the district.

"(We) don't know if they have a sump pump," Jurgeson told a reporter.

A spokesman for the state Department of Education, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NJ News & Views, "It’s a local matter." He referred all questions to district administrators.

Lakewood district administrators were not willing to discuss the matter until Ocean County Executive Superintendent of Schools Bruce Greenfield requested it.

Following several calls NJ News & Views made to Greenfield, Lakewood Superintendent of Schools Lydia Silva left two telephone voicemail messages discussing the school basement flooding.

"I understand from the county superintendent that you had questions regarding the flood that took place at the Ella G. Clarke elementary school here in Lakewood," she told a reporter in one of them. "I would gladly indicate everything that's taken place, our plan A, plan B and plan C, which, of course, is contingent very much on the nor'easter that we're getting today."

Silva maintained that elementary school children were safe and continuing to be educated in the building.

"Please be assured that our children are in class, they're being fed, there is heat and there's hot water," she also told NJ News & Views.

In an earlier voicemail message, Silva told the reporter, "I'm happy to report that all has been addressed and we're hoping that we won't have to face that again."

The district and board likely will in the near future.

They already have in the recent past.

Chet Galdo, who resigned from the board in 2008, discussed previous efforts to maintain the aging school.

"One of the first projects I (supervised) was the French drains (in the basement)," he told NJ News & Views.

Because Clarke School is constructed near wetlands that flow through the play area and football field, Galdo said mildew was a continuing problem in the basement, where the school held classes in music and arts and crafts. He said that four or five years ago, the board continued efforts to maintain the sump pump and French drains.

Galdo also said the board attempted to extend the life of the school's roof.

That may no longer be the goal of the current board.

Several months ago, sources told NJ News & Views that a section of the Lakewood Middle School or Lakewood High School roof had collapsed under the weight of heavy winter snows that district personnel did not remove as soon as possible.
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Sources also told NJ News & Views that years of board neglect in repairing the leaking roof had in turn caused mold in the school, as well as two district elementary schools - the Spruce Street School and the Ella G. Clarke School.

Mold grows in schools when airborne mold spores land on a damp "food source" and begin digesting it in order to survive, according to a January 2004 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Indoor Environments Division (EPA IED) fact sheet.

Water required for mold growth can enter school buildings and portable classrooms through leaky roofs, pipes, windows, foundations and other structural openings. Water may also enter schools due to floods, poor drainage or misdirected sprinklers.

The fact sheet also reported that moisture problems in schools can result from painting or carpet cleaning, high humidity during the summer, and lack of air conditioning or heating system use when school is not in session.

Health hazards due to mold include irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs in both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Unchecked mold growth can result in or be the cause of "sick building syndrome."

It can also damage or destroy materials on which it grows.

Newly-elected board member Carl Fink of The Enclave, a Lakewood adult community, recently announced a solution to reduce the cost of maintaining school property, but not repairing school buildings.

"As the chairman of the BOE Building and Grounds Committee, I, together with our new team on the BOE, reached out to the Township for help," Fink told readers of a newsletter prepared by Fairways resident William Hobday. "Our idea was to have the DPW (Department of Public Works) do some work for our schools at cost."

The board had not approved an agreement with the township before Fink said the township performed the work, which district Business Administrator/Board Secretary Robert Finger confirmed.

"In years past this work was done by private companies charging a profit," Fink said in Hobday's newsletter. "The Mayor (Steven Langert) and his team were enthusiastic and accommodating with our new initiative. The result was a win-win-win. The DPW received funds for the work instead of outside vendors, and the taxpayers saved money on both sides."

Despite Fink's assertion, the agreement with the township did not save taxpayers any money.

According to Galdo, the Clarke School was built through a Federal jobs program first enacted during the Great Depression of the 1930s that continued to fund local employment in the 1940s.

"In those days, they were (building with) a lot of poured concrete and scroll work," he told NJ News & Views.

Fifty years after Federal jobs funding helped the Lakewood board build a new elementary school, the State of New Jersey approved the Lakewood Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) to bring jobs and commerce back to town.

Fink's proposal saved the district money at the cost of state and Federally-funded initiatives that are also subsidized by taxpayer dollars.

