BY MELISSA CIFELLI
Staff Writer
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The South Brunswick Board of Education is exploring options to remedy the lack of space at its current location on Executive Drive.
According to board President Robert Long, the board will place a legal notice in newspapers on Jan. 17 outlining the additional steps the board is considering for additional space.
The public will be able to comment on these measures at the next board meeting scheduled for the following week on Jan. 24.
Citing negative effects on privacy, confidentiality and productivity, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Board Secretary Jeffrey Scott made a presentation illustrating the need for additional space.
Currently, the South Brunswick School District’s administrative offices, business offices, technology department, student services, professional development, maintenance office, transportation office and transportation garage are all located at Executive Drive.
Employees are forced to share limited office space and as many as four employees are in one office, according to Scott.
Scott said as a result, storage space becomes severely limited. For example, Scott said, the board’s conference room, which holds 10 people and is used as the professional library, becomes a temporary storage place.
The overcrowded conditions also lead to unsafe parking conditions, according to Scott.
The board has 51 full-time employees and 75 bus drivers with a total of 67 spaces on sight.
Overcrowding, Scott said, has caused many employees to park on both sides of Executive Drive, making it difficult for buses to turn.
“It’s a real safety issue and it’s not getting any better,” Scott said.
In addition, the district’s three mechanics share only one garage.
School buses, according to Scott, are serviced frequently, but the limited space forces two of the mechanics to service the buses outside and into difficult work conditions.
The board should explore options and find an appropriate professional setting that will accommodate the educational leadership efforts and work of the school district, Scott said.
Long said the board has been working to create various options.
As of now, according to Scott, the board is not looking to sell its current building at Executive Drive, but is considering alternatives for space, which will be outlined in the legal notice.
There have been no major renovations to the building, according to Scott, in the last 27 years, despite having the school’s population double in the last 12 years.
“We’re bursting at the seams,” Scott said.