| |||||||||||||||||||||||
New Jersey Newsroom - Jerseyans in 13 School Districts to Vote on Construction Proposals March 11
Star Ledger - Middletown voters overwhelmingly approve $32 million in school repairs
NJ Spotlight - Legislative Panel Hears Critics of ‘One Newark’ Blueprint for Schools
The Record 'Virtual school day' idea earns nod for innovation
New Jersey Newsroom - Jerseyans in 13 School Districts to Vote on Construction Proposals March 11
Monday, 10 March 2014 09:54
BY ANNE MARIE SMITH
SPECIAL TO NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
TRENTON - Voters in 13 New Jersey school districts will go to the polls on Tuesday, March 11, to vote on school construction referendums that would fund items ranging from roof replacements, to energy system upgrades, to security improvements. Many of the districts have proposed building new school vestibules, or installing new interior doors, to upgrade school security.
A total of $180,037,025 in construction is proposed in the 13 districts, with $80,077,346 of that eligible for state funding, if the projects are approved by voters.
The special elections will take place in Absecon and Greater Egg Harbor Regional in Atlantic County; Wallington in Bergen County; Mount Holly in Burlington County; Ocean City in Cape May County; Verona in Essex County; Glassboro in Gloucester County; the Clinton-Glen Gardner School District in Hunterdon County; Middletown Township in Monmouth County; Long Hill Township in Morris County; Bloomingdale in Passaic County; Mountainside in Union County; and Mansfield in Warren County. In most of the projects, state debt service aid or grant funds would be available to help cover a portion of the costs.
The second Tuesday in March is one of five dates during the year at which a school district can present construction bond issues to voters.
Tuesday’s special election is the busiest day at the polls in recent memory, for school construction proposals. On the last date on which district could hold special elections, Jan. 28, three proposals went before voters, two of which were approved.
New Jersey School Construction Referenda
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Total amount requested: $180,037,025
Amount eligible for state funding: $80,077,346
ATLANTIC COUNTY
Absecon – Various improvements to H. Ashton Marsh and Emma C. Attales Schools; plus necessary furniture and equipment, and site work.
Total project cost: $5,210,497
Amount eligible for state funding: $2,084,198
Greater Egg Harbor Regional—Renovations to three high schools, plus acquisition of necessary furniture and equipment, and site work.
Total project cost: $36,998,000
Amount eligible for state funding: $17,305,111
BERGEN COUNTY
Wallington – Interior door replacement, for school safety upgrade, at two schools; plus masonry replacement, partial roof replacement, interior painting.
Total project cost: $2,617,959
Amount eligible for state funding: $1,473,838
BURLINGTON COUNTY
Mount Holly – Installation of security doors, partial roof replacement, HVAC replacement and fire system replacement, and other improvements at three schools; plus acquisition of furniture, fixtures and equipment as may be necessary or related.
Total project cost: $20,479,526
Total eligible for state funding: $12,540,209.
CAPE MAY COUNTY
Ocean City – Improvements and renovations to Ocean City Primary School, including acquisition of equipment and site work. Of the total project cost, $1,101,497 would come from school district capital reserves.
Total project cost: $5,998,198
Total eligible for state funding: $2,497,422
ESSEX COUNTY
Verona – Security, technology, fire alarm and other upgrades at six schools; plus various gym bleacher upgrades, façade upgrades; and necessary equipment and site work.
Total project cost: $16,641,855
Total eligible for state funding: $5,199,644
GLOUCESTER COUNTY
Glassboro – Upgrade security, mechanical, electrical and other systems at five schools, plus music room renovation and conversion of space into a performing arts theater at Glassboro High School. Also, various classroom technology improvements, roof repairs, playground restoration, and acquisition of necessary furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Total project cost: $26,900,450
Amount eligible for state funding: $12,633,294
HUNTERDON COUNTY
Clinton-Glen Gardner School District – Roof, HVAC and fire alarm system replacement.
