MONROE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT X

Plain Talk about the March 13, 2018 Referendum

Introduction

The Monroe Township School District has authorized preparations for a Bond Referendum that is scheduled to go before registered voters on March 13, 2018. To provide facts about the “Strong Schools = Strong Community” Referendum, the District has developed this Q&A document. As the need arises, Plain Talk will be updated to ensure that residents' con-

cerns are addressed in a timely manner. If there is a specific question that is not addressed, please contact:

Dr. Michael G. Kozak Superintendent 732-521-1500 x-5224 Michael.Kozak@Monroe.k12.nj.us

Mr. Michael C. Gorski Bus. Admin./Bd. Sec. 732-521-1500 x-5202 Michael.Gorski@Monroe.k12.nj.us

Dr. Dori L. Alvich Asst. Superintendent 732-521-1500 x-5231 Dori.Alvich@Monroe.k12.nj.us

Hyperlinked Index to Q&A

1. Introduction

Introduction, Index, and BOE note.

2. General Information Purpose, voting dates and schedule for the Referen-dum; descriptions of the planning effort and the alter-natives that were studied; and the probable results of a failed referendum.

3. Enrollment Growth

Description of the enrollment growth across the District and at Grade Levels.

4. Why the Middle School Basis of Decision for the Middle School in the proposed Referendum.

5. Middle School Concept

Conceptual Site and Floor plans.

6. Middle School Site Site selection criteria, info on NO Flood Area, and Township purchase of site. 7. Construction: Cost and Safety

Dealing with safety and security during construction, and determining and controlling construction costs.

8. Financial: Bond & Tax Impact The cost of the project, the “local share”, how much will be voted on, impact on local property tax, and tax relief for senior citizens.

9. Voting Information Time and local voting places, along with Voter Registration and Vote by Mail information.

10. Getting More Information How you can get more information about the proposed Referendum?

A few words to the community: The Board of Education, working with the community, spent two years working through the process of coming up with the Strong Schools = Strong Community Referendum. We have listened to the concerns of the community and in particular the Student Growth Advisory Committee in formulating this fiscally responsible, phased approach to meeting our immediate needs. This referendum meets the educational needs of our District. It is for an additional middle school to house approximately 1,000 grade 6-8 students and will provide parity with the current middle school in educational programs, athletics and extra-curricular activities. The new middle school will be located on a 35-acre site at the northwest corner of the intersection of Applegarth Road and Cranbury Station Road. Ownership of this site will be transferred by the Township to the District at no cost. This referendum can be accomplished with a nominal increase in property taxes of about $10.75 per month for the average homeowner. This is achieved with an antici-pated $7.1 million in Debt Service Aid from the state. The Board hopes, in taking a phased approach, that future aid from the State will be more generous toward Monroe Township at which time we will proceed with additional facility needs. State aid is an issue on which we have also been continuously working. Interest rates are near historic lows. We can take advan-tage of that now and relieve the most serious overcrowd-ing in the District.

The alleviation of overcrowding in our District will allow

us to continue to deliver the quality of education that our

students deserve.

Board of Education

Monroe Township School District

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

2. General Information

What is the Monroe Township Schools Bond Referendum about? The Bond Referendum is an opportunity for voters to decide whether the school district will be authorized to raise $68.8 million through the sale of bonds to construct a new Middle School at Applegarth & Cranbury Station Roads.

Why is the proposed Referendum being held now? The need to address the overcrowding and current inadequacies in available educational space has been under study for several years. Interest rates are currently near historic lows and will result in savings to the taxpayers. With an improving economy, interest rates will be inching upward and we want to take advantage of current low rates. The current middle school is overcapacity and the deficit of available room for students continues to worsen. A successful referendum will eliminate the need for numerous classroom trailer rentals with annual recurring expenses in the millions of dollars. Twelve temporary classroom trailers rentals will begin in the 2018-2019 school year. Without a successful referendum, the current middle school class sizes will continue to increase.

Who was involved in developing this plan? This Referendum plan has been under study since 2015 by the Board of Education and their architectural, engineering and financial advisors. Public participation included multiple presentations at Board of Education meetings and six months of work by the Student Growth Advisory Committee.

What alternatives were considered in developing this plan? The Student Growth Advisory Committee explored multiple potential solutions to the enrollment issue. The committee analyzed the pros and cons of various options, including, but not limited to:

Building on current Board-owned property; Different grade configurations; Split sessions; Creating a 9th grade academy in a separate facility from the high school; Building a grade 5-6 building; and Moving the middle school students into the high school and building a new high school.

If you wonder “Did they consider XYZ”, the answer is probably, “Yes”...no stone was left unturned.

