Archived Communication

June 11, 2025

Dear Hillsdale Families:

We hope this note finds everyone well as mid-June is upon us and the warmer weather has started to arrive. As the school year begins to close we would like to thank our students, parents and staff for their hard work and dedication in making the 2024-2025 school year positive and successful.  

Kindly allow this communication to serve as our commitment to continuous communication about the progress related to  the September 2024 voter approved referendum to renovate and expand the George G White Middle School.

Modular Classroom Arrival
As you may have seen, the modular classroom units have begun arriving and are parked on the field and blacktop area across the street from George G White. As of the writing of this email, about 70% of the units are in Hillsdale with the remainder arriving once site preparation is underway and sufficient staging space is available.

Establishing the Modular Campus
The early arrival of our modular units was a great start, and coincided with the submission of our plans to the local code official for review and approval. While we hoped for a smooth process, the local code official (who is not a direct employee of the Borough of Hillsdale) let us know that a local review would not be possible after holding the plans for several weeks. 

When a local code official is unwilling or unable to review project plans, which is unusual, the plans must be submitted to the Division of Community Affairs (DCA), a state agency with oversight in this area. This alternative submission required a different application and format than what's used for local municipalities.

This shift in the review process necessitated reformatting and adjusting the project plan submission. Our various vendors and subcontractors worked as quickly as they could on the resubmission. However, this process impacted our original timeline for establishing the modular campus. We were hoping for the campus to be constructed and prepared for a certificate of occupancy in late June/early July. This timeline has now been adjusted.

Evolving Timeline
We are thankful the representatives from the DCA have been collaborative and appreciate our circumstance and timelines, as September will arrive quickly. Wednesday, June 11th, site work will begin with the necessary digging, trenching and running of conduit to support the plumbing and electric systems as applicable by code. We have inspections for this work lined up through the later part of the week, with work continuing and escalating as next week unfolds and school closes.  Our architects and I have been in communication with representatives from the DCA on a daily basis to support their work, answer questions and facilitate the smooth transition of approvals to our Borough of Hillsdale for local permit approval as quickly as possible.

Impact
Incoming Grades Pre-K-4 - The revised timeline we are working on will have NO IMPACT to the plans for our incoming students in grades Pre-K-4. Our incoming students in grades Pre-K- 4 will have the same transition and student experience that exists right now.  

Incoming Grade 5 - Our incoming students in grade 5 will remain at their current elementary school and enjoy a learning experience and student schedule that is very similar to the schedule they have right now as fourth graders. The greatest addition to their learning experience is that students will meet daily with social studies and science teachers. This has been our plan since the start of our work and nothing has changed in this area. There are no modular classrooms needed at either elementary school classroom at this time. 

Incoming Grades 6-8 - At this time I am cautiously optimistic that the modular campus will be opened for the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. We purposely built in extra time this summer to allow for flexibility should a challenge present itself.  As you have learned, a challenge has presented itself and we are prepared to address it.  It is likely this challenge will impact our planned access to the gymnasium. In response we are actively working to secure additional space. 

In partnership with our optimism, we also recognize that other challenges beyond our control or knowledge base could arise.  We are diligently working on contingency plans to accommodate this should we need to exercise additional options. As the work on the modular campus intensifies over the next two to three weeks a better indication of any adjustments needed for our incoming 6-8 grade students will present itself.  As of the writing of this email our incoming 6-8 grade students are scheduled to have learning experience nearly identical to the experience our current middle schoolers are having right now. 

Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this journey of betterment together. Anticipate additional communication as July opens and site work advances.

Thank you,

Robert Lombardy Jr., Ed.S.
Superintendent of Schools
Hillsdale Public Schools

December 27, 2024

Dear Hillsdale Families:

As the calendar year approaches its close, we wish everyone peace and joy in December and into the New Year. On behalf of the Board of Education and I, we share in the excitement that is approaching in 2025. Since Hillsdale’s historic vote approving the bond referendum in September we continue to be hard at work planning for the beginning stages of the project and the student experience during the anticipated two-year renovation of George G. White. Below are a few highlights about the work that has been going on. By no means is this a comprehensive list, but instead it is intended to provide everyone insight into the different elements that are in motion to support a successful project for the students and staff. There is much more information to come, but we are excited about the progress we are making and the opportunity to make this great for all. We know Mr. Lombardy would not have it any other way!

• On December 4, 2024 the Hillsdale Public Schools initiated its first bond offering to allow the District to access resources for the start-up costs associated with the construction project at George G. White Middle School. We were thrilled that the District received a “AA” bond rating and was able to access capital at a bond rate LOWER THAN what we had planned. The bonds officially closed on December 19, 2024.

• Mr. Bergamini, Mr. Giordano, Mrs. Derwin and Mr. Lombardy have advanced the middle school scheduling process for the 2025-2026 school year. This advanced planning is allowing us to plan for and create an academic experience with course offerings, student movement, and cycle class exposure that is nearly identical to the experience students are having today. This approach will support a smooth transition to the temporary campus for our students and staff as their routines and experiences will be replicated to support their continued progress.

• Both our elementary principals and Mr. Lombardy have advanced the elementary scheduling process for the 2025 -2026 school year. We are thrilled to share that our students at the prek-4 grade levels will have an experience that is identical to the experience they are having this year. Our current fourth graders, while remaining at their respective elementary schools, will have elements of the middle school experience woven into their fifth grade learning experience. This will include having science and social studies everyday and providing access to skills enhancement classes as appropriate while still having special areas classes like they do this year.

• Through creative scheduling and taking a deep dive into maximizing room utilization, we feel that a modular classroom will not be needed at Ann Blanche Smith or Meadowbrook! The student experience remains unchanged, so our learners will continue to thrive under the offerings, schedule and expertise of Hillsdale’s talented staff.

• As of the writing of this email we are anticipating activity on the George G White field to begin as March closes and April opens. The establishment of the modular campus on the current George White field will conclude in late June/early July allowing for us to be prepared to receive students in September 2025. As you may remember from our drawings, the modular campus will include 4 pods that include 6-8 classrooms and restrooms. Each of these pods will have an INTERIOR corridor with classrooms being accessed without students going outside. This approach replicates the experience students have now moving from class-to-class. Of course, should a student need to access a room outside of the grade level pods then a raised walkway will be provided to ease this short transition.

As we move deeper into the project the Referendum website will be the place for the most up-to-date information as we progress through this exciting time, and as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your building principal or Mr. Lombardy so that it can be addressed in a timely manner.

On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to thank Mr. Lombardy, Mr. Pouliot, and our administrative team for the copious amount of proactive planning and work they have put into the logistics and scheduling of all three buildings to maximize our students’ learning experiences for the next two school years. Their efforts will greatly benefit the students of our community as we move into the key phases of our referendum.

We wish all peace and joy as the New Year arrives!

Sincerely,

Mr. Justin Saxon & BOE Trustees

BOE President