"This action resulted in a $50,000 plus savings to the BOE on the recent work provided," Fink told Hobday's readers. "The projects included re-paving numerous potholes, seeding and mulching playgrounds and fixing the Clark school field and trimming trees."

The Clarke School athletic field may be repaired, but not its roof or basement.

According to an October 26, 2009 e-mail provided by Finger under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), James Bryan of RAI Services said all six public school roofs were in disrepair.

"We have reviewed electric bills and done extensive site visits with early indication that virtually all roofs are in need of significant repair," James Bryan told the district. "We have determined that there is no way we can roll roof repairs into a PPA solar project cost and reach any reasonable investor returns."

Bryan said the district would need "a top notch balance sheet and great credit" to qualify for the project, which he acknowledged it did not have.

According to Finger, the Lakewood Board of Education planned to enter into another lease-finance agreement to repair the public school roofs, which Ocean County Superintendent of Schools Bruce Greenfield confirmed on February 19.

If the district cannot make the annual required payment on each of the six school repairs, it could risk losing them through such an agreement without state intervention.

The state originally projected a budget deficit as high as $10 billion in 2010, which Governor Chris Christie announced he had closed after urging New Jersey voters to defeat their school district's proposed spending increase.

After Lakewood voters defeated the 2010-11 school budget, the Lakewood Township Committee eliminated the board's proposed increase in the school tax levy - and any surplus funding available for capital improvements to the schools.

If the district does not repair all six public schools, both the Lakewood Board of Education and the Lakewood Township Committee will continue to expose taxpayers to costly litigation resulting from illness or injuries sustained by anyone visiting, working or attending class there.

At the end of the 2006-7 school year, the Lakewood Board of Education financed the replacement of the high school roof through a $3,750,000 lease-purchase agreement instead of asking voters to approve a referendum question to bond for the capital improvement.

Four school years later, the board may need to spend far more than $4 million each to repair all public school roofs, even with lower interest rates.

It would cost far less to repair or replace the Clarke School sump pump and French drains.

It would be far better to repair public school roofs as well.

Increasing numbers of former non-public school students may be studying under them.

In an August 17, 2010 letter Silva received from Ellen Wolock, Director of the New Jersey Office of Preschool Education, a Division of Early Childhood Education, which a reporter for NJ News & Views requested under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), Wolock informed the Lakewood superintendent the state would no longer fund the district's $4,267,572 contract to educate 349 children enrolled in Tiny Tots, a non-public preschool.

"Lakewood has a unique opportunity to meet many, if not all, of the program requirements outlined in Elements of High Quality Preschool Programs - N.J.A.C. 6A:13A, and provide a high quality early education experience that can set the stage for each child's school success," Wolock wrote Silva. "Unfortunately, due to our significant concerns about the quality of the private preschool provider, Tiny Tots, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE), cannot support a contract between Tiny Tots and the Lakewood Board of Education at this time."

Wolock described an April 2010 tour by state representatives of the Tiny Tots Oberlin Street site.

"We were very concerned about the very low quality of the program at that time and recommended non-renewal or a complete revamping of both facility and program," Wolock said in her letter. "Classrooms were substandard in both size and cleanliness, and evidence of high quality programming was completely lacking. Materials and furniture were sparse and in poor repair, and the classroom environment did not contain essential learning areas and in some cases was even dangerous, with hanging electrical cords and unprotected outlets."

During a follow-up visit on August 16, state representatives became even more alarmed, according to Wolock. Their findings indicated Tiny Tots school facilities contained numerous health and safety hazards.

Wolock said walls, floors and ceilings of rooms used for instruction were not free of moisture, peeling paint, plaster and potentially hazardous materials.

She also said the second floor hallway ceiling had an active water leak and ceiling damage. The building's ceiling was not only peeling, but had holes in it. There was also water damage to the basement window and wall.

Wolock said there were metal staples on the walls, painted electrical outlets and broken floor tiles in several locations.

Hardware problems included several doors that were out of alignment and could not be closed, or lacked closers or view windows to ensure building security. Wolock also said there were no emergency exit instructions posted and no phone access in classrooms.

A classroom vent cover was missing and return vents were not maintained, Wolock said. Exterior windows did not open and close properly. State inspectors noted exterior air gaps.