Why aren’t we putting a new elementary school and an expansion to the high school into this referendum? The middle school has been identified as our greatest need at this time with ten temporary classroom trailer rentals included in the 2018-2019 budget. We do need a new elementary school and an addition to our high school. However, we have more flexibility at the elementary schools and high school to accommodate enrollment growth. We believe this phased approach is more fiscally responsible to the taxpayers. In addition, we are working very hard on improved State aid for our District, which, if secured, would lead to increased State aid in a future referendum.

What happens if the Referendum doesn’t pass? The Board could call for an additional Referendum at a later date on this plan, or the District could develop an alternate plan requiring additional NJ Department of Education approvals and significant delays in implementation. Will the State pay for the school if the referendum fails? The State will NOT pay for a new school. If the referendum fails two separate times, the State may nullify the two failed voter referendums and order construction of a new school that will be financed by the local taxpayer. The new middle school will be decided by the State and not by the voters at the local level. Decisions will be removed from the community by the State. Will the referendum conclude the leasing of outside office space? Yes, when the new middle school is opened, we will discontinue the lease of office space for Pupil Personnel Services and Central Registration, saving $63,600.00 annually. These departments will be moved back into Board-owned build-ings.

When is it anticipated that the temporary classroom trailers at the middle school will be removed? The temporary classroom trailers should be removed following successful construction and occupancy of the new middle school, if it is approved.

Will another redistricting be required if the referendum is successful? Yes, but redistricting will only be required for middle school students.

1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

3. Enrollment Growth

What level of enrollment growth have we been experiencing? The driving force behind the Referendum is enrollment growth at all levels. We are meeting the classroom needs at the Middle School first because the needs there are most critical.

DISTRICT ENROLLMENTS The District-wide enrollment has increased by 1,781 students in the past eight years and is projected to continue to increase to 8,782 students.

Currently we have 1,500 unhoused students and we expect an additional 1,500 students in the next five years.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS The enrollment growth, particularly at the current Middle

School, is resulting in overcrowded classes, crowded

hallways and cafeteria, gym, and library with insufficient

space to support their programs.

The Middle School enrollment has increased by 366

students in the past 6 years and is projected to continue to

increase by 411 students in the next 5 years to a total of

2,072 students. The current capacity is 1,206 students.

In accordance with best practices, a Middle School enrollment at this level of over 2,000 students should be met with two separate schools. The Enrollment Study can be found here.

What other school facility expansions are required by enrollment growth and when are they being planned for referendum? In addition to a new middle school we also need a new elementary school and an addition to our high school. However, we have more flexibility at the elementary schools and high school to accommodate enrollment growth. As enrollment growth continues, the needs at these schools will also have to be addressed.

< Historic : Projected >

Capacity = 1206

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

4. An additional Middle School Why do we need a new middle school? MTMS is over capacity and has been for several years. Class sizes are too large for the available space in the classroom making it difficult for teachers to engage students in their learning. Classroom trailers are already planned for the 2018-19 school year to accommodate our growing student population.

How will the existing Monroe Township Middle School and proposed new middle school be grade configured and how will they share the population of students? The grade configuration at both middle schools will be grades 6 through 8. It is expected that the current MTMS will have half of the projected 2,000 students. 1,000 will remain at the existing Middle School and 1,000 will go to the new school after redistricting.

Will new staff will be needed for the proposed new school? There will be a need for some new staff at the opening of the new middle school such as a principal, guidance counsel-

ors, custodians and media specialist; however, many District teachers will follow students as students are redistricted be-

tween the two middle schools.

Why are we not adding to the existing Middle School? This option was considered by several public and board committees. The lack of adequate existing core facilities (gymnasiums, cafeteria, library etc.), site challenges (athletic fields, parking, adjacent wetlands etc.), the higher cost of renovation than new construction, and safety issues related to what would be a highly congested geographic area, had all groups concurring that this was a non-viable option.

Will the two schools offer the same programs? If the Referendum passes, the two middle schools will offer identical academic programs, extra-curricular activities and sports opportunities. Both classrooms and core facilities have been designed with parity as a priority.

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

5. Middle School Design

What is the design of the site?

The 35 acre site is the former golf range at Applegarth &

Cranbury Station Road. It is readily accessible, generally

flat, has all required utilities, no environmental or con-

struction issues and is sufficiently large to accommodate

athletics.

The Township is transferring ownership of the site to the

School District at no cost.

Bus drop-off and loading is separate from pedestrian and

other vehicular traffic.

What is the design of the school?

▪ The proposed 152,315 SF new Middle School is

conceptually arranged as a 1-story Core and adjacent

3-story Classroom wing.

▪ The “stacked” classroom wing provides cost-effective

economies in construction and operation of the building

systems.

