Kindergarten and first graders will move to Whitehall, second and third graders will remain at Radix, fourth grade at WHS and special needs students at Oak Knoll for the upcoming school year.
By Krista Cerminaro
Superintendent Charles Earling announced Holly Glen Elementary School student and staff placements for the 2018 school year at the Monroe Township Board of Education meeting on April 19. Earling said the decision was made after thorough investigation and research into financial constraints.
The decision was made to not move students to Open Bible Baptist Church.
“We cannot afford the amount of money to go there, which is estimated to cost about $636,700,” Earling said.
Costs to temporarily move to the church would be roughly $208,400 for the lease, $53,000 for electric, heat and utilities, $9,500 for classroom custodial weekend turnover — to convert the building from church on Sundays to classrooms on Monday — a minimum of $200,000 to support technology infrastructure needed for curricular programs, along with security cameras and telephones, about $117,000 for Chartwells food service, which includes a truck to transport hot lunches and the addition of two staff members, $40,000 for building security, a minimum of $500 for indoor air quality testing, $300 for lead testing in the water and $8,000 for snow removal considering potential snowstorms.
“I could just see trying to do that, and then the taxpayers really upset with the fact that I could be taking that money in the future, and putting it back into getting Holly Glen cleaned up [and] opened back up for our kids,” Earling said.
“There’s no other choice,” Earling added. “Other than doing split sessions. I could do split sessions, but you don’t want to put kids in a split session in elementary school. Some would be going from eight to 12, and then some from 12:30 to 4:30. That’s going to be a real crisis for families to handle.”
Next school year, Earling announced kindergarteners and first graders will be picked up at bus stops and bused to Whitehall Elementary School, where they’ll occupy classrooms at the school — two rooms for kindergarten students and five for first graders.
Second and third graders will remain at Radix Elementary School — five classrooms designated for the second graders and five for third graders.
Fourth graders will remain in the K-wing of Williamstown High School, occupying five classrooms, and special needs students will occupy seven classrooms at Oak Knoll Elementary School.
Class sizes, according to Earling, will remain at 25 students or fewer per class.
“This was a plan that’s been devised for several months now, with principals involved in the entire process,” Earling noted. “We’re also going to make sure we schedule our home base at Radix, for the various assembly programs that we have.”
The difference in transportation costs for next year, Earling said, is $17,000.
In other news,
- Following inquiries from the last Board of Education meeting, Board President George Caruso and Board Member Jeffrey Simpler explained the Monroe Township Council liaison has no responsibility to get involved with the school budget, so long as the board stays within the 2 percent tax cap. “That’s where we’re at, at this point,” Caruso said. If you stay within the 2 percent cap, there’s no questioning on your budget whatsoever.”
- The board approved Earling’s recommendation to apply for an OceanFirst Foundation model classroom grant.
- The director of the Just Kids program presented at the meeting, giving insight on the program and its impact on the Monroe Township community. Additionally, a representative from The COW Project — an organization that helps local families facing medical conditions — thanked the Williamstown community for its partnership with the organization’s Super Bowl Hoagie Sale fundraiser, announcing that with the help of the township, the organization was able to reach a $50,000 plateau over the last few years.
To see the full meeting agenda, visit www.monroetwp.k12.nj.us.
