North Caldwell School Expansion Plans Put On Ice, More Info Needed: Officials

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — Plans for a potential multi-million dollar school expansion project in North Caldwell have been put on hold so that school administrators can gather more information about the possible impact to the area.

North Caldwell school officials have been pondering the idea of a project that could cost from $25.75 million to $34.41 million. The project would make facility improvements at Grandview and Gould School in an effort to maintain an average class size of 18 students, administrators stated.

• See related article: North Caldwell Considering Multi-Million School Expansion Project

During its Oct. 17 meeting, the North Caldwell Board of Education placed the expansion project on hold for six months to a year in order to “evaluate how various issues related to potential future development in the borough evolve.”

“The board takes very seriously its responsibility to the community to ensure that such a significant project is undertaken in a careful and deliberate manner with all relevant information,” district administrators stated in an email newsletter to parents on Thursday.

In April, school officials in North Caldwell said that population growth in North Caldwell will mean an extra 50 students at Grandview School and an additional 47 students at Gould by the 2021-2022 school year.

The expansion project would be funded by the sale of bonds, subject to a public referendum that would be set for March 2018, school administrators previously stated.

The next North Caldwell Board of Education meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grandview School cafeteria.

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Photo: North Caldwell Public Schools

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