HILLSDALE—Parents and taxpayers are invited to attend a forum on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. at George G. White Middle School where district officials hope to explain detailed renovation options for the 100-year-old middle school following defeat of an $82.7 million bond referendum in March.
The meeting, superintendent Robert Lombardy told families in a recent letter, will “provide the different options considered as a result of the meeting held last June. Due to both technical and space limitations of the cafeteria, we are working on hiring a videographer to record the meeting so anyone unable to attend can view the meeting at a later time.”
In June nearly 100 residents filled the middle school multi-purpose room and offered suggestions following the referendum’s defeat. School officials took notes and said that they presented the suggestions to architect DiCara Rubino for discussion.
At the Aug. 28 board meeting, school officials said suggestions included moving fifth-graders from the middle school and back to the district’s two elementary schools, finding more space on the middle school grounds, and modifications of both options.
Following the referendum’s defeat, school officials warned that no future renovation option was inexpensive. Officials have said they hope to offer another referendum question on George White’s renovation in September 2024.
Prior to the March 14 referendum to replace George White Middle School with a state-of-the-art facility, and new artificial turf field, some residents dinged the board for not broadcasting its meetings, or recording them and posting them later online.
Borough Councilman Anthony DeRosa, liaison to the board, also urged the district to broadcast meetings, especially given the public interest in the school bond referendum.
So far, school officials have not indicated any interest in broadcasting or recording their regular meetings. Some critics have complained that elderly residents, as well as busy working parents, cannot attend the monthly meetings that start at 5:30 or 6 p.m. on Mondays.
The next regular meeting is Monday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. at Ann Blanche Smith School, 1000 Hillsdale Ave. Lombardy wrote, “As the year opens, our Board of Education remains committed to addressing the decades-long challenge that surrounds the George G. White Middle School property. The need for updating and creating space to accommodate our current and future learners and programming, along with replacing an aging infrastructure inclusive of HVAC, electric, roofing, windows, doors and outdoor recreation space are all among the priorities.”
He said, “Each of these challenges are significant and there is no small fix.”
He added, “I am confident that together we will work toward a plan that makes the learning experience and learning setting for Hillsdale children among the best in Bergen County for many years to come.”
At the Aug. 28 meeting, Board President Nicole Klas said that the district wants residents involved in the feedback process about potential options. “There is no cheap option at this point. I think people just really have to understand that concept — it’s like a menu, we’re working with different options.”
She said the options on the table involved “disrupting” three schools, and involved costs, trailers, sacrifices and logistics. “People just have to come with an open mind and just see that we thought over a lot of stuff,” she added. (See “BOE to present George White options; fall 2024 vote eyed,” Michael Olohan, Sept. 4, 2023, Pascack Press.)
Following the referendum’s nearly 2-1 defeat in March, the district posted on its Road To Referendum portal a likely scenario for a next referendum.
“No matter what direction the board takes next, a bond referendum is likely in Hillsdale’s future. We have known for years that the large-scale renovation that George White needs cannot be paid for from the annual operating budget,” said the district.
The website notes the path to another referendum as including:
- Three to five months to hear community input and, based on that, direct architects and engineers to develop and submit preliminary plans for state approval.
- Six months for the state Department of Education to review/approve applications from Hillsdale.
- Three to five months to inform the community about the plan and cost details before a referendum.