We have received questions from residents regarding several recent actions taken by the Board of Education. This post will focus on the lease of Christ Church by the Township for its pre-k program.
At the last regular Board of Education meeting of 2018, the Board approved item #19 on the agenda:
Teaneck Today has confirmed that this approval, for a lease to rent the Christ Church for use as a pre-school was done without the Board of Education trustees having seen any lease documents.
In fact, based on an Open Public Records Act request sent to us from a resident, it appears that there is no lease in place to use the facility, at all.
to an Open Public Records Act request
Renovations have also been taking place at the Church in connection with the pre-k program.
A Board of Education vehicle at Christ Church during renovations.
An Open Public Records Act response obtained by Teaneck Today indicates that “no permits have been issued for this property in 2018” by the Township of Teaneck’s building department.
Open Public Records Act request
Despite the lack of a lease or indemnification agreement within the lease, the Teaneck School District has indicated that it started holding classes in this building.
Post about the opening of the pre-k program on the Teaneck School website
Another complicating factor may be the location. As per the “sample lease agreement” available on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, the Church is not permitted to allow the premises to be used for any purpose other than a house of worship.
While there is generally no problem with a public entity, such as a school district, using a religious institution’s facility for a secular purpose, that doesn’t mean the Church itself may not have rules that conflict.
A request to the Church by a resident received the following response indicating that classrooms could in fact be used for non religious purposes.
But until the lease is made available, it’s not at all clear if there are restrictions based on the location or other issues which may indicate why a lease has not yet been signed for a location that is currently operational and spending taxpayer dollars.
Questions:
- What did the Board of Education actually approve at their December meeting?
- Why is the Teaneck Board of Education operating in a facility without a lease?
- Has the Church agreed to allow the pre-k program for secular uses?
- Will the pre-k program be limited in what it can do in the building due to Church requirements?
When we receive more answers, we will let you know.