Total project cost: $2,104,250
Total eligible for state funding: $841,700
MONMOUTH COUNTY
Middletown – Upgrade geothermal systems at the high schools and middle schools, and replace roofs at high schools, middle schools and ten elementary schools.
Total project cost: $32,299,832
Amount eligible for state funding: $12,919,933
MORRIS COUNTY
Long Hill Township – HVAC upgrades at three schools, plus partial roof replacement at Millington Elementary School. Part of project financed with $500,000 of district capital reserves.
Total project cost: $3,274,530
Amount eligible for state funding: $1,309,812
PASSAIC COUNTY
Bloomingdale – Various improvements and renovations to Martha Day Elementary and Walter Bergen Middle schools.
Total project cost: $1,341,950
Amount eligible for state funding: $536,780
UNION COUNTY
Mountainside – Educational and physical plant renovations at Deerfield and Beechwood schools, including security and technology improvements. Work to include new secure entry vestibules; improvements of plumbing, electrical, lighting, heating, IT/AV systems; Deerfield School media center and locker room facilities renovations.
Total project cost: $19,484,628
Amount eligible for state funding: $7,793,851
WARREN COUNTY
Mansfield – HVAC, boiler, lighting, roof, fire alarm, kitchen and other upgrades; plus front entrance security improvements and construction of a new maintenance/storage building.
Total project cost: $6,685,350
Amount eligible for state funding: $2,941,554
Star Ledger - Middletown voters overwhelmingly approve $32 million in school repairs
By Rob Spahr/NJ.com The Star-Ledger
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on March 11, 2014 at 11:10 PM, updated March 11, 2014 at 11:24 PM
MIDDLETOWN – What’s a little boost in your tax bill if it means your town’s school children have functioning roofs over their heads and warm classrooms in which to learn?
Township voters made their opinions on that question known Tuesday when they decisively approved a bond referendum that will help fund $32 million in school repairs. In doing so, all or portions of the roofs on 15 of the district’s schools will now replaced and geothermal upgrades will be made at its three middle schools and two high schools.
Rob Spahr/NJ.com
According to unofficial results reported by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office late Tuesday night, voters approved the question 2,951 to 1,158, or about 72 percent to 28 percent. Those 4,109 votes represented just less than 9 percent of Middletown’s 47,960 registered voters, however do not include provisional or mail-ballots.
Even though the referendum passed by a large margin, Superintendent William George III said he did have some doubt heading into Tuesday’s vote that it would pass at all.
“I’m very grateful that the people of Middletown believed in this project and believe in our schools. And I’m also grateful to our Board of Education, who approved this project and supported it,” he said. “But this is a democratic process, there is always a doubt until the vote is over.”
George thanked the township’s voters for approving the projects, as well as parent groups and other school advocates for helping get the word out about the importance of the project.
“I want to thank the voters of Middletown on behalf of the children and their families for validating this referendum and facilitating this critical roofing and heating/cooling project,” he said. “It really speaks volumes about our community and the critical work that needs to be done.”
The $32 million project will be split between about $18 million for the roof repairs and roughly $14 million for the geothermal upgrades.
The school district has already been awarded $12.9 million in state grant funding, however, that will offset 40 percent of the expense of the overall project.
School officials said the estimated tax impact on the average assessed home in Middletown would be $62.67 per year for a 15 year bond if the referendum passes, which would equate to about $5.22 a month.
George said the district would act swiftly to get these projects underway.
“We’ll start working on getting this work out to bid as soon as possible and making sure that it is a competitive process,” he said. “Our goal is to finish these 15 roofs and five heating systems right away. We want to get the work done over the next two summers, while the students are not in school, and to make sure we take advantage of the nearly $13 million we’re getting from the state to help with the cost now that the referendum has passed.”
--For more information on the Middletown Township School District bond referendum, click here.
