HILLSDALE—A school board official said that a George G. White referendum website will likely be up and online by fall to provide information and answer questions about the March 2023 referendum on a proposed $82.5 million replacement of the century-old middle school on Magnolia Avenue.
Board Vice President Sal Sileo told Pascack Press June 28 that the district plans to hire a public relations consultant to put together a website soon.
“That’s what we’re looking to be doing,” he said, following a parent forum on the new state-mandated health and physical education standards.
The school board meets twice during the summer: July 18 and Aug. 22.
In 2021, school districts in River Vale and Montvale hired a Cherry Hill firm build websites and send out information about proposed school referendums.
Both referendums were approved by voters, though one minor element of River Vale’s school referendum for wellness centers was declined at the polls.
It was not clear what company the Hillsdale school district was considering.
The River Vale referendum in April 2021 offered voters a chance to vote on three public questions for school upgrades totaling $35.7 million. Montvale voters approved a schools’ referendum in December 2021 for nearly $30 million to upgrade facilities.
In mid-June, school trustees voted to approve an $82.5 million referendum on replacing the middle school. Several other renovation options were considered, at lesser costs, ranging from about $25 million, to $52 million and $60 million.
The $82.5 million replacement was estimated to cost the average taxpayer an additional $100 monthly, or about $1,300 annually, over a 20-year bond term, according to an April 11 DiCara Rubino Architects’ presentation.
School officials stressed then that all renovation options involved needing to move students for 18-24 months into temporary trailers at an estimated $3.7 million to $4 million cost.
At the mid-June meeting where trustees approved the referendum question, a half-dozen residents peppered trustees with questions about tax impacts, lower cost alternatives, and an alleged lack of public information and outreach on the proposed options and replacement.
Some criticized the district for not posting the full architect’s April 11 presentation on the district website. The presentation was still not online as of July 5, and school officials said it would likely be posted when a referendum website goes online this fall.
Departing school board president Shane Svorec told approximately 30 residents at the June 13 meeting that the $82.5 million middle school replacement option was “extremely frugal” and “fiscally responsible.”
See “$82.5M middle school vote approved for 2023,” Pascack Press, June 20, 2022.