To continue the district’s efforts to inform voters ahead of the Dec. 12 bond referendum, Montville Township Public Schools will offer another public opportunity to learn about the proposed projects and ask questions of experts during a webinar-styled forum on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
Key district leaders will share information alongside outside professional consultants who helped develop the plans. The event is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Featured panelists include:- Dr. Thomas Gorman, Superintendent of Schools
- Katine Slunt, Business Administrator/Board Secretary
- Dr. Casey Shorter, Assistant Superintendent
- David Melucci, Principal at William Mason Elementary School
- C. William Ross, Senior Associate with Parette Somjen Architects
- Sherry Tracey, Senior Managing Director at Phoenix Advisors, LLC
- Tony Solimine, finance lawyer at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.
The forum will explain the Board of Education’s plans to address the need for additional space, improved security and more efficient systems for heating, cooling and ventilation. A public Q&A opportunity will be included.
On Dec. 12, the two-question ballot will ask for voter permission to finance a $70 million
expansion/improvement plan by selling bonds. Question 1 targets the district’s need for added space and renovations. Question 2 targets the replacement of old HVAC systems that have reached the point of repair risk and the construction of more secure entrances to continue the district’s commitment to safety.
About $9.5 million in state aid has been committed toward that plan if voters give approval. The MTPS Board of Education would commit nearly $6.6 million from its Capital Reserve “savings account” toward costs of projects outlined in Question 1. Local property taxes would cover the remainder. Tax impacts are estimated at $326 per year for Question 1 projects and $84 per year for Question 2 projects. Those amounts are based on a 25-year payback that would start in the 2024-25 school year, and on a property assessment of $533,572 which is the mathematical average of a home in Montville Township.
In advance of the forum, community members are encouraged to:- Learn more at www.montville.net/referendum, the information webpages that are dedicated to referendum information.
- Email questions to panelists at referendum@montville.net. Residents will also be able to send questions during the event through Zoom Webinar’s “Q&A” feature.
A Zoom link will be posted at www.montville.net/referendum shortly before the event, and the forum will be recorded for future viewing.