New Jersey School Boards Association, 413 West State Street, P.O. Box 909, Trenton, NJ  08605-0909
Telephone: (609) 278-5202  ●  Fax: (609) 695-0413  ●  Web site: www.njsba.org/PI 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:   Frank Belluscio (fbelluscio@njsba.org)
Mike Yaple (myaple@njsba.org)
(609) 278-5202

 

VOTERS APPROVE $441 MILLION IN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

[Descriptions and results of each of the December 9 bond elections and a seven-year overview of school construction election results  are at the end of this release.]   

TRENTON, December 10, 2003—Voters on Tuesday approved school construction projects in 17 of 25 New Jersey school districts, the New Jersey School Boards Association reported today. The amount of new construction authorized on Tuesday totaled $441.8 million.

"The bigger story is what has occurred throughout 2003," said Edwina M. Lee, NJSBA executive director. "Voters have shown strong support for their locals schools, despite a slow economy. Tuesday's special school election brings 2003's voter approval rate for school construction projects to 78.5%—the highest since NJSBA began tracking bond elections in 1997."

In 2003, voters approved 73 of 93 proposals for a total of $1.42 billion in construction spending. 

Of the total amount approved Tuesday, $130 million will be funded by state grants through the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act. Signed into law in July 2000, the act provides $8.6 billion in state funding for school construction—$6 billion of which fully funds construction projects in the state's 30 special-needs, or Abbott districts. The remainder covers a minimum of 40% of state-determined eligible costs for construction projects in all other districts. Before the act was signed, 240 school districts received no state funding for school construction and another 108 districts received a fourth or less of construction costs from the state. 

Statewide, construction financing on Tuesday’s ballot is divided between state and local sources as follows:

Total project costs — $441,816,664.69    ($610,224,933.69 proposed)     

State grants — $130,000,356    ($169,879,430 eligible)                

Locally financed bonds — $306,019,601.69 ($433,414,595.69 proposed)

Other local funds — $5,796,707   ($6,930,908 proposed)      

School construction referenda are limited to five dates a year.  They include the fourth Tuesday in January, the second Tuesday in March, the Annual School Election on the third Tuesday in April, the final Tuesday in September, and the second Tuesday in December.

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New Jersey School Boards Association
Annual Bond Referenda Survey
Overview: 1997-2003

 
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
# of Elections
93
102
67
89
89
75
74
# of Proposals Approved
73
72
50.17*
68.66
63.5*
45
39
% of Proposals Approved
78.5%
70.5%
74.9%
77.2%
71.3%
60%
52.7%
Total Spending Proposed
$1.69 billion
$2.012 billion
$1.274 billion
$1.298 billion
$1.199 billion
$893.919 million
$867.91 million
Total Spending Approved
$1.42 billion
$1.329 billion
$970.1 million
$1.043 billion
$779.867 million
$487.215 million
$473.91 million
% Spending Approved
84%
66.1%
76.1 %
80.4%
65%
54.5%
54.6%

* Fractions indicate split results in districts where referenda included more than one question.

NEW JERSEY SPECIAL SCHOOL ELECTIONS

December 9, 2003  

ATLANTIC COUNTY

 

Somers Point — PASSED

Addition and renovations to the New York Avenue School; renovations to the Dawes Avenue School and the Jordan Road School

$2,535,672 – total

$1,011,762 – state grant

$1,523,910 – locally financed bonds

 

 

BERGEN COUNTY

 

Bergenfield — FAILED (both questions)

Proposal 1:

Addition and renovations to the Roy W. Brown Middle School

$8,212,780 – total

$1,996,183 – state grant

$6,216,597 – locally financed bonds

 

Proposal 2:

Addition and renovations to the Hoover Elementary School

$4,756,500 – total

$1,187,800 – state grant

$3,568,700 – locally financed bonds

 

Elmwood Park — PASSED

Additions and renovations to the Memorial High/Middle School, 16th Avenue School, Gilbert Avenue School and the Gantner Avenue School

$44,250,774 – total

$12,768,613 – state grant

$31,482,161 – locally financed bonds

 

Pascack Valley Regional — PASSED

Additions and renovations to the Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley High Schools

$42,266,795 – total

$11,543,555 – state grant

$30,723,240 – locally financed bonds

 

Wyckoff Township — FAILED (both questions)

Proposal 1:

Addition and renovations to the Eisenhower Middle School

$20,319,074 – total

$4,417,832 – state grant

$15,901,242 – locally financed bonds

 

Proposal 2 (Contingent upon passage of Proposal 1):

Addition and renovations to the Coolidge Elementary School

$21,009,632 – total

$5,007,522 – state grant

$16,002,110 – locally financed bonds

 

 

BURLINGTON COUNTY

 

Burlington Township — PASSED

Construction of a new middle school; addition and renovations to the B. Bernice Young School and renovations to the Thomas O. Hopkins School

$37,611,841 – total

$15,637,991 – state grant

$21,973,850 – locally financed bonds

 

