Middletown Board Votes To Close Three Schools, Sparking Five-Hour Meeting and Parent Protests

The Middletown school board voted Thursday night to shut down Leonardo Elementary, Navesink Elementary, and Bayshore Middle School. The 5-4 vote came after a marathon session that stretched past five hours. Parents packed the room, and dozens spoke out against closing the schools.

Kids from Leonardo and Navesink will transfer into the Bayshore Middle School building. It gets a new name: Bayshore Elementary School. Current Bayshore Middle School students will be rezoned to attend Thorne and Thompson middle schools. These closures kick in during September when the 2026-27 school year starts.

Money troubles loom large. The district stares down a budget deficit of $3.2 million when 2026-2027 arrives. Worse yet, that gap balloons to $6.6 million in 2027-2028, climbs to $10 million in 2028-2029, and hits $13.9 million by 2029-2030.

"Shrinking the district footprint allows us to use staff more efficiently, needing less staff, which is the largest driver of the budget," the district said Saturday, according to Patch.com.

Chris Aveta, Frank Capone, Jacqueline Tobacco, Sarah Weinstein, and Caterina Skalaski voted yes. Mark Soporowski, Joan Minnuies, Erin Torres, and Deb Wright voted no.

Board president Chris Aveta stood by the choice. "The board has a legal obligation to adopt a budget. The board must make a decision so the administration can proceed accordingly in meeting its budget obligations," Aveta said.

Just before the vote, parents in the audience erupted. They chanted "Put children first" in what seemed like an effort to drown out the roll call.

Mark Soporowski slammed the timing. "It is irresponsible at best to put a plan in place when we have a superintendent that's leaving," Soporowski said, pointing to superintendent Jessica Alfone, who will quit the district at the end of June.

Erin Torres accused the district of failing to think outside the box when hunting for revenue. "My questions have not been answered in the past year. Enough is enough," Torres said. "We deserve responses; we've been waiting for a year ... Where is the creativity in finding money for this district?"

Torres also warned that more closures might be coming down the pike. She said the way officials handled the closures "divided the town, and it divided everything that makes this town great. It was disgusting."

Both Mark Soporowski and Joan Minnuies issued warnings. They said the plan will cause overcrowding in the two middle schools that remain open.