Rakesh Sukumar Kamath, other Hopewell Grant residents, Hopewell Township
For people of Hopewell Grant, a key highlight in their lives is the school — Stony Brook Elementary School (kindergarten-fifth grade) which is about a mile away from their community.
A large majority of the residents of Hopewell Grant choose this community with an eye on their children getting quality education in their formative years of studies. This widely known value aspect assigned to the school accordingly reflects in the property value and demand for the Hopewell Grant townhomes.
This is market dynamics and is thus a fair game.
We, the residents of Hopewell Grant, felt the rug pulled from under our feet when a new committee constituted by the Board of Education recommended redistricting. Reason being, another elementary school in this same school district — Bear Tavern Elementary School — has a falling student population and a study of demographics done earlier this year projected a 124 fall in student count by the year 2018-19.
Bear Tavern does not score as well as other elementary schools in terms of school performance; so given the fact that this redistricting initiative will lead to a downgrade for those students moved — the parents affected and the children are in a quandary.(i.e. chances of being moved from a higher ranking school that their parents chose to live closer to vs. a lower performing one much further away that they are being planned to be moved to.
The recommendation of the committee — Future Planning Committee (FPC); calls for moving all students of Hopewell Grant to Bear Tavern (seven miles away) leaving alone all other communities in the neighborhood. This is the "path-of-least-resistance" recommendation highlight of the FPC chosen by the Board of Education. FPC did not have a single representative from Hopewell Grant. Why was no other community or newly built one not targeted to be included in the redistricting is left to everyone’s imagination? There are no answers. It is certainly not a fair game.
Hopewell Grant residents, a significant group of about 100 angry parents and their children met the superintendent of Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD); and another board member on Nov. 3 at our community clubhouse to hear each other’s points of view.
Mayor of Hopewell Township, Vanessa Sandom, was also present giving moral support to this legitimate demand. The residents have petitioned the Board of Education; signed by over 250 parents asking to reject this unfair recommendation.
Another angle is the new community planned on Scotch Road, which is not allowed as yet, which would take care of the entire problem of lesser students. Interestingly, there are many in Hopewell Township who object to the Scotch Road development coming up because they think it will so significantly increase the number of students in the valley. This will necessitate a new school to be built; feared to increase costs to the taxpayer. The counter argument is that the Scotch Road development will not require a new school; the existing infrastructure can absorb another 1,000 students. At present the Scotch Road development should yield only about 600 or so students, the youngest of whom would go to Bear Tavern Elementary. Happy ending to the episode!
On Nov 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Central High School cafeteria (259 Pennington-Titusville Road, we — all affected families (100+ people – parents and their little children) — intend to come to register our protest and petition the board to reject this unfair initiative (recommendations of the Future Planning Committee). The occasion is the Board of Education meeting. The children and their parents love their school and many fear this move will disturb their studies,
Hopewell Grant residents are expecting a change of heart from the board members. Till then, our children are anxiously waiting.