NJ Spotlight - Legislative Panel Hears Critics of ‘One Newark’ Blueprint for Schools
John Mooney | March 12, 2014
State education officials and embattled superintendent decline invitations to testify about controversial plan
It proved to be a quieter setting for debate over Newark’s controversial school reorganization plan – but it was not any less contentious.
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Public Schools yesterday hosted a Statehouse hearing on the plan known as “One Newark,” which calls for closing or consolidating a half-dozen city schools next year and the potential layoffs of up to 1,000 teachers in three years.
The hearing in Trenton was far less raucous than public forums on the “One Newark” plan that have been held in Newark over the last several months. Hundreds of activists and others have turned out to express strong opposition to the blueprint for the city’s schools, which are run by the state. Yesterday, no more than a few dozen people were on hand.
Nonetheless, the politics were clear, as the hearing turned out to be pretty one-sided affair against the “One Newark” plan, as both state Department of Education representatives and the state-appointed superintendent of Newark’s schools, Cami Anderson, declined invitations to attend.
Instead, the only testimony came from those opposed to the Anderson’s plan, including the Newark Teachers Union and the state’s largest teachers union, the NJEA, which called Anderson’s plan for layoffs a potential harbinger for school districts statewide.
The committee’s longstanding co-chair, state Sen. Ronald Rice Sr. (D-Essex), said the panel hoped Christie administration officials and Anderson would attend future hearings.
Who was invited and who deferred was its own topic of discussion. The state Department of Education staff declined, Rice said, due to the imminent change of leadership from outgoing state commissioner Chris Cerf to his appointed successor, David Hespe.
Newark’s response was more complicated. The committee contended its invitation was sent three weeks ago, with no response. But Anderson’s staff said she already had a previous engagement at a conference on early childhood education.
Anderson’s spokesman, Matthew Frankel, yesterday stood by the explanation, but also called the makeup of the witnesses “suspect” and clearly stacked against Anderson.
Rice said afterward that he hoped the crossed signals would be sorted out for future hearings, of which he said there would be several.
“We’ll invite Cami again, and we’ll hope she comes,” he said.
He acknowledged the witnesses yesterday were mostly people and groups critical of “One Newark,” in large part because they are the ones raising concerns.
“That’s why we had wanted her to come before the committee,” he said of Anderson.
The testimony was, nonetheless, hardly brief. Among those speaking was Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson, the president of the local advisory committee that has been clashing with Anderson, and the officers of the Newark Teachers Union, which has protested the layoff plans.
Baskerville-Richardson called for the committee to press the Christie administration to remove Anderson, but that’s a power the committee does not hold.
But there did appear some sentiment on the panel to at least press the administration to be more forthcoming. A motion was presented to ask the full Legislature to grant the committee subpoena power to compel Anderson to testify, more a symbolic act than legal one.
The committee balked at a final vote on the motion until its full membership could be on hand, but even Republicans said they wished the Christie administration and Anderson were more transparent.
“This is a story we hear so often,” said state Assemblyman David Wolfe, (R-Ocean) of the administration’s failure to come before the committee. “This is not only very frustrating, but an affront to us as legislators.”
‘There is a reason when we ask people to come before us," he said. "We want answers.”
The Record 'Virtual school day' idea earns nod for innovation
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 By Mary Diduchi
While the state continues to weigh whether the Pascack Valley Regional High School District's "virtual school day" last month will count as an official school day, a district administrator already has earned an accolade for the day's implementation.
The National School Board Association's Technology Leadership Network on Tuesday announced that Barry Bachenheimer, the district's director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, has been named among the group's "20 to Watch" educational leaders from across the country this year.
Bachenheimer was named to the list because of the implementation of the "virtual school day" last month, piloted for the first time in the state. Students used online portals, email and social media to connect with their teachers and complete a full day of school work from home on school-issued laptops while the campus was closed because of snow.
"The '20 to Watch' honorees offer real-world examples of how new technologies are being used to impact learning and how these new tools may influence or inform policy," said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA's executive director, in a release.
The list was created in 2006, and honorees will be recognized at a conference next week in Washington, D.C.