▪ It will double the student capacity at the grade 6-8 level

and meet the 5-year enrollment needs when completed

for the school year starting September 2021.

▪ The design provides a parity of academic, athletic and

extra-curricular spaces supporting district-wide fairness

in facilities and opportunities.

1st Floor

2nd Floor 3rd Floor

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

6. Middle School Site

Where is the new Middle School site? The 35 acre site is at Applegarth & Cranbury Station Road, the site of the

golf driving range. It is readily accessible, generally flat, has all required

utilities, and preliminary studies show no significant environmental con-

straints or construction issues.

Is the proposed site in a flood zone? The site has been confirmed as “not located in a Flood Hazard Area” by Edwards Engineering Group, in a letter dated September 11, 2017, see this link. While in the vicinity of Cranbury Brook, the Applegarth Rd & Cran-bury Station Rd. site is a respectable 12 feet above the FEMA 100-year flood elevation.

Why was the municipality asked to secure the land on behalf of the district? The land was identified by District Administration, and was determined by their professionals, to be particularly well-suited to a middle school site meeting all state criteria and local requirements. The Township is working to acquire the site, at the request of the District, with the intention of transferring it at no cost to the School District. Statutes allow the Township to immediately purchase the land after issuance of a bond ordinance with funds already budgeted in their an-nual operating budget. This saves considerable financing costs as opposed to the school district’s long term bond financ-ing requirement. More information is available in a letter from our Attorney found here.

Will the Township donate the land to the Board of Education at no cost? Is this documented in a Letter of Intent? Yes, the Township wrote a letter to the District dated September 12, 2017, which stated: “Once acquired, it is the intent of the Township to transfer the deed to the Board of Education at no cost.”

What other land alternatives are available for the middle school referendum? District Administration worked closely with the township engineer, Center State Engineering, representatives from the Monroe Township Office of Planning & Zoning and engaged local licensed realtors in an effort to find a site that could accommodate a new middle school. After reviewing nearly 20 potential sites, none of which proved viable, we identified only one site, the golf driving range at the corner of Applegarth and Cranbury Station Roads, that would accommodate the District's needs. More on this subject can be found here.

Why was this piece of land determined to be the best suited for this project? The specific attributes of this property are: 1. Its geographic location to our existing schools; 2. Its geographic location to the area of town with the highest growth concentration; 3. Its access to two roadways, which greatly benefits the transporting of students to and from school; 4. The roads are ample size where road widening at a considerable cost is avoided; 5. Its access to utility zones with electric and sewer connections in place; 6. It has a minimal wetlands footprint which was a major flaw with most other properties in that section of town that we

explored; 7. Its geographic size; and 8. Its grading and its ready to develop state, because it does not in need of deforestation.

What municipal emergency service companies are close in proximity to the proposed new school? Monroe Township Fire District #2, Station 57, which is staffed 24/7 by career firefighters and augmented by volunteers.

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

7. Construction Cost and Safety How were Construction and Project costs determined? Construction costs are estimated based upon the room type and scope of the specific project. Non-building costs for site improvements must then be added in. Finally, the other project costs including architect and engineer fees, legal fees, construction manager fee, and a contingency are factored in. The “all in” costs of $68.8 million are what the community will vote on.

How will the Board of Education keep costs under control? The Board of Education will be managing costs in several ways: Our architects have extensive experience managing projects like ours in a multitude of NJ school districts. Our architects produce highly detailed specifications enabling contractors to better understand the work on which they are bidding. Be-cause of the quality of their plans, the District will receive a higher than normal number of construction bidders which leads to more competitive pricing. Our architects, as required by law, use an open bidding process with full access to the bidders list. This way, the contrac-tors can get the lowest prices from all interested manufacturers and suppliers. The Board will be contracting with a construction manager to provide additional observation and management services during construction. The construction manager becomes the owner’s representative, managing issues that arise on the site.

What happens if bids are not received within the budget? The budget is established by law by the question put before the voters in the Referendum. That published Referendum budget cannot be exceeded. If construction bids are not under budget, the project will be redesigned by the architect and rebid at another date in the near future. The Architects will include multiple bidding alternates for each of the major contraction divisions in the original bid re-quests that allow for adding to or subtracting from the scope of the work. Acceptance of any alternate or combination of alternates may be used to bring the project under budget.

What happens if there is a cost overrun during construction for the project? A contingency figure has been built into the budgeted cost to deal with any unforeseen construction problems, as required by the New Jersey Department of Education. How will the schools deal with safety and security issues? The site of the new middle school will not be accessible to the public (or students) until after construction is complete. No existing spaces occupied by students will be renovated during this project. The safety and welfare of our students is para-mount. Before the onset of construction, we will hold meetings with our faculty, administrators, the Police Department, our architect and our project’s construction manager. Together, we will develop a safety action plan that will ensure the chil-dren’s safety as it relates to non-school personnel having access to the buildings. We will have the benefit of working with a construction manager who specializes in school construction and understands the importance of protecting our children.

