A year ago on October 10, 2023, the candidates running for a 3-year position on the Harding Board of Education participated in a forum. Currently, Harding and Madison have a contract that sends Harding’s graduating students of their K-8 school to Madison, but this contract is set to expire in June 2026. At the meeting, every candidate hinted at the possibility of Harding moving on from Madison. Alexander Anastasiou said Harding should explore their options, George Boyan insisted that Harding needed to keep Madison accountable while letting parents decide where they want to go, while Abhinov Singh noted that Harding should look into different opportunities. Although they didn’t know it yet, this forum would erupt into a months-long debate between the Harding community and the Board of Ed.
Harding has had a long history with Madison, which started 50 years ago when Harding decided to switch from sending their students from Morristown High School to Madison High School. Since then, Harding has been involved in sports, clubs, parades, concerts, and countless other activities. Overall, there haven’t been any major issues over the years. When Harding residents heard that they might send their students to Chatham instead, they were shocked.
On Monday, August 26, 2024, the Harding Board of Ed. held a meeting to discuss this transition. In total, 38 people commented on the possible transition. Out of the 38, roughly 26 people spoke out against the transition, 2 spoke in favor of the transition, and 10 held neutral standings. The people in favor of the transition had the same opinion: Chatham has slightly better rankings than Madison, and Harding’s past Principal, Mary Donohue, is on their Board of Education. On the other hand, people against the transition had the following points: they were worried about Chatham’s size with new housing units, the opportunities students had in sports and the arts in a bigger school, mental health issues, the friendships built in Madison through sports, the transition Harding would have to go through if they made the change, and the amount of time teachers would be able to give students in a bigger school. On top of this, they noted that rankings don’t define a school, the amount of students taking APs is increasing at Madison, and the referendum passed in Madison improved the conditions of the high school. Members of the Madison Board of Education, both past and present, said that they are willing to talk out any issues. They also noted that this could impact their decision to let Harding back in the future if Madison decides to fill the vacancies from Harding students with offerings to other districts. People who held a neutral opinion all asked for the same thing: more information, including a timeline of events, and allowing residents to have a say in the decision by holding a poll. In the final thoughts of the meeting, Mr. Gjivoje stressed that nothing was permanent, but noted that Mr. Singh and Mr. Bruno were both mistreated by the Madison Board of Ed and that rankings weren’t considered when this transition was mentioned. On the topic of a timeline, he said that both Madison and Harding have to give notice by January 1, 2026, on whether to go through with the transition.
Following this meeting, the Chatham Board of Education held a meeting on September 16, 2024, to discuss this issue. Overall, people who spoke at the meeting were against the move. They were worried about the cost, the number of students attending Chatham, the amount of time they would attend, the issue with sports, and teacher availability. Dr. Lasusa replied to these worries by noting that the money they will receive from Harding to send their students to Chatham can solve most of these issues, including hiring more teachers, and that they should have room for the next 6-8 years. Jill Weber noted that taxpayers benefit from this transition. Altogether, Chatham’s Board of Education will benefit from the transition by gaining a money source to solve some of their issues, even if their community is against this transition. Chatham’s Board of Education is separate from their recreational sports, which means that Chatham Recreation has to approve Harding to play with them. Regardless of Chatham’s Board of Ed. decision, they can deny or approve Harding, meaning that Harding could be left without sports if they decide to deny them.
Because this whole situation was infuriating to some Harding residents, they decided to make it known. They made a Facebook group called HTS to MHS to serve as a friendly forum for Madison, Harding, and Chatham community members to talk about this contract renewal. Since it was created, dozens of people have commented on the page. Parents discussed their worries, including the pricing: the current rate for students to attend Madison is $15,177, while at Chatham it is $23,000. One anonymous commenter from Chatham mentioned that students struggle to get into college due to the class size; students are competing with their peers to get into their first-choice schools, and since more students are applying, it makes the odds even slimmer. They also noted that cuts are prevalent in sports; Harding students in competition with Chatham athletes who have connections to the school might struggle to stay in their sport. Even as people posted on the page how it was a “done deal”, Harding residents are still fighting back by creating a petition which has gained over 200 signatures. On top of this, they created a store to purchase signs. Shortly after the store closed, they noticed that they were disappearing rapidly; people were going around town, stealing signs from public places, including Harding Township School. In response, they opened up the store again, only to have a surge in purchases, eventually selling out. The next Harding Board of Education meeting is set to take place on October 21, and the Board is planning on having the topic of the transition brought up again. The Facebook group hopes to reach their goal of 500 signatures before this meeting.
A Separate Personal Note from the Writer:
I have attended Madison High School for 4 years. Before I came to Madison, I attended Harding for 10 years. I’ve had an amazing experience at both, but frankly, I am a bit disappointed in Harding’s response to this situation. This all started with a disagreement between a Harding Board of Education member and a Madison Board of Education member who has since left the board. Madison’s Board admitted Harding and Madison have an “ugly” past, but they are willing to work past this quarrel. Chatham isn’t inherently better than Madison, and for Harding students transitioning, it might be worse for them. I have played for Madison’s soccer teams for over 10 years, and I have made lasting friendships through it. Just last year, Harding was able to play with Madison students at a concert that featured bands from middle school up to the highest level in high school. Coming from Harding’s band, I loved being able to see my old band director and play with Harding one last time. I’ve loved my experience at Madison, and I know dozens of other students who have attended Harding as well would agree. I hope that the Harding Board of Education can look past the difficulties we’ve had with Madison in the past, and seek to benefit the students who have deep roots in Madison.