Authors of Pascack Valley School Split Study Answering Public's Questions

An attorney and the authors of a study which reported that splitting up the Pascack Valley Regional School District "would succeed" will give a presentation about their findings and take questions from the public during a Woodcliff Lake Council meeting next week, NorthJersey.com reported.

A report on the same subject prepared on behalf of Hillsdale and River Vale found that there would be high costs for residents of those towns if the district were split.

The meeting is scheduled to take place Monday night at the Tice Senior Center, 411 Chestnut Ridge Rd.

Woodcliff Lake and Montvale previously petitioned the Executive County Superintendent to withdraw from the district, citing a higher cost per pupil than that paid by Hillsdale and River Vale. A state-mandated formula for tax revenue in regional school districts requires the amount paid by residents of each town to be determined by property values, rather than the number of students.

If the split were to happen, property taxes for the average homeowner in Hillsdale and River Vale would rise by more than $500 per year, while the savings for the average Woodcliff Lake and Montvale homeowner would amount to less than $20, according to the Hillsdale-River Vale study.

That study also found that it would be difficult to maintain the current level of education in the district if the split happened. Some of the extracurricular programs at the Valley and Hills are only financially viable because staff are shared, according to the report.

For next school year's regional district taxes, Hillsdale residents will be seeing the largest increase at $129 for the average homeowner. Average Montvale and River Vale homeowners will see increases of $67 and $41, respectively, while the average Woodcliff Lake homeowner will see a decrease of $314.

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