There were no pre-K toilet facilities in Tiny Tots classrooms and no juvenile toilet and sinks installed in the building. A basement toilet was mounted on a raised platform.

Tiny Tots lacked a conforming certificate under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Wolock said state inspectors found additional safety concerns in the school and on school grounds, including gas cans in the basement electrical room; water/sewer issues in the basement; a barbed wire fence around the HVAC next to the playground; lack of a window child guard; a fire extinguisher tagged 2008 located next to an electrical panel; exposed electrical boxes and broken wall electrical plates; and 6-foot tall cabinets that were not secured to the wall.

She said the Tiny Tots Monmouth Avenue facility was not licensed by the state Department of Children and Families (DCF), as required of all private preschool contractors.

Wolock also said Tiny Tots staff lacked prerequisite certification and preschool general education knowledge to provide high quality experiences for all young children, particularly diverse populations.

Following its April inspection, the state recommended that the Lakewood School District not contract with Tiny Tots until the non-public school corrected all educational and facility issues.

The Lakewood board, which includes a majority of members that either work for non-public schools or own and operate them, responded to the state recommendation one month later.

At a May 11 meeting, Lakewood board members voted not to renew the contracts of 62 public school paraprofessionals the state had not certified as "highly qualified."

Board members said they would not grant public school paraprofessionals additional time to pass state exams required to be certified "highly qualified." Board members said they would consider rehiring public school paraprofessionals after they were certified "highly qualified."

Prior to the start of the 2010-11 school year, state inspectors that visited Tiny Tots again in August made the same determination about the non-public school staff, leading Wolock to inform Silva the DOE would no longer fund the district contract with it.

According to Wolock, Tiny Tots staff were unable to answer questions about curricula, optimal instruction for English language learners, appropriate uses of assessment, common structured classroom quality observation instruments, optimal scheduling for preschoolers, transitions, handling challenging behaviors and essential family involvement components.

"Before the DECE could consider supporting a contract with Tiny Tots, the Tiny Tots staff would have to participate in the leadership and coach training offered by the Department," Wolock told Silva. "The staff would also need to have training in an evidence-based preschool curriculum."

Wolock also stressed the necessity that Tiny Tots obtain a current DCF license and that all facilities concerns be inspected and approved for operation by DECE and Greenfield's office.

According to township Inspection Department records, from 2009 to 2010, Tiny Tots received only three violation notices: failure to apply for a change in use of one of its facilities, which was formerly a nursing home; failure to obtain a Commercial Certificate of Occupancy (CCO), which was later corrected; and failure to install lighted emergency exit lights, which was not corrected.

State business entity records report that the owner of Tiny Tots NJ, LLC is Elliot Zaks.

Zaks is a member of the Lakewood Zoning Board of Adjustment and a principal of Madison Title, LLC in Lakewood.

Zaks did not return a call for comment.

He is not the only township official with a conflict of interest.

Fink is a member of the Lakewood Planning Board, which also hears applications to develop schools in Lakewood. As a member of the Lakewood Board of Education, Fink participates in votes to fund them.

Wolock informed Silva that the district must find an alternative provider to operate its preschool program as soon as possible.

At the start of the school year, the board announced its decision. Instead of contracting with Tiny Tots, board members voted to operate the program in trailers on public school property at Lakewood High School.

While township and district officials have failed to adequately address dangerous conditions in many public and non-public schools, the state has not.

In order to provide a thorough and efficient education for all Lakewood students, the district may have to relocate other non-public school programs on public school property.

Over 60 years ago, local officials ensured that all Lakewood students returned home safe and sound.

"In the winter of 1945 I was home (from the war) when the fire whistle blew," Lakewood resident Dave Collier recollected in a March 10, 1992 letter to the Asbury Park Press 'Remember when…' column. "Smoke was ascending from the northeast side of our home. I walked to Bergen Avenue and was terrified; flames were roaring in the elementary school. It was School No. 5 in Lakewood."

Collier, a World War II veteran deployed in the South Pacific in 1944, sprang into action in his home town.

"Thinking of the students and teachers, I ran to Clover Street," he wrote. "A woman there told me that all the students and teachers escaped; what wonderful good news and a great relief!"