High School Dissolution Would Cost Washington Twp. Residents $7M, Study Shows

It’s been three years since the first-ever West Morris Regional Education summit organized in the auditorium of Mendham High School, bringing together political and school representatives to better understand what, if anything, was wrong with the current high school setup.

In the time since, committees have been assembled and eventually disbanded, meetings held and public opinions heard. But nothing has been done since a feasibility study was commissioned by the governing bodies of Mendham Township, Mendham Borough, Chester Township, and Chester Borough earlier this year.

That study’s purpose was to analyze two hypothetical options: what would the impact be if the Mendhams and Chesters created a single K-12 district, disbanding the West Morris Regional High School district; and what would be the impact if Mendham High School essentially became its own district.

More than four months later, the study is ready, and the public is invited to weigh in on it.

The full report, prepared by Ross Haber and Associates, is posted to the municipal websites of the four towns who commissioned the study. Or it can be viewed by clicking here.

A synopsis of the findings was also reported, which can be seen here.

The synopsis stated that if either dissolution option came to fruition, there would be no educational impact on the schools in question, but technology would “have to be severed between the two high schools and each high school would have to restructure both its hardware, communications and software applications in order to remain equal of the current structure.”

Some Costs Up, Some Down

The report also stated that a dissolution of the high school district would result in a 50-percent increase in the cost of supervisory staff to maintain the current level of teacher supervision and evaluation.

In year one, the report said, “an initial 7 million dollars less in the tax levy apportionment due to the spin-off of Washington Township,” would be realized. That initial amount, however, would be reduced to five million dollars due to a projected increase in operational costs to run Mendham High School as a standalone district. If option one occurred, the impact to Washington Township would be an increase of “approximately 7 million dollars in the tax levy obligation as Washington Township becomes a PK-12 District.”

A home assessed at $500,000 would save residents in the Mendhams and Chesters anywhere between $390 to $508 annually.

The savings, however, grow under option two for some towns.

Option two would bring the same overall annual savings of $7 million to the Mendhams and Chesters, as well as increasing costs in Washington Township, but the combination of a mega PK-12 school district for four communities breaks down differently per town.

The synopsis shows Chester Borough residents saving $599 annually, and Chester Township residents saving $1,171 annually on a home assessed at $500,000. The savings are slight in Mendham Borough, at $175 per year, but Mendham Township would realize $534 annually.

Those figures, of course, are contingent on what would be a newly structured contract for the mega district, the report said.

On the flip side, however, the increase annually for Washington Township residents is enormous, coming in at $1,231 annually for a home assessed at $500,000.

A public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30 at the Mendham Township Municipal Building at 7:30 p.m. A presentation will be done by Ross Haber and Associates, LLC.