WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF QUEEN OF PEACE HIGH SCHOOL?
WITH ALL THREE QUESTIONS TROUNCED, IS THE DECEMBER REFERENDUM DEAD ON ARRIVAL?
NORTH ARLINGTON – The NA Board of Education has more questions than answers in wake of the landslide defeat of the three questions that appeared on the ballot November 5th in which voters overwhelmingly rejected this massive proposal to hire nearly 50 new school employees and increase spending nearly $13,300,000!
The school board unilaterally decided to purchase Queen of Peace High School earlier this year to the tune of some $7 million dollars and now have no apparent way to bring this dormant facility up to code.
The first question is why did they push for the purchase of this facility knowing they needed to go to referendum to renovate and upgrade this aging structure?
Will the school board place the property back on the open market and how do they intend to fix it in wake of widespread opposition by voters?
Will they even admit there is little, if any support for this ambitious and expensive project taxpayers have rejected?
The school board did nothing to convince voters this was a good idea.
The fact there was no organized effort by anyone to actively oppose the questions truly displays just how unpopular this whole idea is with North Arlington taxpayers!
“The December referendum should be postponed and the North Arlington Board of Education needs to start over. A fourth defeat by voters serves no one. The school trustees need to respect the wishes of the voters and go back to the drawing board. To move forward with this referendum is a colossal error in judgment,” offered one political insider when asked to comment.
Since this landslide defeat, rumors of candidates seeking to run in 2020 have been hot and heavy.
“All five school trustees are vulnerable to defeat. The only reason the incumbents won last Tuesday is because no one challenged them. That won’t be the case in 2020,” promised one angry resident.
Many longtime residents believe the board overreached and assumed voters would rubber stamp an $800 permanent school tax hike.
That clearly was not the case.
The board’s entire spending priorities and practices are now under public scrutiny and many believe the current board is simply out of touch with residents and homeowners.
With a history of being a tax sensitive community, North Arlington voters sent a loud and clear message to this five-member board.
“No school board can expect to be handed a blank check. The size and scope of this proposal had no public support or real input. They purchased the building with no dialogue and then proceeded to seek another $13.3 million in spending after a $7 million dollar purchase. That’s over $20,000,000! It was rejected because the board was arrogant and out of step with just about everyone given the hammering they took at the polls on Election Day,” offered one resident when asked to comment.
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