Residents Call On Borough To Share Pilot Revenue With Chatham Schools

CHATHAM, NJ — Calls for Chatham Borough to pay Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) to the School District of The Chathams were raised yet again in a recent council committee meeting.

On Monday, May 8, residents spoke up, saying that the borough should consider splitting a portion of their future PILOT revenues with the local school board.

Chatham Board of Education President Jill Critchley Weber previously stated that the school district hoped to discuss sharing the PILOT revenue from the River Road development with members of the Borough Council.

The Ivy of Chatham, which will have 245 rental units, will have a three-story base at the intersection of Watchung Avenue and River Road, four stories along that stretch of river, and finally five stories in the back of the structure.

Following Weber's announcement, some members of the community have spoken out in front of the borough council, claiming that those potential conversations are not in the best interests of borough residents.

However, a new group of residents took the podium last week, offering a different perspective and asking the council to award the school district a portion of the revenues.

One resident, David Bojanowski, noted that those funds could be used by the district to hire more school security, which was a main concern for him and for other residents around Chatham.

"It would be disingenuous for anyone to suggest that the borough's responsibility to protect people somehow ends at the school's property line and that the district is on its own when it comes to security. It would be a mistake to make additional funding for law enforcement protection subject to the whims of the voters," Bojanowski said.

In the past, residents have argued that the school board should not be asking the council to share municipal funds from the PILOT but rather should be asking for increased funds through a referendum.

Bojanowski said that he disagrees with this, stating that a referendum could be voted against for a variety of reasons, putting in jeopardy potential funding for school security.

"I believe that you have the responsibility to make sure that every inch of Chatham Borough is safe. I call on you to consider using a small percentage of the PILOT revenue to help fund an additional armed officer," Bojanowski said.

Alexandra Stienstra agreed with those points and also claimed that with increased development in both the borough and the township, there is a greater chance of more families moving to the area, drastically changing the school's enrollment numbers.

"I'm concerned that without the town allocating funds toward the School District of The Chathams, our children's education could suffer a decline," Kara Firth said, echoing Stienstra's argument.

Firth stated that with the construction of the Ivy of Chatham building, an unknown number of children will enter the school district immediately as well as in the future.

"Making our education system as strong as possible increases the home value for all Chatham residents. It is in the best interest of our entire town to continue to make this a priority for all of our kids," Firth said.

Christine Cairns argued that operating the school district within the constraints of the 2 percent cap is becoming increasingly difficult.

"It is a struggle to keep our children safe, foster their mental health, and hire teachers and paraprofessionals with the salaries and benefits that our district currently offers," Cairns said.

Many of the speakers at the May 8 meeting argued that the PILOT funds should be used to fund a full-day kindergarten program, which the district currently lacks.

Last fall, a possible reconfiguration plan was presented that would allow for the future implementation of a full-day kindergarten program. Beginning with the 2025–26 school year, the potential plan would change grade configurations, adding an extra grade to the middle school.

The plan would be to separate fifth graders from the elementary level and place them within the middle school, making the new configuration: kindergarten to fourth; fifth to eighth; and the final four grades still in high school.

"Young families like my own are not a revenue opportunity to be taken advantage of so that others can enjoy a tax break. We are not the only ones to benefit from a good public school system. Our school system is at the center of our community and the success of our children and our town rely on its reputation as one of the best in the state," Cairns said.

Neither the borough nor the school district have issued an official statement or provided an update on the two entities' potential negotiations.