Board hopes to minimize impact on students
By:Laura Toto
The school board voted 10-0 to limit construction work and repairs at Hillsborough Middle School primarily to the summers of 2001 and 2002, at a special meeting on Tuesday. Board member Lou Possemato was not present.
The project, approved in an Oct. 3 referendum, will convert Hillsborough Middle School to a school for seventh- and eighth-graders only. Fifth- and sixth-graders would attend an intermediate school at the site of Auten Road Elementary School. Other elementary schools would be for kindergartners through fourth-graders.
The goal is to complete all work by December 2002. Superintendent Robert Gulick informed the board the work could be done in the middle school at a faster pace than earlier projected.
Workers at Hillsborough Middle School will replace the air quality units during the summer of 2001, and renovate the nurse’s suite and guidance room, also by the end of the summer.
Three science lab classrooms, used since 1976, also will be renovated by September 2001.
In the summer of 2002, workers will add five science rooms to the middle school. Another two science rooms will be completed in the fall of 2002.
Board member Joan Sheridan presented a recommendation by the long-range planning committee that work be done at an accelerated pace and during the summer to minimize disruption to the schools.
If the middle school renovations done during the school year, at least one-third of its students would be unable to be in the school, and the other two-thirds would have to move during construction, said the architect.
"Having the sixth-grade at the middle school for another year is a better overall option for the students," Dr. Gulick said.
Board members on Tuesday night anticipated no changes to the organization of kindergarten through fifth grade before work finishes, nor to curriculum for sixth- through eighth-graders.
Work at Auten Road Elementary Road and at Hillsborough High School will be completed by 2002.
Because no redistricting will occur until 2002 under the plan approved Tuesday night, board members anticipate more overcrowding at the middle school for 2001-02. Enrollment there will rise from 1,784 this school year to 1,845 students in the 2001-2002 school year. The school’s current capacity is 1,600.
The board is considering buying at least five more trailers to house the students at a cost of $70,000 each, said Dr. Gulick. The district already uses five trailers at Hillsborough Middle School.
With the anticipated changes, four trailers would be needed for the seventh grade, and five for the eighth grade.
"It is undetermined with a special education class coming from Woods Road Elementary School," Dr. Gulick said. "We may utilize one sixth-grade classroom for it and use one trailer for that sixth-grade class."
A facilities task force had anticipated the summers-only approach as being more expensive than having work completed in a single year, but the board now expects the cost increase not to be as great as first thought because work can be completed more quickly than they initially had projected.
Lauren Fenster of Michelle Lane questioned whether five trailers would help alleviate some of that crowding. Dr. Gulick responded it would not.
"Any youngster being educated in the trailers also uses the main building," Dr. Gulick said.
Another Hillsborough resident questioned what would be done if something unforeseen happened with construction over the summer and could not be ready for the September opening of the 2001-02 school year.
Construction at Hillsborough High School last year fell behind schedule, with the school’s new science wing not opening until Oct. 26, more than six weeks after its scheduled Sept. 13 opening date.
Some features of the science rooms were not available as late as December, and still other aspects of the construction project took even longer.
If construction is not complete by the scheduled start of the school, Dr. Gulick proposed making the summers longer, as done in 1999-2000 with the high school project.
"But architect Sin U Nam is confident he will have enough time to deliver the project," Dr. Gulick said.
Board President Loren Lemelle said it is the architect’s plan to implement and that is what the board has to rely on.
Lisa Leon of Peterson Road questioned what safety measures would be in place during construction at Auten Road Elementary School.
"We will meet with administrators, architects and the building department in the township to create a safety plan to be implemented," Dr. Gulick said. "All of the construction is done outside of the building."
"With the overcapacity in the middle school, what about any emergencies that could occur?" Ms. Lemelle asked.
Dr. Gulick replied he is confident that in an emergency, students would be able to exit safely. The school already runs fire drills twice a month.
In choosing to have work done primarily during the summer, the school board rejected other options to place sixth-graders at Auten Road Elementary School in 2001-02 or scattering them among district elementary schools.