November 21, 2012

Public Schools Fared Well During Storm; Board Hears Valley Road Building Proposal

The focus was on buildings and grounds at last week’s Board of Education meeting.

Superintendent Judy Wilson and other members of the Board reiterated their thanks to the community for passing a September referendum that will support $10.9 million in infrastructure repairs and upgrades to district schools. At the same meeting, which had originally been scheduled for October 30, Ms. Wilson reported that school buildings and playing fields came out of Hurricane Sandy relatively unscathed. The meeting concluded with the presentation by Kip Cherry of a proposed resolution focusing on the disposition of the old section of Valley Road School building.

In her comments about the recent storm, Ms. Wilson described Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi as “tireless, steady, and accurate” in fulfilling his role as “key communicator” between the schools and the public.

The Princeton Public Library was also acknowledged for providing a haven in the days during and after the storm. “Hundreds of our children were sitting on the library floor reading and chatting,” Ms. Wilson reported. “What a sight it was.”

Custodians and maintenance staff, under the leadership of Director of Plant/Operations Gary Weisman, were recognized for putting in as many as 50 hours at a stretch at school buildings over the course of ten to twelve days. “They made a huge difference in our ability to open again,” Ms. Wilson noted.

The only damage sustained by any of the schools was to the roof of the gym at Princeton High School, where repairs are already underway.

Repairing the Valley Road School Building was the subject of Ms. Cherry’s presentation. “I’m not expecting you to vote on it tonight,” she said as she distributed copies of the proposal prepared by by Valley Road Community Center, Inc. “Consider it a draft for your future support.”

Ms. Cherry noted that portions of the building are “in dire need of repair” and “will become an eyesore or safety hazard if not addressed.” The proposal to create a “Valley Road Community Center” is not a new one, but Ms. Cherry reiterated some of its specifics, including the creation of affordable spaces for non-profit theater and arts organizations which will work together in a synergistic environment. Ms. Cherry was careful to note that the purposes of the Center would be consistent with the Princeton Public School’s mission, and that environmental issues would be met in creating it.

The suggestion, this time, that the Board “partner” with the Valley Road Community Center, Inc., may have been a new one. “You haven’t been with us,” Ms. Cherry commented, noting that a partnership would enhance fund-raising opportunities and garner support for the project from the Planning Board and new municipal Council.

Thanking Ms. Cherry for a “thoughtful proposal,” Ms. Wilson reminded everyone about the Board’s “time frame” for considering what to do with the Valley Road building. Since they were committed “to go to work on this issue after the first of this year,” she said, she did not expect “any public discussion on this in next six weeks.”

Ms. Cherry expressed the hope that things would move a little faster, since water is currently leaking into the building. “The building can’t be reused if the water situation is not stabilized,” she noted.

Ms. Wilson responded by saying that Township officials are aware of the water situation.

In non-building related discussions, the Board approved a revised policy that addresses all tobacco use by students. Curriculum changes were made to “align with state requirements,” reported Student Achievement Committee Chair Andrea Spalla, and, at the teachers’ request, A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be taught to sixth graders this year.


September 26, 2012

School Referendum Passes; “Infrastructure” Improvements to Begin

In an election where less than ten percent of Princeton’s 19,145 registered voters turned out to vote, a school referendum asking for $10.9 million for school improvements was approved on Monday.  The vote was 1,238 to 571 with 58 people voting by mail.

Approval of the referendum means an estimated $150 a year more in taxes for the average Princeton homeowner.

In a September 12 “Princeton Public Schools Report,” Superintendent Judy Wilson described work to be funded by the referendum as “maintenance and safety projects, and a couple of instructional projects.”  This will include “ necessary work” on roofs and windows; drainage systems; “safety work” to improve fields and track; and “energy efficiencies across the system.”

Ms. Wilson pointed out that it has been 11 years since the last school referendum. “It’s time to take care of some of the basics, essential projects that must and will be taken care of,” she observed.  The availability of “great interest rates”  and low construction rates make this a particularly attractive time to do the work, she added.

Proposed projects funded by the additional money at all four elementary schools will include installation of gym air handlers, upgraded playground equipment, and extensions of security and technology systems.  Plans for Johnson Witherspoon Middle School include “repurposing” the old gym into a media center; air conditioning second-floor classrooms; and interior fire-door replacement.  Track, turf and bleacher replacements, “select locker replacements,” and renovations to create additional instructional space are some of the projects slated to take place at Princeton High School.

“Monday’s referendum is relatively small and focused only on needs in those portions of buildings and grounds that have arisen since or were not addressed in prior construction,” noted a statement released by the Board of Education.  Board members noted that “each of the projects identified for this referendum has been reviewed for over 18 months in public meetings of the Board’s Facilities Committee.”  They echoed Ms. Wilson’s comment about this being “an optimal time to take advantage of low construction
bids and capture historically low interest rates,”  and pointed out that applying to state agencies, which are not awarding any new grants for facility projects, was not an option at this time.

The district estimated that all the work will be completed during the next 18 to 24 months.


August 22, 2012

New Name, New Look, New Website; Princeton Public Schools Ready to Go

“We are certainly ready to welcome our students back,” said Superintendent Judy Wilson in a recent Princeton Community TV appearance.

Which is not to say that the schools have been idle. Ms. Wilson reported that “hundreds of students were with us this summer,” to take English classes; participate in math and literacy programs; receive special needs instruction, and get help in preparing for college.

