Hoboken Councilwoman Fisher Breaks Down Proposed New High School

I wanted to get you some additional information to consider over the holidays and as you go into the next few public sessions on the BOE’s proposed New High School. There is a lot so I am breaking this into two newsletters – Part I and Part II. I recognize this is the eve of Christmas Eve and most of you are busy with preparations for the holidays.  I will also resend in the New Year.

Thank you to all who have reached out to me over the past few weeks to discuss.  I can tell you that I have learned from each conversation I have had.  I am comforted that the key takeaway from all the discussions is that there is a shared agreement within our community that we want the best education possible for Hoboken children.  And it is that key takeaway that I am confident will prevail in the end.

So let’s see if I can help fill in some blanks with information I have gleaned in this process.  In this Part I, I am covering the following:

In Part II, which I will send next, I will cover:

So let’s get started.  What I have been asked the most about is the $$$ so I will start there…

*provided by BOE, all else I calculated

If you are a property owner, the annual cost to you for each of the next 30 years would fall somewhere in the following range based upon the Assessed Value (AV) of your property:

If you are a renter, then your landlord will determine what cost, if any, to pass on through your rent, but here are a couple of examples of the tax increase for owners of residential rental buildings across Hoboken (per unit, annually):

The differences in amounts per unit generally vary because the rent- controlled properties with lower historic rents have a lower assessed value per unit than a building with rents closer to current market.  It goes without saying that this has affordability impacts to many in Hoboken.

The BOE have not provided a construction budget nor future cost and revenue projections but this is what we have learned so far:

Of note:  By statute, the bond proceeds can only be used to fund the construction or to repay debt.  So if the cost to build the proposed New High School is less than $241 million, the bonds would debt / debt service would be reduced with a concomitant reduction in annual taxes.

The BOE has not provided any future estimates of costs, revenues and needed enrollment to support the proposed New High School.  Concerns raised are that the operation and maintenance of state of the art facilities like theaters and hockey rinks and science labs often require more specialized staff and equipment that cost more.  And these costs will be realized day one, yet the expected increased enrollment to help cover these costs will take time to realize.  So the questions remains: What, if any, future tax increases will be required to fully operate the proposed new High School?   

Several have expressed concerns that if Hoboken demonstrates that its taxpayers can afford to pay for a $241 million school, then it no longer would qualify for the funding it receives as a former Abbott district for our free pre-K program that many in our community, especial our more vulnerable, rely on.  For those less familiar, Hoboken is one of 31 districts in the state who receive funding to provide free pre-K education that was determined by the Supreme Court of New Jersey in 1992 and based upon economic need in the series of “Abbott” court cases.  Although Hoboken now stands out as a well-funded community, Hoboken Superintendent Dr. Johnson indicated at the meeting that the risk of losing the funding for the pre-K program was very low as it would take a court ruling to undo / amend Hoboken’s former Abbott status.

• the proposal can’t be changed prior to the vote on January 25^th, and

• voters only have a choice to vote the proposal “up or down” (yes or no).

• YES, if you are 100% on board and love it as proposed!

• NO, if you don’t support it or would like to see the BOE come back to voters with a different and/or less costly version in 12 months.

• A video of the proposed building that gives you a good idea of what it the current proposal will look like.

• A flip book with summary points on enrollment and total cost.

• A demographic study which makes the enrollment growth case.

• A FAQ document that is “live” that the BOE is continuing to update and provide more information.

• An email address to send any questions you may have:  ProposedNewHHS@hoboken.k12.nj.us

• Thursday, Jan. 6th – 7pm in person at Hoboken High School, 800 Clinton

• Thursday, Jan. 13th – 7pm Virtual, VIA Zoom (details to follow)

• Monday, Jan. 17th – 7pm in person at Hoboken High School, 800 Clinton

• Vote By Mail ballots and sample ballots will be sent as early as next week

• On January 25^th:
  • polls are open from 6am to 8pm.
  • If you are registered to vote, you vote at your polling location