The North Arlington Board of Education seems to be content in letting the Schools Superintendent who is not a resident or homeowner explain this ambitious acquisition of QPHS.
As the educational leader, that is his job.
But the Schools Superintendent does not speak for taxpayers, the five elected school trustees do!
They have an obligation to address the voters who they are accountable.
None of them have uttered a single word why they support this proposal or how they managed to squirrel away millions to purchase this property.
More importantly, the exact impact on school taxes is being conveniently ignored and unexplained by these elected board members.
Do all five support an estimated $700 increase in school taxes?
Why haven’t any of them made any public comment?
And can this proposal generate new revenue that would off-set potential school tax hikes in the future?
And why does those who support the project become so defensive when one asks the pertinent questions homeowners really want to talk about before supporting this plan?
There needs to be a concerted effort to reach out and be transparent with the entire community, not just parents.
Proposals like this need to be financially vetted by the public and tough questions should be welcomed!
Don’t they (school board) have an obligation to explain the benefits as well as the cost and long term impact on taxes?
They need to explain why this district that has had the same school population for decades need a facility that once populated some 700 students at it’s peak and what will be the cost to renovate as well as the number of new school personnel such as teachers, administrators, support staff and maintenance employees?
Has there been any interaction with our new Mayor Dan Pronti and the entire Borough Council?
Has a presentation been made to the Governing Body as well as their professional staff for input and a second opinion?
Don’t they have a responsibility to weigh-in?
We believe a good school system is important to parents and children as well as the rest of the community, but one meeting is not enough. A series of meetings with all segments of the community is needed to ensure the value proposition being considered.
We hope this first meeting is just that, an initial meeting in a series of meetings and information about this proposal that unifies parents, students and homeowners all at the same time.
When 50% of Property Taxes are already earmarked for local schools, all the facts need to be part of a far wider discussion as to what’s best for North Arlington.