The TV spot gave Ms. Wilson an opportunity to provide the latest information about the schools; a new name, a new logo, and a new website were at the top of her list. The new name, Princeton Public Schools, occurs in anticipation of the January 1, 2013, consolidation of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, at which point Princeton will no longer qualify as a regional school district and is legally obligated to change its name.

The new website, www.princetonk12.org, promises to provide “all that’s newsworthy, accurate, and all that’s important to you as a parent,” said Ms. Wilson. With “a new look” and “many more resources,” the site will include “good news” as well as up-to-the minute emergency information.

Princeton Public School athletes, who have already begun to return to school for pre-season training, will be observed more carefully under the schools’ new policies and procedures regarding concussions and their aftermath, said Ms. Wilson. Coaches and nurses will also be “paying attention to new research on sudden cardiac arrest,” and on ensuring that athletes remain hydrated during the hot weather.

“The choice to read is so very powerful in our children’s lives,” said Ms. Wilson in her comments about the required summer reading lists that were posted on the old website and have been transferred to the new one. She encouraged parents and students to visit the public library (“a few visits”) and to engage in “literacy experiences,” like “conversations about books and movies.”

Ms. Wilson described the buildings and grounds improvements to all six schools proposed under a recently announced public bond referendum as “projects that just can’t be tackled in day-to-day maintenance and repairs.” Princeton residents will vote on the $10.9 million bond on Monday, September 24, when polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m. The work includes “a range of projects from drainage systems to instructional classrooms to fields and courts, but none of it is new construction,” she noted. The improvements are intended to “stop water damage; fight energy costs; replace gym floors; add an ADA-compliant ramp to Princeton High School;” and beef up playground safety at the elementary schools. A new turf field, bleachers, and track used by middle and high school students need to be replaced, said Ms. Wilson, and the John Witherspoon Middle School gym will be “repurposed” to create a media center.

Turning to what she described as “minor projects,” Ms. Wilson noted that “the Valley Road building does not need any attention; it’s been well-maintained and renovated in recent years.” The adjacent playing fields, however, “need attention.”

Ms. Wilson pointed to “high needs, low costs, and low interest rates” as reasons for the upcoming referendum. If it is passed, it will cost the average in Princeton resident $149.

More details on repairs and upgrades, Ms. Wilson noted, will be made available in the coming weeks.


Township Discusses Deer, Schools, Transition

At its Monday evening meeting, Township Committee members heard presentations from school Superintendent Judy Wilson and a representative of United Bowhunters of New Jersey, and responded to a question about consolidation implementation.

Ms. Wilson presented an overview of building projects that would be carried out if the referendum bond vote on Monday, September 24 is approved. (See related article on page seven in this issue.)

At a “work session” in which no action was taken, representative Chris Midura described United Bowhunting of New Jersey programs that have been “safely and successfully administered” in Princeton in the past. With the season starting on September 8, Mr. Midura said that he hoped a decision to continue with them would come soon, so that they can “line up” the hunters and do an orientation. The Animal Control Committee, which will make the recommendation, is meeting in early September.

In response to a question from Deputy Mayor Liz Lempert about a “problem” alluded to in a letter, Mr. Midura explained that it had to do with suggestions that members of their organization were conducting “deer drives” (i.e., moving the deer toward hunters). It was determined that this was not occurring “among my people,” and Mr. Miduri said that in a recent conversation with Bob Buchanan, the former police chief indicated that the mayor could contact him if there was still any question about the episode.

Township resident and Transition Task Force IT Subcommittee member Henry Singer, described himself as having been “caught off guard” when, at a recent meeting Transition Task Force Chair Mark Freda said that “things are winding down.” When he asked Mr. Freda about continuity in the process, Mr. Singer said, he was told that the Task Force’s charge is essentially to “recommend and facilitate” by providing a “starting point.”

“It’s not something that will happen by accident,” continued Mr. Singer on Monday evening. He noted the complexity of consolidation and the ongoing analyses and decisions that participants should be referring to as they proceed. In the corporate world, he said, there’s a “play guide,” and detailed coordinated set of plans. “Who’s going to carry the ball across the line?” wondered Mr. Singer at the meeting, citing a need for “project management skills” that would address two of his favorite sayings: “plan the work the work the plan,” and “trust but verify.”

In their responses to Mr. Singer, both Committeewoman Sue Nemeth and Ms. Liz Lempert, who chaired the meeting in Mayor Chad Goerner’s absence, noted that oversight will be in the hands of the governing bodies. “We have experience doing this,” said Ms. Nemeth, pointing to shared services that already exist, and suggesting that combining like departments from each municipality might actually be easier than the management of shared services to date.

Ms. Lempert echoed Ms. Nemeth’s comments, noting that there will be “reports at public sessions” to ensure that everything “should run smoothly. If there’s a problem, we’ll discuss it.”

Mr. Singer also voiced concern about the placement of three transition-related costs under the regular consent agenda at the meeting, suggesting that they be identified separately on future agendas. The costs approved on Monday evening included payments to Vital Communications for tax assessor software (not to exceed $34,000); Comcast Enterprise for internet services (not to exceed $89,100); and Open Systems Integrators, for the integration of Borough security cameras in the new dispatch system (not to exceed $47,900). CFO Kathy Monzo gave a brief explanation for each of them.