Essay 2 Final

Nicolas Siino

English Writing Skills Workshop

Professor Young

10/07/14

 

" Hanover Township A Community that Inspires Excellence "

            “Great Things Happen in Hanover” is the tagline for the township that I live in.  Hanover Township comprises the communities of Whippany and Cedar Knolls and is located in Morris County, New Jersey.  Located at the crossroads of Morris County, Hanover has excellent access to major highways and transportation hubs, offers excellent schools and services while maintaining a very high quality of life for its residents.  So I live in a desirable suburban community.  So, what is the problem?  The problem is that Hanover has seen significant growth in the community in terms of its population due to the recent construction of new high density condominium communities. These developments have created the problem of overcrowding in our public schools. Valerie Kinloch describes a similar situation in her essay "Harlem is art, Harlem as art". She explains the identity changes that Harlem has gone through and how the native Harlem residents were forced to relocate because it's becoming too difficult to live there. There will always be change within my community however, the Economical Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) needs to take action and explore other options to keep taxes low in Hanover before the longtime residents are forced to leave. The continual growth of the community cannot solely be based on residential housing but rather EDAC needs to focus on economical development.  These businesses will absorb most of the ratables and for this reason Hanover will be able to offer a low municipal tax rate and this will also aide with the overcrowding in the classrooms.

           Hanover Township consist of  three public elementary schools in the Township teaching grades K-5: Bee Meadow School (BMS), Salem Drive School (SDS), and Mountview Road School (MTV). Memorial Junior School (MJS) teaches grades 6-8.  As the housing market expands in my community, this is greatly impacting the class sizes and quality of education.  For example, Bee Meadow School actual student body for 2013 - 2014 school year was 330 pupils however, the class size for 2014 - 2015 school year is 351 pupils. Salem Drive School's  actual student body size for 2013 - 2014 was 265 pupils, but the class size for 2014 - 2015 is 278 pupils.  As for Mountview Road elementary school the actual school population size for 2013 - 2014 was 314 and the enrollment for 2014 -2015 school year is 329 pupils. As, the class sizes grow in the elementary schools this is going to result in larger class sizes in the middle school, since this is where all three elementary schools merge together.
          My mother and father have both grown up in the township and chose to stay and raise my family here. When I attended Mountview Road elementary school, I remember having 15 students in my class and there was only 2 classes per grade. Now this school consisted of  18 - 22 students per class and have increased to 3- 4 sections in some grades. The economic development of high density townhomes and condos in Cedar Knolls and Whippany have caused overcrowding in our elementary schools.  For example, the development of Sterling Parc  a 317 unit apartment complex, Saddle Brook Court which consists of 87 affordable housing units, Woodmont Knolls a 126 unit apartment complex and Riverview which consist of 60 townhouses constructed three years ago in Cedar Knolls have all recently contributed to the overcrowding of Mountview Road School.  Because of the recent construction of the Saddle Brook units on Horsehill Road in Cedar Knolls this resulted with 20 new students enrolling at MTV beginning in 2013 - 2014 school year.  The school had to add a 4th class in the 3rd grade. They had to lose their aftercare room and a Girl Scout Troop can no longer meet in the school building, because there is not an empty room for the troop to hold their meetings. The capacity at MTV is 340 and currently there are 329 students enrolled.
          As for the two elementary schools on the Whippany side of town, they too have been impacted by the development of condos and townhomes.  For example, Eden Lane Village, Oak Ridge Condos and Sunrise at Hanover, are three high density condo and townhouse communities. These new developments have all contributed to the overcrowding at Bee Meadow School and Salem Drive School.  On the first day of school this past September, Mr. Stark the principal at Bee Meadow made an announcement that there were 24 new students in the school. Ten of the new students were in fifth grade.  Bringing both fifth grade classes up to 25 students in each class. As, the class sizes increase there is a requirement for additional aides in the classroom which is costly. Also, because of the larger class sizes there is more disruptions and the students find it hard to concentrate on what's being taught. 
        There is now a proposed building site named the Whippany Village along Route 10 West, which will consist of approximately 40 residential apartment units built over retail space once it's completed. I do not think there is any question that the development activity has negative impact on the school system.  The Economical Development Advisory Committee, I believe has not taken a stand against the increasing of housing in our community.  This will ultimately impact our present schools and class room population sizes.
       If, the Economical Development Advisory Committee and planning board allow for this increased expansion in my town, taxes will go up and Hanover will no longer be known for low taxes.   Every time the schools has to add a section to a grade, we have to hire a new teacher which has a starting salary of approximately $51,000 plus benefits, equating to a cost of $70,000.  How do we defer this cost and reduce the potential for increased taxes in Hanover?  It is my recommendation that EDAC takes a look at increasing the amount of tax ratables in the community and focus on economic development.  Bayer Healthcare, which recently consolidated multiple locations into a single location in Hanover has aided to keep taxes in check. Also, the Red Bulls soccer team plans to expand their training facility in Whippany to include a practice field, bleachers, ticket booths, restrooms and locker rooms. This will allow for the United Soccer league pro teams to play at this facility.  Another, business still to come in 2015 is a high end Wegmans supermarket off Route 10. Economic development in the form of increased retail space along Route 10 will also aid in increasing the tax base within the town and can be used to keep taxes lower and offset the additional costs in our schools.  
         I spent the past 18 years in Hanover Township and would like to stay here and raise my own family someday. I know that change within the community is enviable however, I can only hope the  township committees can maintain the small intimate feel of the town and the school system. In Valerie Kinloch essay "Harlem is art, Harlem as art" she describes how symbols such as condos, the Frederick Douglass house and the stores that have closed and now re-opened  signifies the changes that the community has gone through. A once predominately black community has changed to a mixed community. Hanover Township in order to attract family's and keep the ones that already live here, needs to continue to offer amenities such as housing opportunities, retail establishments, athletic fields and parks. But, our fine schools should not be compromised nor should our taxes increase as a result of new housing communities within Hanover Township. This is similar to what Valerie Kinloch wrote about keeping the people of Harlem in Harlem in her essay.  Kinloch describes in her essay how the identity changes in Harlem have made it more expensive to live there and has enticed wealthier people to move to the community. This in turn raised the taxes and forced the native people in Harlem to move elsewhere. I am very confident in Hanover's future and its ability to openly discuss these economic development issues and planning challenges. I hope the identity of my community doesn't change too much, because it's my plan to live there for a very long time.