As the September 17 bond referendum nears, the Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD) offers an update on its planned restorations and expansions for its schools. In a joint statement, Board of Education President Anita Williams Galiano and Superintendent Rosetta Treece address misconceptions and explain the funding strategies intended to minimize the impact on taxpayers. The full statement is provided below.
Our schools’ challenges are complex, and Hopewell Valley Regional School District leaders have evaluated how to address them at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.
As we approach the September 17th bond referendum to Restore, Expand, and Protect our schools, HVRSD has been sharing the facts about our building needs and the funding strategy. We also find that correcting some misconceptions is necessary to ensure voters have the facts.
In addition to these clarifications, residents can go to hvrsd.org/vote to learn more about the vital proposal facing Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, and Pennington Borough voters. All three municipalities share the successes and challenges of maintaining a desirable and cost-efficient regional school district. The following points of clarification address email inquiries and public misinformation:
Many of the proposed projects cannot be considered “new.” Old roofing needs replacement to stop leaks and patchwork repairs. Outdated HVAC equipment continually strains the operating budget with breakdowns and inefficient energy use. Again, these are not new projects; they represent a plan to restore our aging schools.
The proposed additions to Bear Tavern Elementary and Toll Gate Grammar Schools move students out of outdated trailers and into the more secure main building. These trailers must offer our children the learning environment they deserve; their lifecycles can no longer provide that.
HVRSD is one of many school districts in New Jersey that use a bond referendum as a path toward building restoration and special state funding. Improvements for our schools are estimated at $87.1 million.
- State aid is committed to contribute $20.3 million toward those costs. That’s like a 23% off coupon.
- Taxpayers already pay into the state budget, and approval of a bond referendum is the only way some of that can come back to Hopewell Valley.
Approximately eight years have passed since the last school referendum. That process identified about $60 million worth of building needs, but the proposal was scaled back to $36 million. That lack of investment in maintenance left HVRSD to address these projects with a crisis mitigation approach, and they are ultimately more expensive due to inflation. “Headlines” back then are very similar to now because:
- Security standards continually evolve, and the last referendum only addressed some issues. If so, we would not need to replace classroom doors installed 60 years ago and fail to meet today’s safety codes.
- Replacement of roofing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment is ongoing. Roofs and HVAC systems are rarely replaced in their entirety. The 2016 referendum included the highest priority pieces based on condition. Similarly, the upcoming referendum includes critical roofing and HVAC systems that are in poor condition. Our schools regularly experience roof leaks and HVAC failures that disrupt student learning, sidetrack custodians, and result in repair bills.
- Our schools regularly experience roof leaks and HVAC failures that disrupt student learning, sidetrack custodians, and result in repair bills. Essentials, such as advancing accessibility, installing backup wells, and maintaining class sizes, are not frivolous projects.
The final point to be addressed concerns the proposed turf field. HVRSD holds a high standard for all extracurricular activities. The lingering impact of rain means we often need to bus students off campus to other facilities, resulting in ongoing transportation and safety issues.
HVRSD does not hold $15 million in the bank. A routine audit presented that amount as a snapshot in time—like when a paycheck has been deposited, but a mortgage payment hasn’t yet been withdrawn.
The commentary published last month and on social media is long on complaints and short on solutions. We hope this clarification and the information on our website provide the details our community needs. We all have common ground: We want strong schools and responsible budgeting. We recognize the value of cost efficiencies and $20.3 million in state aid from taxes our residents already pay. A referendum allows the district to access these funds, which we would not be eligible for outside of a referendum process.
Hopewell Valley is a beautiful place for families to put down roots and grow; we want to continue being an essential factor in that quality of life.
Anita Williams Galiano is president of the Board of Education, and Dr. Rosetta Treece is the Superintendent of Schools.
To read former mayor Vanessa Sandom and John Hart’s response, see https://mercerme.com/former-mayors-address-superintendents-concerns-with-solutions-for-hvrsd-referendum/
