What is the truth about classroom sizes/capacity?

The School Board claims class sizes of 30 while the reality is that the High School’s average class size is 19 and the Middle School’s is only 20. Even if we did no building at either school, average class sizes would never exceed 21–22 students over the next 10 years.

The Administration’s own projections predict the High School will not reach functional capacity (85% of full capacity) until 2011.

Today, we have many hundreds of empty seats in our schools when we look at all our facilities throughout the school district.

Overbuild our schools as we did in the past cycle, and by 2010, excess capacity will have us talking about closing or tearing down schools just as we did in the 1970s and early 1980s.

What is the educational impact of
the proposed construction?

The educational environment at the Middle School would be compromised for
the next three to four years. The Board’s intrusive building plan does nothing to ease the current congestion and will cause major disruption and perhaps safety, health, and security issues for students during construction. (There’s also the possibility of delays as has occurred with recent construction of the new West Orange Middle School.)
Millburn is one of only six middle schools out of 120 in the area with more than 1,000 students. Educational research, and even our own school Superintendent, say it should be no larger than 700–800 students for a nurturing environment.

Aren't there viable alternatives?

Since January, the Board has repeatedly promised to analyze other options but has never followed through. Numerous alternatives exist that are less expensive and less disruptive.

The Superintendent and Board created “Long Range Planning Committees” to avoid responsibility for making the tough decisions. Now they hide behind these unelected and unaccountable volunteer groups as an excuse to avoid doing their job of providing multiple solutions.

The current Superintendent has admitted that congestion at the Middle School could be resolved quickly, and for a lot less money, if the 6th grades were retained at the elementary schools. This is just one of the viable options that can be implemented faster and for a fraction of the cost. What about the others?

What about the suggestion about alternatives that Board member Scott Kamber came up with? He asked, “Why has the Board not looked at what can be done for $10, $20, and $30 million?”

Given the substantial state of the art third Middle School that West Orange was able to build, why didn’t our Board look at a new stand alone facility where the Board of Ed Center is or at other locations in town? Instead they choose Band-Aids for the Middle School and High School.

What is the tax impact?

We do not want our property taxes to double in the next ten years as they have over the past ten. Millburn’s property taxes are already the highest in the State and New Jersey is the highest in the country. Building capacity for students that may never come will continue this community’s history of runaway property taxes.

We are being asked to vote on this referendum before we know the results of the town-wide property reassessment. What if the reassessment raises your property taxes 30% even before the impact of the school bond?

The yearly tax increase per average value home is $1,200 with operating costs, not the less than $400 per year as the Board would lead you to believe. Below is the true total impact of this bond including operating costs and interest.

A Board of Education member, at the Oct. 24th Board meeting, conceded that the bond costs are for construction only. This means when operating costs and interest are added, the real cost for this $40+ million referendum, if passed, could cost this town $160 million over the next 20 years.

Are we getting our money’s worth?

Millburn’s school budget has grown 49% in just four years and student enrollment has grown only 13%. Where is the money going?

West Orange just built a state of the art, brand new Middle School for at least 600 students for $22 million. Why does it cost Millburn $24 million to just add a smattering of new classrooms at the High School.

The Bond includes items that do not directly impact the classroom like $700,000 worth of additional student parking spaces as well as new faculty offices, a dance studio, etc. Is this how you want to spend your money?

If this referendum passes, almost 20% of our per student budget will be spent on interest expense. This money doesn’t pay for high quality teachers.

Why did three Board Members Vote NO?

Three Board members, each with children in the public schools, have publicly opposed the bond referendum.

“State funding went from 40% to 23% to 0% and never once did we look at the alternatives.”
          — Brenda White, Board Member elected in 2004

“This is not a $40 million problem.”
          — Josh Scharf, Board Member elected in 2004

“This is the wrong solution at the worst possible time for this community.”
          — Scott Kamber, Board Member, elected in 2005.

Can this Bond harm our town?

This super-sized bond jeopardizes property values, encourages senior citizens and empty nesters to leave the community.

Township spirit, unity and solidarity can be hurt. Unbridled school building expansion by out of town school administrators and poorly informed voters is not healthy for our town.

Millburn has been one of the best communities to live in but with the highest property taxes in the State, other towns are becoming more competitive. The excessive school bond will exacerbate the migration of many beloved citizens.

The Board of Education and the Superintendent are smart enough to have developed a more reasonable, flexible and thought out plan. But they chose not do so and this has caused a destructive schism in our community.

What should you do?

Vote NO on December 13th and send a message to your elected Board of Education to go back to the drawing board to bring us a well-conceived plan. Tell them they failed us and we hold them responsible. Implementing a bad plan is far worse than delaying and forcing a good plan out of a reluctant Board and Administration.

Teachers, parents, and students make great schools. We have a history of great education but a terrible history when it comes to school construction.

Our group, WeLoveMillburn.com supports excellence in education but also responsible education. That means spending the right amount, not any amount.

Can you vote even if you are out of town?

Voter Registration. You must be registered to vote in the December 13th election. Register at Town Hall, or by mail. Forms are also available online at www.njelections.org. Applications must be received at Town Hall or by the County Commissioner by close of business Monday, November 14th.

Absentee Ballots. If unable to get to the polls on Election Day, apply for an absentee ballot. Get an application at Town Hall, the Education Center, or online at www.njelections.org or our website. Return applications to Town Hall, or if you mail the application, it must be received by the County Clerk by Tuesday, December 6th. The polls in town will be open from 2pm until 9pm on December 13th.

If you have questions, contact us.

You have several choices. Go to our website, WeLoveMillburn.com. Email your questions to one of our members at info@WeLoveMillburn.com. Write to us at WeLoveMillburn, 25 Stewart Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078. If urgent, phone us at
973-376-6705.

The more you know, the more you'll vote NO December 13th.

Support excellence in Millburn education VOTE NO

WeLoveMillburn.com

This message was prepared by WeLoveMillburn.com, a non-profit, grassroots, informational organization. Members include involved community citizens, a current PTO President, former Board of Education and Long Range Planning Committee members, architects, other professionals but most importantly parents and grandparents with many children in the Millburn School system.