HILLSDALE—A public forum to discuss “next steps” for the Hillsdale Public School District to take on the century-old George G. White Middle School is set for Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the middle school cafetorium.
On March 14, local voters, by a nearly 2-1 margin, defeated an $82.7 million bond referendum to replace the existing middle school with a new, state of the art facility and a new recreational field.
The district had created a web portal, Road to Referendum, to promote the referendum, produced a video and brochure, and held an online Q&A forum to answer resident questions on the referendum
Superintendent Robert Lombardy emailed families May 2 urging them to register for the forum.
He said, “As we have communicated in the past, George G. White Middle School has long been showing its age from nearly a century of wear and tear. 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 and doors are all among the priorities.”
Lombardy said, “Each of these challenges are significant and there is no ‘small fix’ to what has been a problem that has persisted for over a decade.”
He said, “To gain feedback about next steps we are holding an open forum meeting where residents can come and share input and possible productive solutions for consideration to address the challenges that exist.”
The forum is in-person only, said Lombardy. The district does not broadcast school board meetings, although it did conduct a referendum forum on Zoom.
On Road to Referendum, the district notes, “The option to renovate George G. White Middle School — which was explored in the early development phases of the March 14 referendum — is not an automatic next step. 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 GW needs cannot be paid for from the annual operating budget.”