Pascack Valley School Split Would Have High Cost For Hillsdale, River Vale

A study commissioned by Hillsdale and River Vale found that a split of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District would cause large tax increases for residents of the two towns, raise the overall cost of high school education in all four towns and potentially lower the level of performance in both high schools.

Woodcliff Lake and Montvale petitoned the Executive County Superintendent last year to allow them to withdraw from the district, citing potential savings laid out in a 2009 feasibility study.

Officials in Hillsdale and River Vale vowed they would not allow the split to happen, saying that it would decrease the quality of education in the district.

Woodcliff Lake also commissioned a second report at the request of the Executive County Superintendent, but that report was not immediately available.

Costs of Splitting

Splitting the current district into two districts — theoretically a Hillsdale-River Vale district and a Woodcliff Lake-Montvale district — would increase costs by about $6.4 million per year for additional administrators, professional services, technology and other costs needed to maintain current service levels, according to the new study.

"The regional high school district results in inherent financial savings to all constituent municipalities and provides more opportunities to enhance educational opportunities of this already extremely high-performing school district," the report stated.

According to the Hillsdale-River Vale report, taxes for the average homeowner in both towns would increase by more than $500, while average homeowners in Woodcliff Lake and Montvale would see decreases of less than $20.

Currently, Woodcliff Lake and Montvale do pay a larger portion of taxes for the district, but the difference for homeowners in the towns is lessened because of a larger number of commercial properties in the two Pascack Hills towns. Each of those towns has 25 percent of their respective portions of the tax levy paid for by commercial properties, according to the report. River Vale has only 3 percent of their portion covered by commercial properties and Hillsdale has only 6 percent. 

The differences in the tax levy taken from each town are decreased, but not eliminated, if those paid by commercial property owners are removed. The average home in Woodcliff Lake or Montvale is also worth more than the average home in Hillsdale or River Vale.

The current cost per student in each town and the cost excluding commercial taxpayers, according to the report:

Montvale

River Vale

There could also be other financial effects of a split, such as a decrease in local home values, according to the report.

Effect on Education

Splitting the district would make it more difficult or costlier to maintain many of the courses and extra curricular activities, according to the Hillsdale-River Vale report.

Hillsdale Mayor Max Arnowitz said the potential effect on education was his primary reason for opposing the withdrawal.

"We have an award-winning school system and I wouldn't want to put that in jeopardy," Arnowitz said.

Some of the programs at the schools are only financially viable because staff are shared between Valley and Hills, according to the report.

Additionally, having one high school district allows them to coordinate a curriculum with the four town districts, the report noted.

"It was clear to the Study Team that the success of PVRHSD is attributable to its commitment to work as a single high school unit rather than two separate high schools," the report stated.

Next Steps

Once the Executive County Superintendent receives both studies, he will use them and other information to make a report and recommendation for the state Department of Education's commissioner.

The commissioner and a board of review will then make a decision on whether or not the withdrawal could happen. If they decide it could, residents of the four towns will vote on a referendum to decide whether or not to dissolve the district.

If it comes down to a vote, Hillsdale and River Vale appear to have an edge.

According to 2010 Cenus data, Hillsdale and River Vale outnumber Montvale and Woodcliff Lake by more than 6,000 residents, though that number does not necessarily reflect how many residents are registered voters.

The Hillsdale-River Vale report is available online here.

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