Overview

Over the past year, the school district has explored financing certain capital projects that would improve

district facilities through a referendum. The potential projects address a range of programs and district needs,

and would enhance both the overall curricular and extracurricular experience of the student body.

Why Now?

Although these projects have been discussed for a number of years, the prospect of a potential referendum

now is the result of a number of converging factors. First, the bond from the 1995 referendum to expand the

Lafayette Avenue School comes to term at the end of this fiscal year. Second, the district is in the final stages

of refunding (i.e refinancing) the debt it carries from the 1999 and 2005 referenda. The savings from this

refunding would help offset the net tax impact of an additional bond referendum. Finally, interest rates are

very low right now and the district is in a position to take advantage of them because of its AAA credit-rating.

What Are the Potential Projects?

The following projects are under consideration, though the Board of Education has not formally committed to

any of them yet.

1. Refurbish the High School Auditorium

►Current auditorium dates to the mid-1970s, is not ADA-compliant, and is in need of repair.

►Cost of refurbishing the auditorium to the extent it can accommodate school assemblies and

curricular programs would be roughly $900,000.

►Cost of renovating the auditorium to make it a modern and state-of-the-art facility would be roughly

$2.9 - $3.4 million.

2. Convert the Current Middle School Auditorium into Instructional and Other Space

►There are currently about 1,000 students at Chatham Middle School, yet there is only one computer

lab and no dedicated space for our STEM courses.

►District would propose to build two computer labs and one design and engineering studio in the

current auditorium, as well as create office space for the Board of Education offices.

►Cost of converting the current auditorium into instructional and other space is roughly $3.4 million.

3. Build a New Auditorium at the Middle School

►Current High School Auditorium and current Middle School Auditorium are 40 and 60 years old,

respectively, and were built for two small, distinct school districts.

►Neither auditorium is ADA-compliant, neither auditorium has a seating capacity sufficient for the

student body of either school, neither auditorium has sufficient space for set construction or storage,

and neither auditorium is of a quality commensurate with the caliber of our arts program.

►Creating a new auditorium at CMS would provide a modern and high-quality space for all fine and

performing arts events, would provide ample seating for large productions, and would support the

CMS curricular and school assembly programs.

►Cost of a new auditorium space would be roughly $12.5 million.

4. Upgrade the Facilities at Cougar Field

►Bleachers at the site are not ADA-compliant and are aged; parking is not professionally designed

and is problematic; macadam is cracking and in need of repair; concession stand needs renovation;

sound system is aged.

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CHATHAMS

Quick-Reference Referendum Sheet November 2014

Please turn to second page

2

4. Upgrade the Facilities at Cougar Field, continued

►Cost of upgrading various components of the site would be roughly $1.4 million.

5. Install New Fields behind Chatham High School

►Fields used for all physical education classes, baseball teams, and freshman field hockey team are

not properly graded and are frequently not available for use in the spring until April.

►Installing new turf fields would allow the fields to be converted for multi-use so that other sports

could use them and would enable them to be utilized earlier in the spring.

►Cost of installing new turf fields would be roughly $4.5 million,

6. Expand the Elementary Schools

►Our three elementary schools have been operating at or above capacity as a result of enrollment

growth.

►Space constraints make it difficult if not impossible to consider improvements to our curricular

program.

►Additional space could enable the district to move forward with expanded kindergarten, special

education, or other programs, especially if enrollment declines in future years.

►Cost of expanding the three elementary schools would be roughly $5 million.

What is the Tax Impact?

Based on preliminary estimates, the table below shows the impact the various potential projects would have

on the average annual tax bill over the term of the bond.

What Next?

The district is continuing to assess the viability of these projects and has begun engaging stakeholders in

soliciting feedback. The Board of Education will have ongoing discussion of the potential referendum at

upcoming meetings, and will base further plans on the determinations made over the next month.

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CHATHAMS

Referendum Sheet, page two November 2014

Borough Township

($661,262) ($762,196)

$12,489,000 $88.67 $99.91

$3,382,500 $24.02 $27.06

$910,000 $6.46 $7.28

$4,530,000 $32.16 $36.24

$1,429,000 $10.15 $11.43

$5,035,000 $35.75 $40.28

$27,775,500 $197.21 $222.20

New Auditorium at CMS

Elementary Expansion

Projects

EstimatedTax Impact

Per Average Home

Cost

Grand Total

Auditorium Conversion at CMS

Auditorium Renovation at CHS

Turf Fields at CHS

Cougar Field Renovations