Chesterfield Township — FAILED

Construction of a new school and renovations to the Chesterfield Elementary School

$17,517,577 – total

$3,595,532 – state grant

$13,922,045 – locally financed bonds

 

Delanco Township — FAILED

Additions and renovations to the Pearson School and the Walnut Street School

$7,798,281 – total

$2,469,321 – state grant

$5,328,960 – locally financed bonds

 

Florence Township — PASSED

Construction of a new high school; renovations to the Florence Township Middle/High School and the Roebling Elementary School

$45,266,590.69 – total

$8,840,495 – state grant

$36,426,095.69 – locally financed bonds

 

Willingboro Township — PASSED

Transfer of unspent bonds from a 1999 referendum into the Capital Reserve Account to renovate five schools

$1,396,707 – total

 

 

CAMDEN COUNTY

 

Barrington — PASSED

Additions and renovations to the Woodland Elementary/Middle School and the Avon Elementary School

$9,993,951 – total

$3,311,848 – state grant

$6,682,103 – locally financed bonds

 

 

CAPE MAY COUNTY

 

Wildwood City — FAILED

Acquisition of land and construction of a new school; renovation to the Wildwood City High School

$29,922,329 – total

$8,384,151 – state grant

$21,538,178 – locally financed bonds

 

 

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

 

Cumberland Regional — PASSED

Renovation of the Cumberland Regional High School

$15,923,704 – total

$9,046,300 – state grant

$6,877,404 – locally financed bonds

 

 

GLOUCESTER COUNTY

 

Gateway Regional — PASSED

Addition and renovations to the Gateway Regional High School

$15,153,985 – total

$6,288,494 – state grant

$8,865,491 – locally financed bonds

 

 

HUNTERDON COUNTY

 

Hunterdon Central Regional — PASSED 

Addition and renovations to the Hunterdon Central Regional High School

$28,833,611 – total

$9,295,003 – state grant

$15,538,608 – locally financed bonds

$4,000,000 – Polytech Building sale proceeds

 

 

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

 

Dunellen — PASSED (both questions)

Proposal 1:

Additions and renovations to the Faber Elementary School, the Lincoln Middle School and the Dunellen High School

$14,199,501 – total

$4,276,972 – state grant

$9,922,529 – locally financed bonds

 

Proposal 2 (Contingent upon approval of Proposal 1):

Additional renovations

$837,649 – total

$340,177 – state grant

$497,472 – locally financed bonds

 

Monroe Township — PASSED

Construction of a new Monroe Township High School

$82,943,950 – total

$15,244,658 – state grant

$67,699,292 – locally financed bonds

 

South Brunswick — PASSED

Additions and renovations to the Brunswick Acres Elementary School, Cambridge Elementary School, Constable Elementary School, Greenbrook Elementary School, Monmouth Junction Elementary School and the Crossroads Middle School South; renovate the Crossroads Middle School North

$46,447,993 – total

$13,330,134 – state grant

$33,117,859 – locally financed bonds

 

 

MONMOUTH COUNTY

 

Long Branch — FAILED

Construction of an aquatic facility

$13,500,000 – total

$13,500,000 – locally financed bonds

 

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional — PASSED

Renovations to the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School

$14,663,877 – total

$5,865,551 – state grant

$8,798,326 – locally financed bonds

 

 

MORRIS COUNTY

 

Butler — PASSED

Renovations to the Butler High School, the Richard Butler School, the Aaron Decker School and the high school field

$8,040,335 – total

$3,193,097 – state grant

$4,447,238 – locally financed bonds

$400,000 – transfer from capital reserve fund

 

Dover — PASSED (both questions)

Proposal 1:

Additions and renovations to the Dover Middle School and Dover High School

$17,213,665 – total

$5,780,663 – state grant

$11,433,002 – locally financed bonds

 

Proposal 2 (Contingent upon passage of Proposal 1):

Construction of a weight room facility at the Dover High School

$973,630 – total

$181,704 – state grant

$791,926 – locally financed bonds

 

Randolph Township — FAILED (both questions)

Proposal 1:

Construction of  a new elementary school; addition and renovations to the Randolph High School; renovations to the Randolph Middle School and four elementary schools

$39,073,376 – total

$11,173,337 – state grant

$27,900,039 – locally financed bonds

 

Proposal 2 (Contingent upon passage of Proposal 1):

Construction of central administrative offices to be attached to the new elementary school

$2,700,000 – total

$764,364 – state grant

$801,435 - locally financed bonds

$1,134,201 – transfer of unspent bonds from previous referenda

 

 

OCEAN COUNTY

 

Lavallette — FAILED

Addition and renovations to the Lavallette Elementary School

$3,598,720 – total

$883,032 – state grant

$2,715,688 – locally financed bonds

 

 

UNION COUNTY

 

Roselle Park — PASSED

Additions and renovations to the elementary schools, the middle and high school

$13,262,434 – total

$4,043,339 – state grant

$9,219,095 – locally financed bonds

   

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