The Hoboken Board of Education announced on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 plans for a new high school. The proposal was sent in early December to the city’s Planning Board due to rising enrollment and the district’s school buildings being outdated. However, the planned proposal for the new high school was overturned by a 2-1 vote on January 25, 2022.
The special election for residents to vote on the proposal was held on January 25, 2022. The new high school building was planned to be built at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Stadium, and the current high school location would be turned into the city’s middle school. The current middle school building would then be changed to an elementary school.
“The district has been focused on integration of the community and service to the community as part of our educational goals,” the board said in a message to the community. “We are thrilled to present to the community a facilities project, including a new high school, that will meet the needs of our growing population, our academic programs and will provide recreation space that the entire community will be able to enjoy.”
The total cost for the project was estimated at $241 million, but the projected real cost came to $331,212,075, consisting of $241,050,000 in principal plus $90,162,075 in anticipated interest. If authorized, this figure would reflect the project’s cost cap, with a contingency of around $60 million included. As a result, the overall cost of the proposed project, excluding contingencies, was expected to be $181 million, with construction expenses of $156 million and soft costs of $25 million. The project was planned to be financed for 2.2%, since interest rates are at an all-time low. According to administrators, the average taxpayer would spend an extra $496 per year in property taxes for the next 30 years.
The building design is planned to receive a LEED GOLD Designation by implementing all essential sustainable design features. It was intended to be four stories tall, with the student entrance on Jefferson Street. “The children that come to our high school deserve a state-of-the-art world class high school with every opportunity possible in that high school,” Superintendent Christine Johnson said. “A community entrance on the opposite side would allow members of the public to come in to use recreational facilities such as the ice rink or tennis courts, or to attend shows in either the auditorium or the smaller black box theater.” For curriculum, students would have been able to take classes that emphasize energy efficiency, conservation, and sustainability. The city then planned to collaborate with area colleges and institutions to create hands-on learning opportunities.
However, reactions to the newly proposed high school were mixed. Joe Quintero, Hoboken councilman-at-large, referred to the new school as a “palace” and addressed that “gorgeous, modern, amazing public schools are exactly the things we should be investing in” in a letter to the Jersey Journal.
“This is an investment in the entire Hoboken public school system,” said Clare Danek, a 21-year-old Hoboken resident, “This is a plan, forward thinking, that will address the needs of the growing population. We need to put these children somewhere.”
Shweta Gursahani, a local mom, expressed her support for the initiative and confidence in the school administration. “Hoboken has to be grateful for having a visionary at the helm of its public schooling system,” she wrote in a Letter to the Editor of The Hudson Reporter “Hoboken’s Public School District Superintendent, Dr. Christine Johnson is exactly that – a visionary who sees the potential to turn the public school system in Hoboken into one of the best in the country.”
However, there were also criticisms leveled against the initiative. “This proposal makes my blood boil,” @typicalelle on Instagram wrote. “It’s already so expensive to live here as it is. Please vote no.”
Similarly, @emd346 said on Instagram, “Kids do not need a hockey rink, pool, and a high rise football field to succeed academically. At a total cost of well over $300,000,000, this is outrageously extravagant.”
“I’m incensed that the school board kept this from us,” said Sheila Brennan, who ran for Hoboken City Council in November. “This is a lie of omission that you are all guilty of. My confidence in this board has been shattered. I think you need to take a step back and involve the community in the planning.”
According to the Hudson County Clerk’s website, by a 2-1 vote, the referendum on Hoboken’s new high school was defeated. As of January 25, only 7,472 of the 43,465 registered voters cast ballots in the election, resulting in a 17% voter turnout. The County of Hudson released the following revised results on Tuesday, January 25, at 10 PM:
- No: 4,929
- Yes: 2,543
- Ballots cast: 7,472
- Voter turnout: 17.19%
- Registered voters: 43,465
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