On April 14, the Hopewell Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution to provide up to $16.1 Million of PILOT funds to the Hopewell Valley Regional School District for capital improvements to the Bear Tavern elementary school.
The reason? Bear Tavern will need extra classrooms to house the anticipated increased enrollment expected from new developments.
On April 28, the Hopewell Valley Regional School District unanimously adopted its 2025-26 school budget that included total operating expenses of almost $101 million, an 8.3% increase over the $93 million audited total operating expenses in 2023-24.
The district, already notorious for having the highest public school per-pupil cost in Mercer County, passed its 2025-26 budget with a per pupil cost of $26,049 — a whopping 12.4% increase over the audited 2023-24 per pupil cost of $23,174.
Over the next few months, we will take a deeper dive into the implications of these actions and other concerning trends.
For now, we raise one overarching question: Are our school and municipal leaders getting the most value from our taxpayers’ dollars? Put another way, are we getting what we paid for?
The perception raised during the HVRSD’s 2024 referendum, which was soundly defeated by Hopewell Valley voters, was that the school district mixed critically needed infrastructure projects with “nice to haves,” resulting in their excessive $87 million request.
If all their spending were necessary and handled responsibly, we would be more sympathetic to the HVRSD’s request this time around. Unfortunately, we are hearing evolving stories and justifications for why they need the $16.1 Million.
Visit www.teahv.org to watch a video of assistant superintendent Bob Colavita state in his May 6, 2024 presentation that the district did not qualify for a state tax rebate on the additions because there are no significant unhoused new students, but the money was needed to “get out of the trailers.”
At a town hall meeting one week before the 2024 referendum, Superintendent Rosetta Treece said the space was needed to spread out more due to labs, calming rooms, extensive electives, expanded kindergarten and pre-K programs, and a desire to lower class sizes below their historic rates.
Yet, at the podium on April 14, Dr. Treece said: “The $16.1 million should cover the amount from the demographers report (showing a projected 40-50 new students)” without ever mentioning any of her earlier justifications. She also warned: “the $16.1 million is the estimate for the addition on Bear Tavern right now. I don’t know what it’s going to look like in November.”
Combining a moving target explanation of needs with an expected 2025 capital improvements referendum? Their request for a $16.1 million advance is untimely at best.
Note that Edison High School recently approved a 10-classroom addition at a cost of $10 million with an expected completion in 2028-2030. In 2021, Lincoln Elementary school approved a 25,000-square foot addition, including classrooms and an auditorium, opening soon for $9.5 million (or $380 per square foot).
Based on these actual numbers, how does the HVRSD justify requesting $16.1 million for a 19,000-square-foot, 10-classroom addition today? That is almost $850 per square feet.
Until the HVRSD provides real and consistent evidence of actual needs and justifiable costs for new facilities, we trust township residents to use of their fair share of a $16 million PILOT payment above entrusting it to school district management.
We recommend that when Hopewell Township sends out its annual tax bills to each of its 6,277 residential households, they include a PILOT rebate check for $2,565, which will cost the township…$16,100,000.
While over 50% of households have no children in our schools, those concerned about Bear Tavern’s condition could donate their share to the school initiatives of their choice.
Vanessa Sandom and John Hart are former mayors of Hopewell Township. Visit www.teahv.org to read their previous Hopewell Express editorials and supporting data.
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