Middle school campus would have required too much building
By:Lou Possemato
The board facilities task force rejected a plan that would have created a middle school campus for sixth through eighth grades, integrating Triangle Elementary School and the current middle school facility.
This campus plan differed from the option finally endorsed by the board, which keeps kindergarten through fourth grade at six elementary schools, and houses fifth and sixth grades at Auten Road Elementary School, seventh and eighth grades at the middle school and ninth through 12th grades at Hillsborough High School.
The campus plan would have required construction of a seventh building to house Triangle Elementary School students, and a connector building for the campus.
Construction costs for the campus option were about $2 million higher than the recommended intermediate school option, and also required additional money to buy land for the new elementary school.
For the campus option, the task force determined that a connector building would be required to house a centralized library and cafeteria with enclosed walkways to both facilities to ensure safety for the students.
This facility would have been built on land now used for athletics between the middle school and triangle school. The task force decided that the campus option was not a viable solution, primarily because of the cost and the shortage of athletic fields in the community.
Construction costs for the connector building were not developed since there was a lack of support for this additional building.
If the campus option had been selected, one benefit would have been the construction of a state-of-the-art elementary school to replace Triangle School. A simple transfer of students would have moved the Triangle students to the new school.
There would have been some disruption during the Triangle Elementary School retrofit with the campus option. With the selected option to relieve overcrowding, there will be minimal disruption at Auten Road Elementary School for fifth- and sixth-graders.
The task force reviewed and compared the educational considerations of all options. They considered the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, child development and related arts programs.
The only potential concern with both the selected and campus options was the availability of the related arts programs. Otherwise the two options met the criteria equally.
The downside to the campus option is the isolation of sixth-graders at Triangle Elementary School. Their only interaction with seventh- and eighth-graders would have been when they would have used the connector building facilities.
Neither the board-endorsed option nor the campus option required additional administrative staffing. Major moves of supplies and materials are needed for either option.
There would have been no change to operational school times with the campus option. There may need to be some change to school times with the intermediate school option that was selected.
Time is of the essence for the Board of Education and the administration. First and most important, the middle school is over its original educational capacity and expansion capacity.
Projected growth will continue to make overcrowding a critical situation even with the temporary addition of classroom trailers there.
Secondly, the governor just signed a school construction bill authorizing $8 billion for new schools and repairs to existing schools throughout the state.
Competition for construction workers is going to be very tough. Construction workers will be in short supply.
The sooner a referendum commitment can be made, the more likely the Board of Education can meet its obligations to our students at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
The public has the opportunity to vote on this proposal on Oct. 3. The Board of Education will continue to distribute information regarding the referendum for the public to review. You are encouraged to remain informed and become involved with the decision making process.
The board wants to provide the community with the information it needs before the referendum Oct. 3. The board will provide information at upcoming board meetings, on the district Web site, through this column, at back-to-school nights, and via a planned open forum on Sept. 18 at the Auten Road site.
Watch this column for more information on other options considered by the District Task Force on Facilities, the need for the Hillsborough High School addition, and the special facilities projects.
We encourage the entire community to participate in these discussions. If you cannot attend the board meetings on Aug. 21, Sept. 11 or 18, please watch Channel 14 and visit the district Web site, www.hillsborough.k12.nj.us/. You can download a copy of the proposed project timeline and cost breakdown from that site.
Above all, stay involved and informed as we work to meet our students’ needs. Community support of the referendum will continue to keep the Hillsborough Township Public Schools a recognized leader in educational excellence.
Lou Possemato is a member of the Board of Education Communications Committee. Ginny Gittelman, Stan Dunn, and Blair Meiser also contributed to this article. You may contact the Board of Education via the communications committee’s e-mail address mailto:[email protected].