HILLSDALE—The Board of Education voted unanimously Feb. 12 to submit plans for a $61 million renovation of George G. White Middle School to the state education department and Bergen County schools superintendent for their review and approval.
The board’s 5-0 vote also authorized the submission of the renovation’s schematic plans to the Planning Board for its review. The vote to move forward is the first step toward a Sept. 24 referendum vote on the proposal. Trustees anticipate receiving approximately $16 million in state aid on the renovation project, officials have said.
The board’s referendum timeline anticipates receipt of a preliminary eligible costs’ (PEC) letter from the state education department by June indicating the exact amount of state aid to be awarded; in July 2024, trustees must submit a final referendum question to the county Board of Elections for a Sept. 24 referendum vote.
The proposed renovation will cost the average homeowner $867.85 more in property taxes, or $72.32 per month, for a bond term of 20 years. The referendum follows the nearly 2-to-1 defeat of a prior $82.7 million school bond referendum in March 2023 that sought to replace the aged middle school with a completely new building, plus a new artificial turf field.
The vote to move forward followed three public forums where school officials solicited public feedback on three renovation options, which ranged $61 million to $71 million.
Based on public comments at the forums, school officials said most residents appeared to favor the lowest cost option at $61 million, which offered a full renovation of the century-old middle school, plus the addition of six classrooms for STEM classes and projected enrollment increases. Also, reconstruction of the multi-purpose room with two classrooms, and siting and maintenance of temporary modular classrooms for approximately two years will be included.
A “full renovation” includes new windows, doors, HVAC, roof, asbestos abatement, new multipurpose room, new classroom/stage, kitchen storage, and added restrooms. Fifth-graders remain at the middle school under this lowest cost proposal, said officials. No new artificial turf field is included in the proposal.
Under Option 1 and Option 2, fifth graders were relocated back to new classrooms that would have been built at both elementary schools. Option 1 cost $65,7 million and Option 2 cost $71.2 million, Both options were not favored by a consensus of residents who attended the three public forums held in October, November and January, school officials said.
At the Feb. 12 meeting, Supt. Robert Lombardy and Kevin Donatello provided an overview of steps leading up to the board’s decision to propose a $61 million public question.
The board also proposes to break the $61 million referendum into a two-question ballot. Question A asks voters to approve a $54,114,000 proposal for a full renovation of the middle school. This costs an average assessed homeowner $724.98 yearly, or $60.42 monthly.
Question B asks voters to approve a $7,143,000 proposal for a six-classroom addition for enhanced STEM programming and a projected increase in enrollment. This costs an average assessed homeowner $142.80 yearly, or $11.90 monthly.
Board vice president Christina Jennings said both questions needed to be passed, noting more families moving into her neighborhood with children. “It’s important to have room for kids as they come up,” she said, adding “Question 2 gives us what we need and we need classrooms.”
Donatello noted assessed values for homes can be found on annual property tax statements or looked up on the borough website by putting in a home’s lot and block number. Officials showed a chart that broke out referendum costs for homes assessed between $300,000 to $600,000, with costs estimated at $50,000 assessed increases.
For example, a home assessed at $300,000 would pay a net tax impact of $548.08 yearly, or $45.67 monthly. However, a home assessed at $550,000 would pay a net tax impact of $1,004.98 yearly, or $83.73 monthly.
The chart can be found in the superintendent’s Jan. 11 slideshow posted on the district website’s home page.
District officials insist both public questions should be approved by the voters and are needed to improve the middle school and bring local students into a 21st century learning setting. If both are not approved, Lombardy previously said he’s likely to be soon back before voters with another referendum to add needed classrooms to the middle school, and at an increased cost.
Donatello told several residents at the Feb. 12 meeting that if you vote no on the first question, your vote is complete. However, if you vote yes, you can then vote on Question B.
A couple of residents who spoke briefly appeared in favor of the referendum question, one noting the importance of a quality education and another wondering about how school officials planned on marketing the referendum, in light of “sparse attendance” at a recent public forum.
Lombardy said he would devise an outreach plan soon, which may include more in-person meetings, a refreshed website, social media, mailers, and possibly a presentation before the mayor and council.