MONTVALE—More than 80 people took part in the public school district’s $29.4 million bond referendum virtual forum on Nov. 10, in advance of the special election it’s called for Tuesday, Dec. 14.
At the session, which lasted more than 90 minutes, the district noted that Montvale faces losing its small class sizes and its critical teacher-student relationships — and more than $7 million in state aid that’s available only through a successful referendum.
Schools superintendent Darren Petersen said falling short at the polls “would be really challenging for the board. We’d be in a very difficult predicament” with the district’s old boilers. “We’d figure it out but we wouldn’t be able to do what we planned to do. It wouldn’t be good, let’s put it that way.”
Board President Ernie DiFiore said the board did its due diligence at Memorial Elementary School and Fieldstone Middle School and found boilers failing and problems with aged HVAC systems, where air filters needed during the pandemic could not be added.
“When you consider that we do value our small class size … we do have an increasing population coming, we’ve done our own demographic study and I believe the town did one as well and we do believe we are having more students come into town from the developments,” DiFiore said.
He said homes being sold in Montvale are being sold to families with children and that with this referendum passing more classroom space would be ready for them by 2026.
(Similarly, Westwood Regional School District, serving Westwood and the Township of Washington, is looking at its demographics and anticipating a need for more classroom space.)
Montvale Public Schools are asking its district’s 6,808 registered voters to approve $29.4 million for upgrades to both Memorial Elementary School and Fieldstone Middle School. The public referendum question offers a yes or no vote on the entire amount.
The district said an average homeowner would pay $325 for 25 years to pay off the $22.2 million portion of bond costs not reimbursed by state aid. If voters approve the referendum, school officials said approved state education aid would cover $7.2 million of the cost.
Mayor Michael Ghassali has thrown his personal support behind the measure, on Nov. 8 advising residents, “Numerous developments in town will likely help to offset much of this cost for taxpayers.”
The mayor, a two-term Republican, said, “I believe that these improvements to our schools are a necessary investment in our town and in our children’s futures.”
(See “Mayor endorses $29.4M schools bond,” Pascack Press, Nov. 14, 2021.)
Any resident planning to vote by mail who is not yet signed up can submit a vote-by-mail application to the county clerk’s office by Tuesday, Dec. 7. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Dec. 14.
In-person voting on Tuesday, Dec. 14 is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting districts 1, 2, and 3 vote at the Senior Community Center, One Memorial Drive; District 4 votes at the Municipal Complex, 12 Mercedes Drive, 2nd Floor, Council Chambers.
Unlike the general election that just passed, there is no early in-person voting for the school bond referendum.
More families inbound
According to the district, a 2019 demographics study estimated “another 100-plus students could enroll over the five-year timespan that we are in the middle of. By 2023-24, the district is projected to grow from current enrollment of about 940 to 1,090 students.”
It adds, “However, we can’t rely on the actual student count to spread as evenly as a mathematic average. We want to allow flexibility for growth, even if it arrives as ‘bubbles’ impacting a few grades with larger class sizes.”
DiFiore said should the bond not be approved, “We’re going to have to take some evasive action with basically our hands tied behind our backs because we’d have to start the process all over again. These are things that the board has identified need to be addressed and this is the process in which we address them.”
He added, “Hopefully the public agrees and allows us to take the actions that need to be taken to make sure our district remains a top school district that it is.”
By the numbers
District officials and their bond counsel said that most facilities improvements, including the new and repurposed classroom spaces, HVAC upgrades, increased classroom security such as new doors and inside locking mechanisms, ADA-compliant ramps at Fieldstone, boiler replacements, improved fire alarm systems, and restroom renovations, need to be done even without an approved referendum.
However, officials emphasized that the referendum provides nearly 25% state aid for education-related projects that are long-needed and facilities upgrades the district must undertake due to projected increases in enrollment and long-delayed modernization of its facilities and physical plant.
These include improvements in safety and security, improved facilities including five new classrooms at Memorial Elementary School and to repurpose existing space at Fieldstone for modern art and music classes, plus a wellness center and additional classrooms.
Moreover, funds would be used to replace boilers (some 60-plus years old) and replace heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This would add air conditioning to all spaces without it or relying on inefficient systems.
Restrooms at both schools would be renovated and a new restroom facility would be built near Fieldstone’s athletic fields.
At the forum, officials such as Petersen, Business Administrator Andrea Wasserman, and DiFiore, plus district teachers and the consulting architect and bond counsel — fielded questions in a “chat room” and called in by residents.
DiFiore said the 2019 demographics study projected 748 new housing units coming into town and one estimate is both schools will see another 150 students by 2025.
He said residents without children in school should think back to why they moved to Montvale, suggesting it was at least in part due to the school district’s winning reputation.
The district said a resident considering selling a home in the next five to eight years can consider the cost of the proposed improvements as an investment toward a higher selling price and/or easier selling process.
“At $325 per year, that investment would be an estimated $1,625 to $2,600. It would be a fraction of the value of a speedy, profitable sale,” notes the district’s bond referendum website.
Wasserman said though the state education department initially approved a $38 million bond referendum for Montvale’s schools in 2020, the average annual $460 property tax increase made that proposal a non-starter.
She said the referendum was pared down to the $29.4 million by removing most new construction from the proposal. She previously noted state aid does not cover new construction.
Check out the district’s referendum web portal at montvalek8.org/future for a breakdown of costs and projects, frequently asked questions, a video overview, and a link to the Nov. 10 virtual school bond forum video. Residents can email their questions to future@montvalek8.org.
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