Expanding to Meet Our Students' Needs

HVRSD needs more instructional space at our elementary schools.

The three communities of HVRSD are attractive to homebuyers. People who want to put down roots and raise families are moving to Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, and Pennington Borough. That trend reflects well on this region, and it also means our high-quality schools are welcoming more students.

Additionally, teaching methods and support services have evolved to require more space.

• We are meeting students’ needs with more individualized instruction.

• We still need standard general education classrooms and smaller settings for one-on-one or small-group instruction.

• Those approaches can be required by law and improve student success rates by addressing learning differences early.

HVRSD has brought students with special education needs back from off-site, tuition-based programs to keep those young learners with their peers and in their neighborhood schools. That’s better for the budget, too. The district expanded to provide all-day kindergarten.

Because enrollment is rising and education is evolving, more instructional space is needed at our elementary-level grades. District-wide enrollment is stable, and our middle and high schools are less pressed for space than elementary schools.

There are two primary reasons for enrollment increases.

• Years ago, people moved here to raise families in an area with a strong school system. Residents of existing homes can expand the school’s population.

• Developers saw this area as an attractive place to build. New homes bring new residents, including school-aged children, into our communities.

Since 1994, Bear Tavern Elementary School has used four modular units (with two classrooms each) to accommodate the need for instructional space. Two others are no longer used for anything except storage, and one is used for office space.

• • Each one is a separate classroom that is small and cramped compared to main-building rooms.

  • Set next to the main building, students must walk outside to reach the school’s gym, media center, nurse’s office, etc., which takes up valuable learning time, exposes students to outside elements, and creates some safety concerns.

  • Insulation for those modular rooms is not designed for very high or very low temperatures.

  • Due to their age, the risk of repairs to maintain those for instructional use makes them a burden on the operating budget.

Housing developments include Hopewell Parc and The Collection at Hopewell, which, as construction continues, are projected to bring about 200 students to Bear Tavern. The development called Woodmont at Hopewell will affect Stony Brook Elementary, where about 45 students are projected to enroll.

Bear Tavern Elementary and Toll Gate Grammar schools already struggle for space, and more students are in the forecast.

• Without more instructional space, the forecast calls for increasing kindergarten class sizes. HVRSD’s kindergarten class sizes are on track to be as large as, or more significant than, the kindergarten class size that has been the average for the past five years.

Construction would be planned carefully to cause the least disruption to the educational environment. That is why the Board of Education followed a timeline that targets a vote on September 17— it allows enough time for detailed plans and competitive-cost bids to be ready in late June and to make the most of summer downtime.

At Bear Tavern Elementary School, voter approval would provide funding to:

• Build a 10-classroom expansion to move students out of trailers and into the school and to make room for the projected new students.

  • • eight general classrooms, a room for occupational and physical therapy services, and room for a Child Study Team/Support room

    • improved security with all students inside the same building 

    • for flexibility, classrooms designed with internal restrooms to meet state requirements for Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten instruction

    • fully compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards

    • capable of a second-floor addition for potential future expansion

• Relegate the existing modular classrooms for office or storage use only.

  • • new siding and other minor repairs

The Bear Tavern expansion would be at the building’s rear, where asphalt serves as a play area. That would be re-established alongside the addition. Two smaller trailers will continue being used as office space.

At Toll Gate Grammar School, voter approval would provide funding to:

• Build a six-classroom expansion to bring all students inside one building.

  • • improved security with all students inside the same building 

    • for flexibility, classrooms designed with internal restrooms to meet state requirements for Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten instruction

    • fully compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards

• Eliminate the use of trailers for instruction, offices, or storage.

The Toll Gate expansion would extend from the back of the building, where asphalt and basketball courts are now. Those would be re-established farther toward the rear of the property that borders township-owned land dedicated to open space.