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Project Benefits
How will these projects benefit people who do not have children in the district?
The entire Bloomingdale community and its residents benefit from having a strong public school district, whether or not they have children attending. When people look for a place to live, public schools are one of the top considerations.
How will an investment in security benefit the district?
Each school year, Bloomingdale Schools reviews its annual operating budget to identify ways to invest in its security infrastructure. Funding within the general operating budget continues to be depleted by state aid cuts and limits on the amount taxes can increase each year. While the district maintains robust security systems and processes, the district is constantly exploring ways to enhance its capabilities districtwide. While we can make minor upgrades here and there, projects such as relocating the main office to a more secure location and then renovating both spaces is outside the confines of our regular operating budget. Funding within the referendum would allow the district to make significant advances in its security infrastructure.
How will HVAC upgrades benefit students and staff?
Most classrooms in Bloomingdale already have air conditioning. The referendum would provide air conditioning to classroom spaces that are currently without it and/or have inefficient window units. This includes the remaining rooms without permanent air conditioning within the middle school position of the building.
Students, staff, and community members are acclimated to air-conditioned spaces comparatively to years ago. Additionally, modern security concerns prevent propping open doors. Individuals with asthma, allergies, or other medical conditions will also see benefit from the addition or replacement of HVAC systems.
Adding air conditioning to the district’s schools would maximize the usage of spaces for both educational purposes and community activities at the start and end of the school year. Climate control is an annual need and as the COVID-19 pandemic and air quality concerns due to wildfires has demonstrated, increasing accessibility to air conditioning and proper ventilation throughout the year is a critical priority to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.
What are the benefits to a new WTB Main Office
Resident Submitted Question
When highlighting the benefits, it's essential to visualize the space to fully understand their impact. To help with this, we've created a brief two-minute video featuring Bobby the Bobcat as he points out key features within WTB and showcases the new main office. The video also explains the advantages and how these improvements remove the human element into our school security.
Bobby the Bobcat presents the new WTB Main Office
Construction & Project Related Questions
What is the timeline for work to begin?
If Bloomingdale residents approve the referendum, Bloomingdale Public Schools can enter the next phase of selling bonds and seeking competitive construction bids. Construction could begin as soon as the winter of 2025 for certain projects. All the projects have an expected completion of approximately 2 years. Each project will be scheduled to ensure as little disruption to the normal operation of our school buildings as possible.
What is the total estimated cost of the projects?
Bloomingdale Public Schools estimates the total cost of the referendum will be about $23 million. This includes the work for the projects, professional fees, contingency, and permit fees.
Where will students be educated during the construction period?
Since the elementary wing will be a separate structure, construction will take place without any disruption to the regular school day. Students in grades 1-4 will remain at their current locations throughout the construction period until the project is complete.
What happens if project costs are lower than estimated?
Bloomingdale Public Schools cannot spend more than the amount the voters authorize in a school bond referendum and can only spend funding on the projects outlined in the proposal. If actual costs are lower than estimated, the money is used to reduce the debt, and therefore, reduce taxes.
What happens if project costs are higher than anticipated?
Bloomingdale Public Schools cannot spend more than the amount the voters authorize in a school bond referendum and cannot spend the money on anything except the projects outlined in the proposal. The district has thoroughly researched the project costs and built a contingency into the estimated cost. If actual costs exceeded what voters approved, the district would have to adjust the approved plans.
When will the district know the interest rate of the bonds?
Bonds are sold competitively in the public bond market to the best bidder. As a result, Bloomingdale Public Schools won’t know the precise interest rate until it has public permission to sell the bonds and the bond sale is held. The district works with advisers who closely watch the bond market and help determine an appropriate financing strategy. The financial advisers have conservatively estimated the interest rate to accommodate some fluctuation in the bond market.
Bloomingdale Public Schools may issue the bonds at once or in multiple batches, depending on prevailing interest rates, the bond market, potential investment earnings on the bond proceeds, the construction draw schedule, and other factors. Additionally, bonds can be refinanced – just like a home mortgage – if rates fall in the future.
