Bursting at the seams

The long embattled school bond comes up for a vote on September 26, By Fran Hardy In July of 1970, Sparta voters had a chance to build a new high school. It could have accommodated 1,200 students and been expanded to hold 1,600. The cost would have been $5.8 million - or $29.2 million in today’s terms, after adjusting for inflation. Perhaps voters never thought the town would need space for so many students because the referendum was defeated. Now, the school district is faced with the prospect of spending more than twice what it would have spent 36 years ago to accommodate a growing population. Already this year, the high school will exceed the state recommended student capacity by more than 100 students. On Tuesday, Sept. 26, Sparta will once again go to the polls to vote on a school bond referendum. Voters will be asked to approve or deny two proposals. The first is to reconstruct, renovate, and retool the high school building on West Mountain Road at a cost of $71.5 million. The second proposes to resurface the adjacent athletic fields at a cost of $2.49 million. Proposal Two cannot pass unless Proposal One is approved. Sparta has been on this “road” before. Voters worried about tax increases have been voting down referendums involving new school construction, renovations, and land acquisitions since 1968. In that time, voters have been presented with 11 referendums, with two including two questions each. Of the 13 questions put before the town over the last 40 years, nine have been defeated and only four have passed. The bell will soon ring for round 12. By leaps and bounds According to two demographics studies commissioned by the Sparta Township School District, Sparta has grown faster than other parts of the county or state as a whole. By the fall of 2008, Sparta High School is projected to see 187 students in excess of the current facility’s functional capacity, and the elementary schools will see 237 students above their capacities. What will happen when those 237 are ready for high school? Demographic studies agree 2008-09 will be the crunch year. High school enrollment is projected to be between 1,252 to 1,257 students. Senior Lara Hamade will graduate before enrollment reaches its peak but says the overcrowding is a problem now. “The hallways are always congested and it’s nearly impossible to get to class on time,” she said. “Also, the main and annex gyms never have enough space to accommodate all the gym classes and athletic teams in the winter.” This fall marks the first of the worst overcrowding the high school will face. The guidance office staff said it has already been inundated with calls from students and parents complaining about fall schedules. Many students weren’t able to get the electives they wanted because there is no space for them in the classrooms. Academic requirements come first, so some desired electives were replaced by yearlong study halls. “I actually had to drop a class because they said there were too many students,” said junior Trisha Ashmore. “I know people who have had to drop two classes.” Since last spring, the high school has offered tours so that residents could see the overcrowding for themselves. One Sparta parent who took a tour is Dr. Andrew Buchanan, a teacher in a Morris County High School. “What shocked me most is the lack of space to offer electives and honors courses, the classes students are most excited to take,” he said. When the going gets tough Although projections show enrollment is likely to taper off slightly between 2010 and 2015, the numbers remain above functional capacity. Deborah Gianuzzi, the high school art and music liaison, said that teachers often must use rooms not suitable for their subject areas for certain programs or activities. “There are six instrumental groups that need space for lessons every day, and there is literally nowhere for them to go,” she said. “They’ve had to play in locker rooms, teachers’ offices and bathrooms.” The effort to maintain a challenging college preparatory curriculum is becoming increasingly difficult, school officials say. “Under the current conditions, we will not be able to continually enhance our curriculum by improving and adding the courses that will keep us competitive as well as compliant with more stringent state graduation requirements,” said Dr. Kathleen Monks, the Sparta school district assistant superintendent for curriculum. A bumpy ride Travel toward this referendum began in 2004 when a volunteer group, the Community Facilities Taskforce, studied Sparta’s school overcrowding and long-term needs. Its recommendation to build a new high school prompted a two-year land search thwarted by environmental restrictions, unwilling sellers, red tape, and exorbitant costs. Efforts to agree on a solution often pitted the school board and town council against one another. Sparta voters have since replaced several incumbents on both the council and the board in local elections. Kevin Pollison ran for one of those council seats and was defeated. However, he was optimistic because he believes, “Sparta now has leaders who are focused on being accountable and responsive to the town’s residents,” and that the town council and school board “have taken the necessary steps to repair and strengthen their working relationship.” In spite of all the disagreements, few disagree that something must be done. But some residents wonder why the reconstruction plan wasn’t pursued two years ago instead of the lengthy land search. Phillip Seranni, a retired Sparta middle school teacher, is unhappy with the way the school board has managed the process, and plans to vote against the measure. “Besides,” he said, “good buildings don’t make good students, good teachers do.” According to school officials, expanding and renovating the present high school was considered early on. They were repeatedly told “no” by the state and the Department of Environmental Protection, due to restrictions governing wetlands that surround the property. They were also told by engineers that such a project would be almost as costly as a new building on another site. When the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act was passed in August of 2004, exemptions relating to existing structures opened up the possibility of adding on to the present high school site. When it became apparent that all other sites were either unavailable or cost prohibitive, the school board revisited the reconstruction plan. Maria Kofsky, a parent with two children who will enter the school system this fall, felt it is time to put away past frustrations and focus on the children. She plans to vote “yes.“ We have to consider what’s best for the children,” she said. “Let’s pass this thing and move forward.” Some voters are unsure about the current referendum because they are concerned about property taxes. Former councilman Wayne Ring wants a more cost-effective solution that considers more than the cost of renovations. He asked, “What about the cost of running and staffing it [the school]? Down the road, are we going to get hit again with more taxes for that and for solving the elementary school issues?” Chris Watry, a parent of one child at Sparta High School and another at Pope John High School, felt increased taxes are needed to provide top-quality schools and maintain property values. “The school system is one of the things people look at when they buy houses,” she said. “I don’t relish my taxes going up, but I hope the referendum passes for the good of our children and the community as a whole.” Some parents are concerned about children attending school in a building under renovation. In a recent letter to the Sparta Independent, printed on Aug. 24, Susan MacDonald said she is worried about “containment of dust from asbestos and lead paint during demolition.” She felt the process could be ”a chaotic disruption” for the students’ learning. Principal Richard Lio said none of this will be a problem. “During each phase of construction the staging area will be confined and students will be separated from the work in progress,” he said. The journey down the road to this referendum has been delayed by detours and halted by road blocks. Those who have worked to pass it feel their hands have often been tied along the way as they’ve faced one brick wall after another. Those who seek to block it feel time and money have been mismanaged on one wild goose chase after another. And if those clichés aren’t enough, it is now the eleventh hour and the debate goes on.