School Expansion Part 2

Earlier in the year I wrote a forum about the school expansion. You can find it below. Well, the time to vote is coming up quickly. Once again I urge all of you to vote “NO�.

North Warren says they need more space to accommodate the projected growth in student numbers over the next several years. However, in a recent Star Ledger article (as well as a few other papers) the projected growth for this area is going down. Look at the number of homes for sale around here. Families are bailing out of the area (and NJ in general) due to our high property taxes. NJ is close to loosing a seat in congress because the population of the state is dwindling, all due directly to our high property taxes. The Blairstown area has seen flat growth over the past 2 years and this year numbers have actually dropped. However, North Warren and the Board of Education still insist they need to expand the school and raise our already ridiculously high taxes, yet again to accommodate the huge numbers of families and kids moving to the area. C’mon Board of Ed, look around. Where are all these extra students? Where are all these new families? They are not moving out to here anymore, contrary to what your trying to tell everyone.

The Board of Education also says that our taxes will go up for only X number of years in order to “pay off the construction�. Then they’ll go back down. Who are they kidding? Our taxes will not go back down because someone has to pay to keep that 18 million dollar expansion running. Extra teacher’s salaries, heating fuel, electricity, supplies, operating costs, etc. etc. etc. Who do they think is going to pay for that?

I urge everyone to do your research and take what the Board of Education says with a grain of salt. North Warren does NOT need an 18 million dollar expansion. What they need to do is spend some money on figuring out way to help LOWER our tax burden, not raise it at their every whim..

I urge you all to vote “NO� in September..

Scott
August 21, 2007 6:41 pm · Link

I curious to know If Scott has spent any time in our schools. If he had he would realize how overcrowded both Blairstown Elementary and N.W. are. I would also like to comment on the "high taxes" he is talking about. Has he reserched other towns and their taxes. We are considerably lower. What about our children? Is a few hundred dollars more important than their future. I would also like to know how he would feel if our property values declined do to lower test scores. Our students cannot compete with level of resouces other school can offer. It makes me sad that our children are thought so little of.

concerned parent
September 26, 2007 3:18 pm · Link

Scott should stop printing false information. The growth rate in NJ is one of the highest in the Nation, if not the highest. Can't you see all the houses going up everywhere!? Is it too much to pay a couple of hundred dollars more a year so your kids or your neighbors kids can have a decent education! An education that at least meets AVERAGE standards! Sheesh..Your taxes are already the lowest in the State! I can't believe that so many parents with kids in the schools fall for your nonsense and vote "no".

tourne
October 15, 2007 11:24 am · Link

Have you even been inside the hallways at NW? As a parent of a middle school student, I can tell you that over-crowded is an understatement. I am so disappointed in the NW community that voters do not care that middle school students are packed like cattle in the hallways to go to a classroom located in the high school. Or that high school classes are forced to go to the middle school. Or that science teachers are not teaching in a science room because there isn't a place to go. I only hope that the students will be able to learn in this enviornment. I don't see how they can though.

msmom
December 9, 2007 10:31 pm · Link

I don't know how old the rest of you are, but when I was in grade/middle school, the schools were so crowded we had split sessions (half the classes went early AM til noon, the rest 12:30 to 5:30 pm). Despite all of that, I had a very good education, because I wanted to learn. I know of many of my classmates who went on to be very successful, despite having overcrowded classrooms. Do I think that's the best way for children to learn? NO, I do not, but I do believe that it doesn't preclude a child from a good education. Perhaps we should consider forcing other townships to build their own schools and make room in our schools that way. Of course, then the other townships will not be paying the township for using our school system and we'll have to pay the cost of that, too. It would be cheaper than expansion, though.

NJ taxes are the highest in the nation. That includes Blairstown. Yes, our taxes are lower than neighboring communities, yet we have very little in the way of services, so a majority of our taxes go to the school system.

The township's population is not going to continue to grow. The township, has, in effect, seriously decreased the possibility of future construction with larger lot requirements and the sale of many, many acres to the State for preservation. If we can't build, new families will not be moving in, so the population will not be increasing. That means the tax burden for school expansion that won't be necessary in a few years will be borne upon the current homeowners.

In the past 13 years, my real estate taxes have increased four-fold. I've not received any additional services for those increases. I cannot even get cable TV or internet at my house! I have a part time local police department, and a volunteer fire department and emergency squad (thank God for them). I pay for trash pick up, and have no public utilities. Yet, I pay a tax rate that is higher than many cities that have all of those services, as well as better school systems. There is a reason for that...

We've had several children go through the Blairstown Elementary and North Warren RHS system. It was the teachers in those schools that made a difference in their lives and their ability to learn, not the class size. No one would ever say I don't care about children's education, as I now have grandchildren who will be entering the local school system.

The township spends a lot of money on things that aren't nearly as important. Do we really need an expensive "sports center" and all of the annual costs that will go with that (liability insurance, security, utilities, etc.) Do we really need the legal fights the township gets involved in and subsequently has to pay out on? If you truly want to make a difference, get vocal. Review the budgets, and find out where all of our tax dollars are going. Vote for those you know will make changes necessary. Force the township to start saving money from other sources and apply it towards the school system. Change is possible, but only if we get involved as a community.

Marie
December 12, 2007 11:04 am · Link

Ok if you do vote an expansion. It is your duties as a community to hire another architect besides Chuck Maillet. There are ethical problems there as well as the knowledge base at the firm. Please don't do it. Ask about the municipal building he charged 270,000 for and never got built. Go ask Phillipsburg District what kind of mess was left behind there DON'T DO IT!!

William Henry Walters 3
December 31, 2007 11:23 am · Link