Nutley School Referendum Looms For Taxpayers (VIDEOS)

NUTLEY, NJ — This article has been updated with data provided at the Sept. 25 Nutley Board of Education meeting.

There is a big decision coming for Nutley residents: a proposed $70.4 million construction effort that would combat overcrowding in the district’s schools, but add about $358 to the average homeowner’s yearly taxes.

According to Nutley school administrators, the proposed construction project would help to fix overcrowding, aging buildings, space shrinking “due to educational program requirements” and a general increase in the school-aged population of the township.

The proposed projects consist of new exterior additions and interior renovations to Washington, Yantacaw, John H. Walker Middle School and Nutley High School, and will require the community to vote on a referendum, school administrators said.

About $2.4 million of the project’s cost would be funded from contributions to the district’s capital reserve, leaving a $68 million gap that would need to be plugged with a bond issue. With an estimated debt service aid from New Jersey of 13.75 percent, the local taxpayer bond total would come to $58.67 million, school administrators stated.

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The average annual tax increase for a Nutley homeowner with a property assessed at $317,057 would be about $358, school officials stated during the Sept. 25 Board of Education meeting.

The community will vote on the proposed referendum on Dec. 12.

Community committees will be formed this fall, for those interested in volunteering, on a number of referendum-related topics. Interested parties can meet with Nutley Superintendent Julie Glazer in the John H. Walker Middle School Library on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. or Thursday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. in the JHWMS auditorium.

Learn more about the proposed referendum and construction project here.

FIXING UP NUTLEY’S SCHOOLS: THE DETAILS

Here’s what will happen if Nutley voters choose not to fund the project, administrators say:

• Overcrowding will worsen
• Class sizes will increase at every elementary school
• Trailers at Yantacaw and Washington will remain as permanent structures (more trailers will be added over time to house additional students, possibly as soon as 2021)
• The district will face a “moderate redistricting initiative” involving Washington, Yantacaw and Spring Garden to accommodate all its elementary students
• New registrants may need to attend a school other than their home/neighborhood school
• Academics will suffer

Students at Nutley High School recently produced the following video about the referendum.

In addition, Nutley school administrators have released a series of videos about the proposed referendum and construction project, which can be seen here.

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Photo: Nutley Public Schools