BY JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
WESTWOOD REGIONAL SCHOOLS —— Voters in the Township of Washington and in the Borough of Westwood agreed, 1,741 to 1,073, with a district proposal to spend approximately $24 million to significantly expand Westwood Regional Middle School.
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Work should be completed in 18 to 24 months, including time needed for preparing the bond, refining the design, and preparing the construction bid package, district leaders said Wednesday.
Following the Dec. 12 referendum, annual taxes in both communities will rise: $13.74 per $100,000 of assessed home value in the Township of Washington and $14.02 in the Borough of Westwood, according to a state formula using district estimates.
The district will borrow the full amount of the project’s estimated cost and then apply capital reserves and state aid to pay down the bulk of that amount.
At the Dec. 14 school board meeting, members authorized the business administrator to sell year-one bond principal through bond anticipation notes by year end in order to be eligible for maximum debt service.
Estimated payment will be $2,943,452 in state debt service aid, $13,097,000 in capital reserves, and $99,548 in a budgeted appropriation for debt service.
Interest on the bond anticipation note’s $16,140,000 principal will be funded through the 2018-19 general operating budget.
In spring 2018, for years two to 20, the remaining bond principal, $7,751,000, will be sold. It, and interest of $3,556,230, will be paid over the life of the bond by $2,062,099 state debt aid and $9,245,131 local tax levy.
Conditions at the existing Westwood Regional Middle School, formerly Ketler Elementary School, at 23 Third Ave. in Westwood, are cramped, at 43,928 square feet.
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Ketler was not designed to serve the district’s full complement of middle schoolers, who have unique academic, emotional, and developmental needs, Gonzalez and other district leaders have been telling voters at some two dozen public education sessions in both communities.
Currently, the district’s sixth and seventh grades attend the regional middle school. The eighth grade attends the regional junior/senior high school, at 701 Ridgewood Road, which itself faces pressure from increased enrollment.
When construction is finished, likely in 2020, incoming eighth-graders will no longer go to the junior/senior high school but instead will have been prepared for a needed third year of on-site middle schooling and support.
Township of Washington Mayor Janet Sobkowicz and Westwood Mayor John Birkner Jr. told Pascack Press on Wednesday that the referendum result is a win for both communities.
Board of Education President Darlene Mandeville told Pascack Press on Wednesday, “To say I am overjoyed would be an understatement.”
Of the margin of victory, she said, “It just reinforced what the board knew—our communities really care about the education our students receive and are looking for responsible fiscal management, clear communication, and a comprehensive plan.”
Also on Wednesday, Gonzalez sounded buoyant in a phone interview, saying he, like many others, watched the ballot returns stream in over the district’s referendum web portal via wwrsd.org.
“It feels like a $24 million middle school child was just born,” he said.
Gonzalez declined to call the result a mandate, characterizing it instead as “a strong vote of confidence in what we all want to do for our students.”
He added, “This wasn’t just moms and dads; this was all members of our school community coming together, though of course there were ‘no’ votes too. It gives me confidence that the school community sees this as a priority.”
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What’s next
Westwood was the lone K-12 district in Bergen County, and one of only two in the state, not to have a so-called “true” middle school serving its grades 6-8 under one roof.
Through the referendum, voters are buying a 50,224-square-foot, two-story expansion that includes new and renovated academic and student support spaces.
Highlights include a 7,200-square-foot gymnasium with new locker rooms, a 4,640-square-foot media center, renovated music and band rooms, bolstered special education accommodations, a new nurse suite, and enhanced security.
The gymnasium will be available for community use after hours, Gonzalez said.
Shovels likely will break ground in the summer of 2018, with the demolition of the middle school’s disused maintenance garage, Gonzalez said.
Interior work at the middle school will start next, with workers building out from there from summer on.
Gonzalez said “there’s no way we’ll be able to avoid construction during the 10 months of the school year” but pledged every effort will be made to minimize construction distractions for students and staff.
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Town, borough leaders react to the vote
Mayor Janet Sobkowicz, herself an educator, said “I think [the referendum’s passage] is a good thing for the district in terms of keeping up with best practices in education—the state of the art.”
She said the referendum benefitted from its December date, as it takes place when “people are in a giving mood”—part of the district’s calculus in scheduling it now, a month after the general election.
She also said she had heard from some who were voting no on the grounds that they don’t have children in the school system.
“People who didn’t vote for it can at least feel confident they’re getting something for it,” she said, speaking to the district’s prediction of improved property values.
“People are always worried about taxes, especially with the new federal tax plan—though that’s not a done deal—but having a good school system with a true middle school experience like this will keep property values good,” she said.
Westwood Mayor John Birkner told Pascack Press the expansion will “take the district to the next level. You’ll see the kids flourish because of it.”
He added he would have liked to have seen better turnout at the polls, given the large capital expenditure involved.
Of the proposal’s victory, he said voters “recognize the need and benefits of a good education system. […] There’s a very ‘community’ feel here. I think that’s why this referendum passed.”
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By the numbers
In Westwood, of 7,635 eligible voters, 1,425 cast votes for an 18.66 percent turnout. Of these, 887 voted yes and 538 voted no.
In Washington, of 7,073 eligible voters, 1,064 cast ballots—a 15.04 percent turnout. Of these, 849 voted yes and 534 voted no.
Overall, according to figures the township provided, the win of 1,741 to 1,073 constitutes a win of 61.8 percent to 38.2 percent.
Both municipalities took in provisional ballots, which would have been counted after press time. The tally will change slightly at that point, but not enough to affect the outcome, officials said.