How are individuals on the Senior Freeze Program Impacted? - NEW
The district has consulted with various professionals to ensure this question is answered accurately. According to the professional opinions of our auditing firm and the Bloomingdale Tax Collector, participants in the Senior Freeze Program will initially need to cover the amount reflecting the percentage increase resulting from the referendum. However, as long as program eligibility is maintained, this amount will be reimbursed as part of the regular annual process.
Please find formal correspondence below verifying the accuracy of this information.
Samuel R. Donald School Related Questions
What is the process for selling what would be a vacant Samuel R. Donald property?
Resident Submitted Question
The following is the process that would have to take place before, during and after in relation to Samuel R. Donald:
Voters approve the referendum on March 11, 2025.
Construction commences at the Walter T. Bergen School.
Upon completion of construction at the Walter T. Bergen School, an application is submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) for formal decommissioning (closure) of the Samuel R. Donald School.
Following approval by the NJDOE for decommissioning, students will transition from the Samuel R. Donald School to the new wings/areas within the Walter T. Bergen School.
The Board of Education, in consultation with their legal, financial and architectural professionals will develop bid specifications for the process. Bid specifications in New Jersey typically include detailed requirements and criteria. Among other items, these specifications would outline the scope of property for sale, technical requirements, contract terms, and evaluation criteria for potential vendors. Bid specifications play a crucial role in guiding vendors (future buyers) on how to prepare their bids and allows the school district to select the most suitable provider.
Sealed bids are submitted and a bid opening is conducted by the School Business Administrator. Thereafter, bids are meticulously assessed by legal, architectural, and business professionals to determine the most responsive bid, aligned with the specifications delineated in step 5.
Upon awarding of the bid, a closing occurs. Subsequently, ownership of the Samuel R. Donald property transfers from the Board of Education.
At any juncture throughout steps 5 onward, the Borough Council has the option to contemplate rezoning of the Samuel R. Donald lot. The determination regarding property zoning will be made by the Borough Council, following their established procedural framework inclusive of public notification for affected residents and public hearings.
How will additional priority projects not included in the referendum be completed?
Bloomingdale Public Schools, like all school communities, requires ongoing capital improvements which are made annually. The Board of Education carefully evaluates the district's facility needs through a long-range facilities plan in collaboration with the district’s leadership team. Projects chosen or considered for a referendum are high-priority projects that may be eligible for debt service aid. Any projects not included in the referendum will be funded through the capital improvement budget. However, the capital improvement budget can only accommodate so many projects annually.
I have heard SRD will be developed for High-Density Housing, is this true?
Resident Submitted Question
A successful referendum will lead to the Samuel R. Donald School (SRD) becoming vacant. Unlike selling a home, the process for selling a school property is lengthy and involves several steps. Below is an overview of the steps in the process:
Voters approve the referendum on March 11, 2025.
Bonds are sold, construction plans are drawn, permits are sought and issued, and construction begins.
After construction is complete, formal notification is sent to the NJDOE regarding school-grade reconfiguration.
With SRD now vacant, the Board of Education applies for state approval to dispose of the property.
Once approved, bid specifications are prepared with legal, financial, and architectural professionals input.
Sealed bids are submitted, opened, and reviewed to select the most responsive bid.
The bid is awarded, and ownership transfers after closing.
From step (4) onward, the Borough Council may consider rezoning the property, following state statutory zoning procedures, which include notification, public presentations and hearings. As the Board of Education has stated this past week, it is actively opposed to any zoning that would create large scale, high-density housing on the property.
Lastly, while the Board of Education relinquishes control post-sale, it has issued a statement to dispel any misconceptions regarding its official stance on specifically high-density housing, accessible here.
How will additional priority projects not included in the referendum be completed?
Bloomingdale Public Schools, like all school communities, requires ongoing capital improvements which are made annually. The Board of Education carefully evaluates the district's facility needs through a long-range facilities plan in collaboration with the district’s leadership team. Projects chosen or considered for a referendum are high-priority projects that may be eligible for debt service aid. Any projects not included in the referendum will be funded through the capital improvement budget. However, the capital improvement budget can only accommodate so many projects annually.
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