Resident: It’s time to speak up in Upper Freehold

I recently attended the Upper Freehold School Board informational meeting on Feb. 25 that was to discuss the upcoming plans for a new school.

Getting on to the matter at hand, the superintendent and school board presented plans to build a new middle school. What I find disheartening is that they have decided which route they feel is better to go on their own without community input. Apparently they had already scrapped the plan to add onto existing facilities, while putting together three new plans and deciding which plan they wanted to go with.

The community has not been involved in any of these decisions. We were not presented with cost-benefit analysis for the plans as well as a detailed explanation as to why adding onto existing facilities is not the way to go. The board has gone ahead and looked at nine parcels of land, obtaining appraisals as well as hiring an architect to draw up plans, and the hiring of a construction superintendent. What has transpired so far has cost the community thousands of dollars. What I cannot find is where it was approved in the budget to go ahead with this planning project.

What was also disconcerting was the tone of the meeting; right off the bat we were told by the attorney that funding was disappearing at the state level and if we were to complete a project, "now" is the time to do it. The board as well as the superintendent several times used the phrase "do you want your children in trailers?" I do not like to be bullied, but informed correctly on a subject.

I urge all residents of Upper Freehold and Allentown to consider this referendum seriously and to ask the right questions. They skirted around many questions and only allowed a half-hour with cards passed out to ask more. This is not a lot of time to ask people to approve spending $35 million.

May I suggest some questions the board should answer?

How much has been spent to date on this project?

Why was it determined not to add onto existing facilities and what would it cost to add on?

What will happen in three years when the high school hits its projected occupancy? Even handing the annex back over to the high school, it appears that space will be short, according to their demographics.

Why do we have to do extensive renovation on the existing building and leave several classrooms empty?

Why was the design at hand approved? Anytime you stray from the traditional rectangle shape, it increases construction and architectural costs significantly. You can still build an esthetically pleasing building that is in the shape of a rectangle.

What will be the ancillary costs such as teachers, heat, furniture, etc., to go into the new building?

Financing: please explain thoroughly. It appears that it will be interest only for the first 10 years, then we will be repaying principal and interest. Does that mean our taxes will go up at that point to cover the principal payments?

Why are 43 acres needed and what will be the land cost?

How much funding will we really get? I believe that the state has a fixed number that they fund on. For example, a sixth- through eighth-grade school is estimated to cost $13 million. Would we only get funding on that number?

I once again urge citizens not to take this lying down. I moved into this area almost three years ago with my tax rate at 2.42, with it now at 2.82. Every year it is the same story. How many times will the public be tapped? I am the first one to say that I want the best possible education for my children; having fancy facilities with courtyards, large atriums, etc., does not make for a better-educated student. We need to concentrate on the curriculum, the quality of teachers, and the best resources available. If in fact it is determined that a new school is needed, then what we need to look at is the cost-benefit analysis on each plan, including additions to the existing structure as well as going back to basics on the school building.

To the school board: I urge you to get the community actively involved in these decisions, because it is the community who is paying for it.

Deborah DeMille

Upper Freehold