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

8. Financial: State Aid, Bond and Tax Impact

Is the District eligible for state funds for this proposed building project? Yes. Debt Service Aid is currently being offered from the New Jersey Department of Education and we are taking full advantage of it. We anticipate being offered somewhere in the neighborhood of 10.3% of the total costs (40% of all eligible projects costs).

What is the total dollar amount we will be asked to vote on for the proposed Bond Referendum? The estimated total cost of the Referendum is $68,845,545.00. That is the amount of our proposed Referendum. Since the state will offer approximately $7.1 million, the local share will be reduced over the duration of the bonds.

How will my property taxes be impacted if the proposed Referendum is approved? Taxes on the average residential property in the Township, with an Assessed Value of $312,219, will increase by $10.75 per month. Another way to report tax impact is that the Average Tax Impact for every $100,000 of Assessed Value will be $41.35. That is $129.10 per year on the average Monroe Township Residential Assessed Value of $312,219. We are making it easy to get your tax impact. There is a Tax Impact Calculator on the District website with which you can input your specific property’s Assessed Value and obtain the specific estimated annual tax impact … there is no need to calculate from averages. Find the Tax Calculator here.

What is the difference between Assessed Value and Market Value?

Market Value is how much you or a realtor could sell your house for in today’s market. The Assessed Value is the value given to your land and improvements for property tax purposes by your municipality and appears on your tax bill.

How will the proposed Referendum affect taxes for senior citizens? Senior Citizens and Disabled persons should know that they may be protected from all property tax increases in the future. Since 1998, the Property Tax Reimbursement Program (Senior Freeze) has reimbursed eligible senior citizens for property tax increases. You must meet eligibility requirements regarding age, residency and income which can be found on the NJ Division of Taxation web site. Upon application to the state, you may receive a rebate for any increase in your real estate taxes. Eligible applicants must file the Property Tax Reimbursement Application on or before a specified due date. For more information, or to confirm eligibility, call the NJ Division of Taxation at 1-800-882-6597 or consult the agency’s web site here.

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

9. Voting Information

When do I vote? Polling places will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., on the Special Election Day, Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

Where do I vote? All the usual polling places will be open. There will be 24 polling places. A list of Wards, Districts, Place Names and Addresses can be found on the District’s web pages, here. A state voting app will also locate your voting place based on your address. That Polling Place Search is found here.

How do I register to vote? To register to vote you must contact the Middlesex County Board of Elections at 732-745-3471. You may also fill out a voter registration application online and print and mail it to the Board of Elections. A NJ Voter Registration form, addressed to the Middlesex County Clerk, and available in 5 languages, can be found on the State website here. You can register to vote in this election if • You are a United States citizen • You will be 18 years of age by the election date of March 13, 2018 • You will be a resident of the State and County 30 days before the election • You are NOT currently serving a sentence probation or parole because of a felony conviction

Registration Deadline is 21 days before the election,

… that is Tuesday, February 20, 2018 for the Monroe Township Referendum election Can I vote by mail? Yes, in New Jersey, any qualified and registered voter can now vote by Absentee Ballot for any election, for any reason. Don't feel like going to the polls? Simply vote by mail. Now there is "no excuse" not to vote! You do not have to be ab-sent from the area on March 13 to vote by mail. If you are a qualified and registered voter, then you may apply for a Vote By Mail ballot by completing the application and mailing it to the County Clerk. The deadline for such requests by mail is 7 days before any and all elections (Primary, General, School, etc.). A Vote By Mail voter may also apply in person at the County Clerk’s Office on any working day until 3:00 p.m. on the day before the election. Vote By Mail Ballot Applications can be found by following the District web site link or online here.

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1. Index 2. General 3. Enrollment 4. Why 5. Concept Plans 6. Site 7. Cost & Safety 8. Financial 9. Voting 10. More

10. Getting More Information

How can I get more information about the proposed Referendum? Citizens who want more information about the upcoming proposed Referendum should:

● Look for information that will be sent home through the mail.

● Attend Board of Education meetings and/or Board of Education presentations throughout the community. Board

of Education meetings can also be viewed on-line on the District’s website and on Channel 28.

● Email us at referendum@monroe.k12.nj.uswith questions about the proposed Referendum. These questions will be

answered as quickly as possible, and used to update this document.

● Request a presentation for your group, organization or neighborhood by calling the District offices at 732-521-1500.

● Visit the District’s web site at https://www.monroe.k12.nj.us/

● Check for local newspaper coverage.