Middlesex Borough School District
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Middlesex Borough School District Frequently Asked Questions Building for our Future (Updated May 26, 2016) The Middlesex Borough School District is exploring the possibility of improving its educational facilities through various upgrades, additions, renovations, and/or the building of a new school. These changes would address energy efficiency and building infrastructure to maximize the district’s resources, enhance the learning environment, and meet demographic and curriculum delivery requirements to prepare our students for their future. The district is currently seeking input from the community to shape the planning process. Below are responses to questions that have been raised multiple times by the public. The responses are for informational purposes. The questions have been edited and added to throughout the discussion process. The Board of Education is committed to taking the time necessary to do this work properly. They want to ensure that the district operates most efficiently while providing a learning environment and program that will maximize student learning potential. 1. How long will the process take from concept to completion? Typically the process from start to finish takes years. An exact timeline cannot be determined until a concept is in place. Typically a larger building project would take 24-30 months from the point of a referendum approved by the voters. At this point in the year and the process, a referendum vote will not take place in 2016. 2. What are the plans for Watchung and Parker? Currently there are no specific plans for Parker School or Watchung School, however, the Board is exploring ways to increase efficiencies and maximize resources as one of the possible reasons to build a new school rather than add onto an older less efficient structure or to maintain the older structures and build something new. Some ideas focus on consolidation that will reduce travel time between buildings for shared staff and reduce the replication of services in multiple locations as well as the costs of maintenance, heating, and utilities for less efficient buildings. 3. Are the schools in disrepair? No, budget money and allocations from capital and maintenance reserves have been applied toward repairs and upgrades incrementally over the years. That being said, there are unanticipated repairs that need to be completed each year within the confines of a fixed spending plan. Careful planning is done during the budgeting process to anticipate a year in advance which projects the district can afford to do, within a 2% tax levy cap. Frequently Asked Questions 4-11-16 5-6-16 revised 5-26-16 revised Page 1 4. Shouldn’t we keep Parker and Watchung because they have historic significance, they can’t cost that much money to upkeep? There is a difference between a building that is “historically significant” and one that has sentimental value because of its age. Brinkerhoof Associates is conducting research about Parker School and Watchung School to see if the buildings meet the criteria for being “historical” as part of the general survey of the facilities. All buildings require regular maintenance. Maintenance and repairs to 100+ year old buildings are challenging and costly with a return on investment that is less robust. Anticipating repairs is difficult because some repairs have unanticipated costs such as asbestos abatement which can cost almost as much as the repair or upgrade being made. A new building with its upgraded insulation, energy efficient heating and cooling and lighting, etc. in the long run is more cost effective. In addition, health and safety concerns can be addressed to provide a healthier learning/work environment for students and staff. 5. I heard the new school will be 5 stories, is that true? No, there is no architectural plan for a new school. 6. Why are you knocking down Parker and Watchung? At this time there is NO plan to knock down schools. However, it has been discussed that if a new centrally located elementary school is built there would be no need to keep Parker School. Space for a playground, etc. would be needed and could be accommodated if Watchung School was removed from the property. There has not been any offer of purchase for Parker or Watchung School. 7. Taking down the trees in front of Watchung School changed the whole landscape. Why would those trees be removed now? The trees were removed last year due to a storm that caused one of the trees at Watchung School to fall down. The district was very fortunate that this did not take place while school was in session, nor did the tree fall on the school building. The other trees were assessed by several arborists who recommended, because of the rot found within the trees, that they be removed as well. The district planted new trees to replace the 100 year old trees that were unfortunately lost. 8. What will the transportation cost be? Currently the district provides transportation to a limited number of students in the Middlesex School District. Students are entitled to busing if they live more than 2 miles from their school or across a dangerous crossing (such as the railroad tracks). We also transport special needs youngsters if their Individual Education Plan (IEP) requires it. Currently we Frequently Asked Questions 4-11-16 5-6-16 revised 5-26-16 revised Page 2 transport an average of 80-85 regular education students at an total approximate cost of $85,000 per year. It is anticipated that the cost would double if a new school is built on the Mauger/Watchung property. The transportation for special needs students would remain the same no matter where a new school might be built. 9. Isn’t it more expensive to build new schools than bring the other schools up to code? It is difficult to answer this question right now since there have not been any design plans for a new school, nor a plan done for renovating the existing schools. Renovations and additions have been discussed by the public and are on the table as an option. 10. Why isn’t the Board revealing their plan and letting us decide if we are interested? As responsible stewards of taxpayer money, the Board wants to be sure the public would generally support a referendum before committing a significant amount of money to plan a project that may not have support. Quite frankly the Board hasn’t revealed their plan because there is no plan. In fact, the Board is reluctant to move forward to authorize the architects and other necessary professionals to do the preliminary work to create a plan because of the cost to do so. If the residents do not even support the idea, the Board does not want to spend almost $200,000 to have the architect begin to conduct the necessary studies in order to see if a site plan can be developed. 11. What purpose does it serve to get the community’s ideas first? Getting community input allows the Board to evaluate what the community views as the state of their schools and to ask before spending a significant amount of money on putting a referendum plan together whether the community shares the view of the School Board. This process of due diligence will help the Board decide whether or not to move forward because a building project is a significant expense. It is also the Board’s wish to use this as a way to survey the community to ensure they have thought of everything before making a decision and to learn what information would be requested by the public to help them understand the process/needs. 12. Why do they keep repaving the road in front of the high school instead of fixing the drainage problem that keeps causing the potholes? The general public may not be aware that the school district owns only one road leading into Mountainview Park/MHS. The Board resurfaced John F. Kennedy Drive next to MHS as a change order to the MHS parking lot project a number of years ago. The Borough owns everything from the middle of the grass easement along John F. Kennedy Drive over to and including Mountainview Park. The Board owns the immediate property that the high school is built on. The Board does not own any of the playing facilities (football, baseball, softball, Frequently Asked Questions 4-11-16 5-6-16 revised 5-26-16 revised Page 3 soccer, tennis courts) used by the high school students. The Board engages in a shared services agreement with the Borough to use and help split the cost of maintenance and mutually agreed upon upgrades as needed. The Board of Education does own all the land around Hazelwood, Watchung, Mauger, and Parker Schools. The land/fields behind and around Watchung and Mauger are owned by the Board of Education. Building a new school on that property would not require the Board to buy land. 13. Do people who live in apartments pay taxes? Yes, taxes are assessed to the owner of the apartment complex. 14. Why can’t the schools just use OLMV? OLMV is a school owned by the Diocese of Metuchen. It is not for sale at this time; however it may be for rent. The Board investigated in 2013-14 the feasibility of leasing the school to ease space issues in the public schools. Dr. Madison met with Fr. Pat, toured the school facilities, and inquired about the cost to lease the building. The projected cost to lease the building per year was determined by the Board to be prohibitive. In addition, the Board would be required to bring the building up to current code compliance because it has not been an active school for multiple years.