HILLSDALE—Residents will have one of the last opportunities to express opinions and ask questions about the $62.4 million George White renovation referendum on Monday, Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Meadowbrook School.
Pascack Press reached out to several local councilmembers, a former councilor, the mayor, and a resident who opposed the previous, $82.7 million, referendum to replace George White Middle School, to gather their views on the Tuesday, Sept. 17, referendum.
While they held diverse views, all urged voters to become informed about the George White renovation referendum, consider what needs to be done at the school, and, regardless of their decision, to vote on Sept. 17.
In an email sent to parents and the community, superintendent Robert Lombardy urged residents to attend the Aug. 26 school board meeting if they have questions or concerns. He also announced five new videos posted on YouTube that feature trustees detailing referendum highlights.
These brief videos include “Lower Cost, More State Aid,” with board president Justin Saxon; “Listening to Our Community,” with board vice president Christina Jennings; “Options Explored,” with trustee Salvatore Sileo; “Daily Challenges Inside George White,” with trustee Michael Kenduck; and “George White: Cornerstone of Hillsdale,” with trustee Kevin Donatello.
Lombardy also noted that residents can view the virtual forum held on Aug. 7 by visiting the district referendum website. The video includes a presentation on “Modernizing the Middle School,” which details the two questions on the referendum.
Question 1 proposes the full renovation of George White Middle School at a cost of $55,306,000, with $18 million in state aid. Question 2 proposes building a new two-story wing with six classrooms for projected enrollment increases and STEM classes, costing $7,052,000. No state aid was awarded for this new building construction.
Officials emphasize that Question 1 “must pass for Question 2 to pass.” Should voters reject Question 1 but approve Question 2, neither proposal would pass, notes the website.
When Pascack Press reviewed the trustees’ new YouTube videos on Aug. 19, the “Lower Cost, More State Aid” video had 65 views, while the others averaged around 50 views each. School officials have said that an average assessed home will pay approximately $840 more in property taxes should the referendum pass.
As of late July, the total number of registered local voters stood at 8,620, according to the Bergen County Clerk’s Office Elections Division. The registered voter breakdown included 2,625 Democrats, 2,469 Republicans, 3,473 unaffiliated voters, and fewer than 50 voters registered to the Green Party, Liberal Party, Natural Law Party, and Socialist Party.
Aug. 27 is the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot for the referendum. Additional voting information can be found on the district’s website.
Varied voices on referendum
Pascack Press recently reached out to public officials and residents for comments on the referendum. While most were reluctant to speak on the record, two council members, the current mayor, and one resident shared their views.
Councilwoman Abby Lundy and former councilor Anthony DeRosa, who served as BOE liaison and ran unsuccessfully for mayor, shared their perspectives.
Lundy said she felt the board was doing a “much better job” in providing information to residents for the upcoming referendum.
She said, “I think the Superintendent and the Board of Education are doing a much better job this time getting information out to the public through their new Facebook page (Hillsdale Public Schools), as well as a virtual presentation on Aug. 7 and a public Q&A at the Aug. 26 BOE meeting.”
She said, “They’ve also attended community events and made themselves available for discussion and questions. I think most residents want information and an understanding of the project and financing and how it will affect their property taxes.”
And she said, “As you know, the governing body is a separate entity from the BOE, and we have no purview or jurisdiction over the BOE. We’re only responsible for the municipal portion of the property tax, which accounts for approximately 20% of the total bill.”
Lundy said, “While I’m in favor of the borough disseminating as much information as possible so that residents can be properly informed before casting their vote in the referendum, I think my personal view is irrelevant. When I hear from or speak to residents, I ask them to reach out to the superintendent with any questions and to be as informed as possible. I have no sense of how the vote will go based on these conversations or what I read on social media or in the press.”
She said, “I hope that the time leading up to the referendum will be less polarizing than the last time, as we all live in the same community and will continue to do so after the vote.”
Former councilman Anthony DeRosa, who also served as council liaison to the local school board, acknowledged that “It’s a tough pill to swallow,” but emphasized that “something has to be done now to remedy this situation for the long term.”
“People settle in Hillsdale for different reasons: proximity to transportation, parks and recreational facilities, the charm of a working farm, and amenities like Stonybrook Swim Club. One of the most important reasons young families settle here is the exceptional elementary schools and high school. A good school system keeps families coming to town and keeps Hillsdale vibrant in many ways,” DeRosa said.
He said, “The George White school was old when I went there – and that was a long time ago! We can question why more significant investments haven’t been made to the school over the years, but we will still come back to the same place – the school is outdated and just a day away from significant, costly repairs, and something has to be done to address that.”
And he said, “I understand that this is a difficult financial decision for many residents or that they may not even have children in the Hillsdale public schools. For those people, I suggest you look at the referendum as an investment, an investment in your property value that you will recoup a portion of once you sell. I believe that people are more likely to pay a premium for a home in a town with a school system that’s in demand.”
DeRosa said, “I know it’s a tough pill to swallow, but something has to be done now to remedy this situation for the long term because the building isn’t getting any younger and the costs won’t be getting any lower if we wait.”
Renovation’s cost: ‘Very concerning to many’
Resident Adam Hampton, an opponent of the first referendum, acknowledged that “something needs to be done” but expressed concern about the cost.
“We feel that the proposed referendum cost is still too expensive for the residents of Hillsdale. Residents have been dealing with higher costs of most goods and services due to inflation over the last three years. Homeowners’ insurance rates are increasing drastically. People are getting rate increases of anywhere from 27% to 90%,” Hampton said.
“In February, PSEG proposed rate increases, which people are now starting to see in their bills, averaging around $25 more per month. We are seeing increases in municipal, county, and school taxes that do not include the proposed referendum tax,” he added.
He said, “Seniors and those on fixed incomes are being disproportionately affected by these increases. The senior tax freeze will not help people with inflationary costs, homeowners’ insurance rate increases, and utility bills increasing.”
He offered, “My only suggestion would have been for the district to have an open request for proposals process to solicit multiple architectural firms to submit concepts, plans, and costs. This way, they could have seen different ideas, and probably different costs.”
Hampton said, “Little Ferry School District passed a referendum for a $38 million new school. I would urge all residents to go to the New Jersey School Boards Association website and examine the referendum data that they have. At the end of the day, we all realize that something needs to be done. Everyone I speak to acknowledges it. The cost is very concerning to many people. Ultimately, everyone needs to make their own personal decision.”
Mayor Sheinfield: ‘No crystal ball’
As a Democratic mayor helming a council of six Republicans, Mayor Michael Sheinfield hears from residents and urges them to “seek out the facts” about the referendum.
Sheinfield told us, “I regularly hear from people throughout Hillsdale on a variety of issues, and this is one I hear about most often. To a person, everyone has said the school is in need of repairs/renovations. As expected, a mix of people see the benefits of making the investment and there are those who do not. If there was consensus among voters, we wouldn’t be going back to the polls on Sept. 17.”
He said, “I don’t have a crystal ball on this one. People have expressed their concerns to me about what happens if the school remains in its current state because the referendum fails, and concerns about the ramifications of significant renovations should it pass. I strongly encourage the residents of Hillsdale to seek out the facts on this important issue from credible sources and cast their votes accordingly.”