Bergen districts holding array of special elections
School improvement construction on ballots
A handful of Bergen County school districts will have special elections today to vote on school improvement construction questions.
Becton Regional/Carlstadt and East Rutherford
Carlstadt and East Rutherford voters will weigh in on Becton Regional High School’s proposed $49.2 million bond to fund new special education, trades and vocational space, and to buy property for a new gymnasium and renovate the current gym.
A $55 million version of the plan was defeated by voters in March 2022. The referendum splits the proposal into three questions with a total cost of $49.2 million:
• The first question is about a $29.5 million proposal for STEM, special education and vocational space. The new proposal reduces the addition from 90,000 square feet to 47,000, eliminating a new building for vocational training previously proposed across the street.
• Question two is on a new gym, the renovation of the existing gym and a performing arts center at $12.8 million. The property would be purchased to build a new regulation-size gymnasium, with renovations to the existing gym, and a performing arts center, bathrooms and locker rooms.
• The third question asks voters to approve $7 million for renovations to the school’s annex building at 160 Paterson Ave. for trades and vocational program space.
The mayor and council of Carlstadt, one of three communities served by the high school, came out in opposition to the plan. A resolution and letter opposing Becton Regional’s referendum was issued by the mayor and council of Carlstadt, mostly due to unresolved issues.
East Rutherford homeowners with an average home value of $426,302 and Carlstadt homeowners with an average
home value of $445,779 would see a tax impact of $0.03 per $100 assessed valuation for Question 1, and $0.01 per $100 assessed valuation each for Questions 2 and 3.
That would be an average increased tax bill of $144 per year if Question 1 is approved, or $252 per year if all three questions are approved.
Fairview school referendum
The Fairview Board of Education is looking to build a 91,334-square-foot, four-story middle school building. The school, with 24 classrooms for grades six to eight, would cost about $60 million, with $35 million coming from capital reserve funds.
The building would also feature small group instructional classrooms, science labs, music and art classrooms, a gymnasium,
a cafeteria, a media center, student lounges and office space.
Roughly $10.8 million in state aid has been approved for the project. If voters approve the proposal, Fairview homeowners with an average assessed home value of $466,924 would see a tax impact of about $396 per year over 25 years.
Little Ferry school referendum
In Little Ferry, voters will be asked to approve a $38 million proposal for a new middle school on Liberty Street.
The 65,000-square-foot, three-story building would be constructed at the former site of Washington Elementary School, which closed in June 2018 due to its deteriorating condition. Workers demolished the 110-year-old brick building to clear the site for the planned sixth
through eighth grade school.
The proposal includes classrooms designed for collaboration and handson learning, science labs, modern safety and accessibility features, and a cafeteria with a working kitchen that would provide fresh food for students at the new school and Memorial School across the street.
The building also would feature two outdoor recreation spaces, including a rooftop area that could be used for recess, gym, outdoor learning or lunches. The average property owner, with a home assessed at $375,501, would pay an estimated $50 per month in school debt taxes.