December 2002 - January 2003 Edition

League Supports Referendum  By Amy Sutnick One of the best places to discuss and debate civic issues in Fair Lawn is at a League of Women Voters meeting. The women are among Fair Lawn's most articulate, spirited and dedicated residents. They pride themselves on their non-partisanship and independence.   The League's Education Committee has been following the proposed expansion for the past two years. They've been watching the Board of Education grapple with the surge in enrollment. They have reviewed the demographers' projections and carefully evaluated the proposed improvements. At a recent meeting of the League, every single member voted to support the December 10th referendum.   Changing Needs:  The League agreed that the high school needs additional space to keep up with the changing educational needs of the times. Modern classrooms, according to state guidelines, have greater specialty requirements. Courses are different from years ago, from sciences to physical education. The state mandated special education also requires additional instructional space.   Unique Financing Opportunity:  The day the League of Women Voters met, Fair Lawn's Board of Education found out they will receive more state money than they had anticipated, thanks to a special state funding program.  Fran Davis presented the final financial figures: the referendum will be bonded over 30 years for $37,876,080. The Fair Lawn share will be $26,802,230.  The average Fair Lawn homeowner, (whose assessment is $187,000), will pay an additional $127 per year. Sylvia Gaddi said "the fact that the state is giving us this much money and that the interest rates are still very low, contributed to the final pro-referendum vote".    Improved Curriculum:  Before they voted, Nancy Wallace presented the educational rationale behind some of the construction changes at the high school. The new space will allow students in the upper grades to take classes in areas of interest. Students who know that they want to concentrate in the sciences, for example, will take many of their courses in science classrooms that are clustered together. Students who are still waiting to find their passion for a particular subject can continue to take broad-based courses, and not feel pressure to specialize in any one area.  The proposed program will allow students to take four more electives during their high school years.    Liz Girvin-Marcus presented the changes to Radburn School.  (The school does not have a cafeteria now; the building was designed when all children when home for lunch). Louise Orlando discussed how Warren Point has portable trailers for classrooms, and Sylvia Gaddi explained the fire alarm systems upgrade at Forrest, Lyncrest, Memorial, Milnes, and Westmoreland Schools.   For more info about the League of Women Voters, see their web site.   For more info about the referendum, , see www.fairlawnreferendum.org