Township Resident Weighs In: Debate Over $14 Million Middle School Theater Continues

The following letter was submitted to Chatham Patch as a response to a letter submitted by a Borough resident which opposed a proposal to spend $14 million to build a new 975-seat theater at Chatham Middle School. The letter below was submitted by a Chatham Township resident.

To the Editor:

Recently Patch ran an inflammatory letter to the editor about the proposed Chatham school referendum, suggesting that Chatham was wasting money and should emulate Summit. Summit’s comparative annual cost/student is $1,337/student (10%) higher than Chathams. In order to equal Summit’s cost structure, Chatham would have to spend $5 million per year more than it currently does.

Chatham comes in first in NJ Magazine school rankings, compared to Summit’s 38th place. Simply put, Chatham’s schools are more efficiently and effectively managed than most in the state and have the lowest cost/student of any peer school district. We should continue to support our Board of Education in school budget and referendum recommendations. They have a long track record of doing the right thing.

>> Related: Chatham Resident: $14 Million Middle School Theater Is Unjustifiable Waste of Taxpayer Money

The referendum addresses overcrowding of facilities at all schools resulting from increasing student population as families are drawn to the outstanding school system. At Chatham Middle School, additional labs for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (“STEM”) are included, as well as office space to move Board of Education administrators from a distant location to be co-located with a school.

>> More on Patch: Breakdown: Where Did Your Chatham Taxes Go In 2014?

To accommodate these additions a new building will house the auditorium displaced in the process. The elementary schools are being expanded by adding 6-8 classrooms. Aging high school facilities are being upgraded to refurbish the outdated auditorium and to address crowding on athletic playing fields and improve safety. Chatham will retain its position as having the lowest cost/student vs peer schools (including Summit) even after the referendum is implemented.

Chatham taxpayers should be proud of the value for money offered by one of the best and most cost-effective school districts in the state. The Board of Education deserves continued community support in its proposal for a referendum and school budget.

Sincerely,

Alan Routh
Chatham Township

To publish a Letter to the Editor or a response to this opinion piece, email Patch Editor, Emily Everson, at emily.everson@patch.com.

For breaking news alerts and more from Patch, sign up for the daily newsletter by clicking on the links below.

Westfield* Clark-Garwood* Cranford* New Providence-Berkeley Heights * Scotch Plains-Fanwood* Springfield* Summit* Chatham* West Orange

More on Patch:

• How Many Snow Days Does Chatham Have Left?
• Chatham Resident: $14 Million Middle School Theater Is Unjustifiable Waste of Taxpayer Money
• Prosecutor: Man Murdered Wife, Dumped Body In Suitcase Outside Chatham Home
• Breakdown: Where Did Your Chatham Taxes Go In 2014?
• Maple Sugaring Demonstrations, Tastings This Weekend In Chatham
• Chatham Student Creates Winning Design for Charity Fashion Show