The Tabernacle School District has been busy over the summer focusing on long-range plans for school district facilities.
On June 3, the state Department of Education notified all regular operating districts about their opportunity to be eligible for funding for projects to upgrade school facilities.
The ROD-4 Grant Program is the fourth time the NJDOE has enabled school districts to receive state funding toward any project approved for grant funding.
The Tabernacle School District is eligible for 40 percent state funding toward any approved project.
“Projects related to security or health and safety will be given priority by the department when it reviews applications,” Superintendent George Rafferty said.
The district has filed for five grant applications with the NJDOE’s Office of School Facilities to make either security or health and safety upgrades to the schools, according to Rafferty.
Rafferty said the district has filed two applications to receive funding for providing security upgrades to the entrances of both the Tabernacle Elementary and Kenneth R. Olson Middle schools, as well as to each school’s interior doors.
The estimated amount to upgrade the security in the Tabernacle Elementary School is $388,938. The estimated amount to upgrade the security in the Kenneth R. Olson Middle School is $496,944, according to Business Administrator Noreen Boston. If the grants are approved, they will pay 40 percent, and the remaining will be paid from the school budget.
A third grant application was submitted, requesting funding toward the installation of an emergency generator at the Tabernacle Elementary School. Currently, the school does not have any emergency backup power and cannot operate facilities in the event of an outage, according to Rafferty.
The estimated cost for an emergency generator at the Tabernacle Elementary School is $336,255, Boston said.
“Last year, we had to cancel school due to a power outage caused by wind. A sizable generator at the school would allow bathrooms, refrigeration, network technology, lighting and water usage to remain in operation without interruption,” Rafferty said.
The fourth and fifth applications address asbestos abatement projects in each of the schools. Rafferty reports that the abatement projects would be a proactive measure to replace old floor tiling in high traffic areas with tiles manufactured with materials that meet today’s health and safety standards.
The estimated amount to upgrade the flooring is $69,975 at the Tabernacle Elementary School, and an estimated $78,886 at the Kenneth R. Olson Middle School, according to Boston.
“Although there is no health or safety risk to our staff and students, since we submit to
regular inspections, we want to be proactive and take advantage of available state funding and
upgrade our schools,” Rafferty said.
In addition to filing for the grants, Rafferty reports the district is submitting an updated Long Range Facilities Plan to the NJDOE. A LRFP is a comprehensive plan describing all the major facility projects the district anticipates completing over the next five years.
“Completing and filing of the grant applications is labor intensive and could not be successfully completed without the assistance of our school architect, Mr. Scott England,” Rafferty said.
England, of the architectural firm of Regan Young England Butera, is completing and submitting the grants and the LRFP in collaboration with Boston.
If funding is not granted, not all the projects will be able to be completed, Rafferty said.
“If the district’s applications are approved, the Tabernacle schools can expect to receive important facility upgrades without burdening the local taxpayer,” he said. “The Tabernacle schools are beautiful and well-maintained, and we want to keep them that way.”
