As the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education reviewed its own governance and communication practices Monday night, several residents used public comment to press district leaders on enrollment growth, PILOT agreements, school overcrowding and the increasingly difficult financial pressures facing the district.
The May 18 meeting blended routine end-of-year business with broader conversations about public communication, development, school funding and how the district navigates issues that board members repeatedly described as extending beyond the local level.
Board reviews self-evaluation and governance
A significant portion of the meeting focused on the board’s annual self-evaluation presentation led by New Jersey School Boards Association Field Service Representative Mary Ann Friedman.
The self-evaluation process asks board members to reflect on governance practices, communication, strategic planning and oversight of district operations.
Communication and public engagement emerged as recurring themes throughout the discussion.
The presentation also included recognition of Assistant Superintendent for Finance Robert Colavita, who is retiring after 24 years with the district.
“I know they are going to miss you, Mr. Colavita,” Friedman said. “I will miss you as their BA.”
Friedman noted Colavita plans to continue working with the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials helping train future school business administrators.
The board later moved through a range of routine end-of-year agenda items tied to staffing, personnel, summer programs and district operations for the upcoming school year.
Government and Community Relations Committee Chair Dhruv Kapadia also updated the board on a student survey connected to a proposal exploring whether municipalities should lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. Kapadia said roughly 75% of surveyed high school students expressed support for the idea. Data continues to be evaluated to determine if there is interest in the idea.
Residents raise concerns about development and school impacts
Public comment later shifted heavily toward growth, development and the impact PILOT agreements are having on district schools and infrastructure.
Resident Steve Niederer told the board that frustration over overcrowding and enrollment growth should not be directed at school officials.
“A lot of people were frustrated at you guys right now, but they shouldn’t be frustrated at any of you whatsoever,” Niederer said. “It’s all Hopewell Township Committee that have made these decisions and these agreements and is putting a lot of pressure on you.”
Niederer referenced the new developments and PILOT agreements, and argued the district is already seeing enrollment impacts from development projects that exceeded earlier projections.
“Your hands are tied, and now you’re getting an influx of students,” he said.
He also criticized the structure of PILOT agreements, noting that municipalities receive the overwhelming majority of PILOT revenue while schools continue absorbing enrollment and infrastructure pressures.
“Our infrastructure is struggling,” Niederer said. “That sixteen point one million dollars or whatever that went to Bear Tavern is a drop in the bucket for the amount that needs to go to our education.”
Niederer urged continued advocacy for directing more PILOT revenue toward education and public safety.
Eco PTO proposal highlights outdoor learning
Public comment also included a presentation from Kristen Broderick connected to the Eco PTO, who discussed expanded outdoor learning opportunities and referenced emerging California legislation promoting outdoor education programs.
Broderick cited California Assembly Bill 2158, which proposes a statewide outdoor learning pilot program and identifies benefits including student engagement, mental health, academic performance and environmental literacy.
“We believe that we are at least a partial tangible solution to systemic wellness within the education system,” Broderick told the board.
The proposal discussed increasing opportunities for nature-based and outdoor educational activities within district schools.
Board President Anita Williams Galiano later praised the Eco PTO during the board’s response to public comment for all of the work that has been happening across the district with planting and outdoor related education.
Board members point to state restrictions and broader funding issues
Following public comment, district administrators and board members spent nearly 30 minutes responding to questions surrounding school funding, PILOTs, healthcare costs and public communication.
Colavita explained that many of the district’s financial pressures are driven by state regulations and restrictions that limit local flexibility.
Discussing rising healthcare costs, Colavita said residents often assume the district can simply rebid insurance plans to lower expenses.
“You can’t,” Colavita said, explaining that state rules currently prevent changes to the district’s healthcare structure until 2027.
Colavita also pointed to broader state funding and budget limitations, including the impacts of New Jersey’s school funding law and restrictions on annual tax levy increases.
“We don’t like to raise taxes,” Colavita said. “We see what’s coming and we’re trying to manage it as best we can.”
He emphasized that sustained partnerships with municipalities will be necessary moving forward.
“A long-term sustained partnership with our municipalities is what we need to start to build,” Colavita said, pointing to examples in other New Jersey communities where PILOT revenue sharing agreements support school districts.
Board member Jacquie Genovesi urged residents to better understand the limitations school districts operate under.
“Even if we wanted to add ten million dollars to the budget … we still couldn’t do it because we are capped at a certain percentage,” Genovesi said.
Board member Alex Reznik was even more direct, repeatedly describing many of the district’s challenges as originating at the state level.
“This is a state problem,” Reznik said. “The first people that you need to go and talk to are your state legislators.”
Reznik said New Jersey’s PILOT structure itself is fundamentally flawed, though municipalities are operating within the law as currently written.
“The problem starts in Trenton,” Reznik said. “PILOT is a major issue.”
Kapadia said the board’s Government and Community Relations Committee has already begun discussing ways residents can advocate for legislative changes surrounding PILOT agreements and school funding.
He pointed specifically to Senate Bill S-1807, which would require municipalities to share a portion of PILOT revenue with school districts.
“I think there is really a sentiment here across the three municipalities that something needs to be done about the PILOT financing,” Kapadia said.
Kapadia said residents can play an important role by contacting legislators, testifying during committee hearings and participating in coordinated advocacy efforts as bills move through Trenton.
“When we get a coordinated campaign of twenty to forty emails, you notice it,” he said, referencing his previous experience working in a legislative office.
Reznik also stressed how little flexibility districts actually have when building school budgets.
“We’re limited in the amount of money that we can raise, and most of that money we are required to spend on things that the state requires us to spend them on,” Reznik said.
Board President Anita Williams Galiano acknowledged that school budgeting can appear confusing and frustrating to residents but encouraged continued public participation and dialogue.
“We’re in this conversation together,” Williams Galiano said.
Superintendent Dr. Rosetta Treece also responded to concerns about communication and public participation, explaining that board meetings operate under procedural requirements that limit extensive back-and-forth discussion during public comment periods.
“There is a lot of work that has to be conducted in the board meeting,” Treece said.
Treece encouraged residents to continue reaching out directly to district administrators, principals and board representatives outside formal meetings when deeper conversations are needed.
Three Hopewell Township seats up in November election
The board also announced details for this year’s school board election cycle, with three three-year seats representing Hopewell Township set to appear on the November ballot.
“Nominating petitions will be accepted by the county,” Colavita said during the meeting. “The deadline is four o’clock p.m. on July 27, 2026.”
Colavita said nominating petitions can be picked up through the district business office, online or through the Mercer County Clerk’s Office, though completed petitions must be filed directly with the county.
“There’s a candidate’s kit that has a wealth of information about what it is to run for the board, the requirements to run for the board, all that good stuff,” Colavita said.
The filing deadline for candidates is July 27 at 4 p.m.
