East Rutherford – Carlstadt – Maywood

VOTE FOR THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION AT BECTON REGIONAL

Special Election will be on Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the referendum vote take place for East Rutherford and Carlstadt?

    • The referendum vote will be held on Tuesday, March 8th 2022.
    • Construction of the expansion is scheduled to begin on April 2023, completed by December 15, 2024.
    • The addition is expected to be operational and occupied by January 2025.

What is Maywood’s role in the partnership and expansion?

    • Over the first ten years of the 25-year bond issue, the district will recapture (BRING HOME) enough students that are currently being sent to other districts (costing taxpayers $2.5-3 million annually)  for special education, tech, and other schools. This “recapture” of students allows Becton Regional to retain a healthy cash reserve fund.
    • For all practical purposes, Maywood is a permanent member of our district in the same way that Carlstadt and East Rutherford are members of the district.  Although the Maywood agreement, by statute, can only be negotiated 10 years at a time, concerns over the prospect of Maywood leaving are unwarranted. Even so, there is no fiscal concern over this, as our reserve fund will more than support the bond payments (see above bullet point related to “recapture” of students and ability to maintain a healthy cash reserve fund).

Have additional salaries and other expenses been considered?

    • A big part of the analysis relating to this project was the long-term sustainability of running these new and exciting programs. A detailed 10 year financial forecast was prepared including all incremental costs. The forecast indicates that any additional costs will be more than offset from internal reserves and savings.

What is the cost of doing nothing?

    • Our community would have to spend at least $65-70 MILLION on out-of-district tuition costs over the course of the next 25 years alone.
    • It would leave some of our special needs students and families no choice but to be shipped out of their community high school for their entire high school career.
    • It would limit the transferable skills that Becton Regional graduates can walk away with, inclusive of trades, vocational, & advanced tech.
    • The East Rutherford and Carlstadt community would miss out on added real estate/rental values. Real Estate value correlates to quality of education in the community.
    • It would leave up to $20 million on the table from an already agreed upon tuition.
    • We would miss the chance to secure historically low interest rates, which are expected to climb higher in the coming years.

What innovations are you including in the expansion?

    • Inclusive Special Education, Culinary Arts, Baking Arts, Pastry Arts, Metal Manufacturing, Wood Manufacturing, Green Construction & Design, Advanced Engineering, Financial Management, Interior Design, Fashion Design, Criminal Justice, Law, Cybersecurity, Advanced Design Manufacturing, Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, Virtual Design Construction & Architecture (CAD, B-solid, VDC, etc.), Computer Science, Medical Research & Health Services, Broadcasting and Media Communication, and Animation.

How long will the project/expansion take?

    • The expansion/addition are expected to be completed and occupied by January 2025.

How much will the expansion cost?

    • On a monthly basis, the expansion will cost each household $14.50 per month.

Paving The Way For The Future Of Education