$188M Montclair School Bond Proposal On Track For November Election

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Decision day is nearing for Montclair voters, who may be asked to support – or reject – a large school bond proposal in the November general election.

The Montclair Public School District is planning a $188 million bond referendum to pay for “critical health and safety facility needs,” including ventilation, a problem that was put in the spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, administrators announced earlier this year.

The current estimated price tag of $188 million is down a bit from the $190 million total presented at a meeting in March.

• See related article: Montclair Schools Planning Bond Referendum For 'Critical Needs'
• See related article: Montclair Schools Move Ahead With Bond Referendum Plan

The upgrades would be paid for with a series of three bonds, taken out over the next five years. It would mean a tax impact that would grow to an estimated $870 per year by the fifth year for a home valued at $628,000, Montclair Local reported in March.

On Aug. 19, district administrators gave an update on the upcoming bond proposal. They wrote:

“For almost a year, the Montclair Public Schools District has been working to present a community investment/bond proposal for voter approval at the annual school district election on November 8, the same time as the general election. This proposal is designed to address very significant school facility needs regarding health and safety, code requirements and educational adequacy. We are awaiting notice from the NJ Department of Education (NJDOE) as to how much of the proposal will be deemed eligible for state school facilities aid. We have met all timelines for requests of information and have asked the NJDOE to provide their response by August 26. Once we have their decision on aid, we will prepare the question as it will appear on the ballot and have it approved at the September 7 Board of Education meeting. Provided we have the NJDOE’s response by the end of next week, we will be on schedule for the bond proposal to be on the ballot in November.”

According to a cost breakdown from the board, the proposed projects include:

• HVAC UPGRADES - $76.58 million
• BOILER REPLACEMENTS - $9.47 million
• ELECTRICAL SERVICE UPGRADES - $3.08 million
• ROOF REPLACEMENTS - $9.38 million
• OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIRS & UPGRADES - $6.52 million
• PRACTICAL & PERFORMING ARTS FACILITY UPGRADES - $23.17 million
• GYMNASIUM RENOVATIONS - $8.4 million
• SCIENCE & CLASSROOM UPGRADES - $26.83 million
• TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES - $7.41 million
• SPECIAL EDUCATION UPGRADES - $2.82 million
• ATHLETIC FACILITY & PLAYGROUND UPGRADES - $14.36 million

If the referendum passes in November, the upgrades would take place over several years, concluding in December 2028.

Repairs and upgrades are slated for the following facilities: Montclair Schools Administration Building, Aubrey Lewis Sports Complex, Bradford Elementary School, Buzz Aldrin Middle School, Charles H. Bullock Elementary School, Edgemont Elementary School, George Innes High School Annex, Glenfield Middle School, Hillside Elementary School, Montclair High School, Montclair Community Pre-K, Nishuane Elementary School, Northeast Elementary School, Renaissance at Rand Middle School, Watchung Elementary School.

See a breakdown of what is planned for each school here.

Montclair administrators have released a list of frequently asked questions and their answers, which can be seen on the district website. They include:

Question - Will you consider trailers if students cannot be in a school building?

Answer - Yes, if needed trailers might be considered as temporary classroom space for students who need to vacate certain areas of a building during construction. However, use of trailers might not be necessary as we plan to schedule as much work as possible during school vacations, during the summer and after school hours. We do not anticipate major disruption of the student classroom experience during this process. Work in our buildings will be scheduled over a number of years to minimize disruption to the student learning experience.

Question - What is the order of the projects and how will they impact day to day activities in each school? Will any schools need to close?

Answer - The order of the various projects has not yet been determined due to a number of factors and they will not be determined until after the applications are filed with the state Dept of Education and a response to those applications is received from DOE. We expect that a preliminary determination of to the order to projects will be made during the fall of 2022 as planning for that work will need to begin as soon as the referendum passes in November, 2022. We are expecting that work to be carefully planned so that no schools will have to close during construction. In so far as possible, construction work will be performed with a minimal disruption to the learning environment with emphasis given to work being done during school vacations and after students have gone home each day.

Question - What is the likelihood that there will be negotiations among the Board and that the proposed number would change?

Answer - There is some chance that the overall number will change based on allowances from the NJ DOE. The bond proposal passed the BOE with unanimous support on April 6, 2022.

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