Township Committee, Board of Education hold joint meeting.
By: Kara Fitzpatrick
MONTGOMERY Construction and the outfitting of the new Montgomery High School, questions about the public’s use of the new facility and budget and financial matters dominated discussion Tuesday during a joint meeting of the Township Committee and the Board of Education.
School district Business Administrator and Board Secretary Jim Strimple offered a construction summary of the $57 million, 400,000-square-foot high school, saying the building of the facility is "essentially 85 to 87 percent complete."
Throughout the building, said Mr. Strimple, items such as lockers, tile floors and bathroom fixtures continue to be installed.
"We’re basically concentrating on the finishing touches at this point," said Mr. Strimple, although, he added, the auditorium and the pool are undergoing major construction.
He said the district expects to have the school fully complete by the end of March and he was "hopeful" that a ribbon-cutting ceremony would be held in April.
The school was supposed to open its doors in September 2004, but after a yearlong delay, its debut is planned for this fall.
The board reviewed with the committee the technology offerings at the new high school and the various plans under consideration for providing computers. The options, which have previously been discussed by the board, range from the most expensive a one-to-one model, which would provide all students and teachers with a laptop that they could take home with them to continuing with the current model of five student-accessible machines in each classroom.
"We do not want to ever provide less than we currently have," said Superintendent Stuart Schnur, adding he was willing to work with any scenario the board chooses.
Dr. Schnur informed the committee that members of the board will be traveling Monday to Pascack Valley High School, which is currently the only school in the state utilizing the one-to one-model. Dr. Schnur said he plans to not only observe positive aspects of the technology, but to see "every wart and mole."
"We will meet with the naysayers and the yeasayers," said the superintendent, giving the board another opportunity "to see the ups and downs" of advanced laptop technology.
A decision on the computer plan is expected at Tuesday’s 7:30 p.m. board meeting at the high school media center.
Board members also discussed the cost of the plans, which range from a total of $639,000 to $2.1 million with a one-year warranty or $747,000 to $2.7 million with a four-year warranty. With any scenario, the budget would have to provide for new technology support personnel as well.
But, said Dr. Schnur, "No matter what, there does have to be machines in the building."
The committee listened intently, but did not indicate a preference for any of the options.
As during previous board meetings in which the issue of the laptop initiative has been addressed, residents were not shy to offer feedback.
"Might we, in an effort to do good, be harming the children?" asked William Hoffman, who said the one-to-one laptop option is on "the far end of the bell curve" and may negatively affect students who are strong in the subjects related to the arts.
"I just think, 24/7, it’s too much for the kids," said Mr. Hoffman.
The issue of the overall funding of the public school system as well as how to fairly obtain those funds was also a major topic of discussion.
Because of the formula New Jersey uses to allocate funds to school districts, Montgomery gets only 4 percent of its funding from the state, Dr. Schnur said.
"The burden on the taxpayer is tremendously disproportionate," said Dr. Schnur.
He cited the repercussions Montgomery faced after the approval of Senate Bill 1701, which limited school spending growth in the 2005-2006 budget year to 2.5 percent, or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is higher. The bill also eliminated cap exceptions for growth in enrollment and unusual special education and transportation costs.
The new law forced the district to release $450,000 in surplus. The resulting property tax relief saved the average township homeowner about $65 a year. The district planned to use the surplus to purchase furnishings for the new facility.
Dr. Schnur also informed the committee of the district’s intention to allow the new state-of-the-art high school to be accessible to the community when it is not in use by students.
During the school day, sports practices or other extracurricular activities, the school would have priority over use of the aquatic center, said Dr. Schnur, but during other times, the district plans to allow access to the Recreation Department and other community groups.
Currently, there are no concrete plans as to activities or costs, although Dr. Schnur made it clear that the township would pay no fee to use the building, only being required to provide the needed management or custodial services.
Members of the both the Township Committee and the Board of Education expressed gratitude toward each other for coming together.
"We want to keep the school district as the best in the country," said Committeeman John Warms, while stressing the importance of pressing the state for additional district aid.
Mr. Warms said that gaining more state relief may not come soon. "It may not be done in two years, it may take three or four years," he said.
The superintendent commended the board for its hard work throughout the years.
"We are honored for being effective and efficient," said Dr. Schnur of the public system. "There’s no district that spends less per kid and achieves more."