news release
New Jersey School Boards Association, 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 in 25 Districts Approve
$514 million in School Construction
TRENTON, December 15, 2004—Voters
on Tuesday approved 25 of 33 school-construction proposals, the New Jersey
School Boards Association reported today.
The approvals total $514 million
in construction funds. More than $160 million of the approved construction on the
December 14th ballots will be funded through the Educational
Facilities Construction and Financing Act.
“Tuesday’s positive voter response
demonstrates that communities want to take advantage of state funds for school
construction,” said Edwina M. Lee,
NJSBA executive director. Before the facilities act became available four years
ago, 240 districts received no state aid for school construction and another
108 districts received 25% or less.
The 33
proposals on the December 14 ballot represented the largest number
presented to voters on a single day.
“The
state’s school-construction grants lessen the amount of local property taxes
needed to support school construction projects,” Lee noted. “In addition, they
ensure that future generations of children will learn in adequate school
facilities.”
The Educational Facilities
Construction and Financing Act of 2000 provided $8.6 billion of state funds for
school construction—$6 billion for the
30 “Abbott” districts, with the remaining $2.6 billion funding at least 40% of
state-determined eligible costs in all other districts. However, the amount of state construction
funds remaining for non-Abbott districts has dwindled to approximately $600
million, according to recent reports from the New Jersey Schools Construction
Corporation, a subsidiary of the state Economic Development Authority, which
administers the funding program.
Overall, Tuesday’s school
construction proposals would be funded through state and local sources as
follows:
Total project costs — $514,173,621 ($686,068,641 proposed)
State grants — $160,452,286 ($207,831,990 proposed)
Locally financed bonds — $352,152,305 ($476,667,621 proposed)
Other local funds — $1,569,030 ($1,569,030 proposed)
The New Jersey School Boards
Association is the only statewide organization that tracks the success of bond
referendums.
The second Tuesday in December is
one of five days throughout the year when local school boards can schedule
construction referendums. The next election will take place on January 25,
2005. Other elections will be March, April and September.
In 2004, voters in 71 school
districts decided bond questions, approving 48 of them for a total of $1.039
billion in new schools, additions and renovations.
An eight-year
overview of school bond referendums and the results from the Tuesday, December
14, 2004, bond elections are listed below.
New Jersey School Boards Association
Annual Bond Referenda Survey
Overview: 1997-2004
|
|
2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
1998 |
1997 |
|
# of
Elections |
71 |
93 |
102 |
67 |
89 |
89 |
75 |
74 |
|
# of
Proposals Approved |
48 |
73 |
72 |
50.17* |
68.66 |
63.5* |
45 |
39 |
|
% of
Proposals Approved |
67.6% |
78.5% |
70.5% |
74.9% |
77.2% |
71.3% |
60% |
52.7% |
|
Total
Spending Proposed |
$1.58 billion |
$1.69 billion |
$2.012 billion |
$1.274 billion |
$1.298 billion |
$1.199 billion |
$893.919 million |
$867.91 million |
|
Total
Spending Approved |
$1.039 billion |
$1.42 billion |
$1.329 billion |
$970.1 million |
$1.043 billion |
$779.867 million |
$487.215 million |
$473.91 million |
|
%
Spending Approved |
65.7% |
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 ELECTION
RESULTS
December
14, 2004
BERGEN COUNTY
South Hackensack Township—Passed
Expend additional amount on renovations and addition to
Memorial School for a project previously approved by voters in September 2002.
$6,336,239 – total
$4,767,209 – locally financed bonds
$1,569,030 – Other: Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey grant
Wallington—Both Defeated
Proposal
1: Renovations to Wallington High School and Frank W.
Gavlak Elementary School
$6,122,286 – total
$2,448,915 – state grant
$3,673,371 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2: Addition and
renovations to Jefferson Elementary School
$13,357,807 – total
$2,459,867 – state grant
$10,897,940 – locally financed bonds
Westwood Regional—Defeated
Renovations at all schools and additions at all schools
except the Berkeley Avenue School.
$35,130,388 – total
$9,999,710 – state grant
$25,130,678 – locally financed bonds
BURLINGTON COUNTY
Eastampton Township—Passed
Addition to the Eastampton Township Middle School
$22,010,542 – total
$10,879,627 – state grant
$11,130,915 – locally financed bonds
Maple Shade Township—Passed
Additions and renovations to Maude E. Wilkins School, Howard
R. Yocum School, Ralph J. Steinhauer School and Maple Shade High School
$28,081,268 – total
$8,874,129 – state grant
$19,207,139 – locally financed bonds
CAMDEN COUNTY
Clementon Borough—Passed
Addition and renovations at The Clementon Elementary/Middle School
$5,246,061 – total
$2,952,892 – state grant
$2,293,169 – locally financed bonds
Haddonfield—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Renovations
the to four schools
$9,273,927 – total
$3,532,924 – state grant
$5,741,003 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Additional
improvements and renovations to four schools.
$4,414,322 – total
$1,174,770 – state grant
$3,239,552 – locally financed bonds
ESSEX COUNTY
Roseland—Passed
Addition and renovations to the Noecker Elementary School
$13,917,254 – total
$2,909,748 – state grant
$11,007,506 – locally financed bonds
GLOUCESTER COUNTY
Washington Township—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Installation
of new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at Orchard Valley
Middle School and Chestnut Ridge Middle School
$13,029,588 – total
$6,774,742 – state grant
$6,254,846 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Installation of
new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and security cameras to
five schools; renovations at Washington Township High School.
$17,137,265 – total
$7,101,020 – state grant
$10,036,245 – locally financed bonds
Woodbury—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Renovations to
four schools.
$20,276,078 – total
$8,797,586 – state grant
$11,478,492 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1):
Improvement and replacement of telephone and
intercom/data systems at four schools; renovations to auditorium at Woodbury
Junior-Senior High School
$2,795,200 – total
$1,292,102 – state grant
$1,503,098 – locally financed bonds
HUDSON COUNTY
Guttenberg—Defeated
Renovations and addition to the Anna L. Klein School
$12,708,664 – total
$3,700,572 – state grant
$9,008,092 – locally financed bonds
Kearny—Passed
Renovations to the Kearny High School
$6,084,269 – total
$2,433,708 – state grant
$3,650,561 – locally financed bonds
HUNTERDON COUNTY
Franklin Township—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Expansion and renovations to the elementary school
$10,811,748 – total
$2,836,092 – state grant
$7,975,656 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Installation of two
water tanks for emergency water supply on school site
$268,457 – total
$268,457 – locally financed bonds
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
East Brunswick Township—Passed
Additions and renovations to three schools.
$106,106,658 – total
$24,720,221 – state grant
$81,386,437 – locally financed bonds
Highland Park—Question 1 Passed;
Questions 2 & 3 Defeated
Proposal
1: Expansion and renovations to three schools.
$21,690,971 – total
$7,915,597 – state grant
$13,775,374 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Installation of
solar panels at each of district school.
$1,624,000 – total
$649,600 – state grant
$974,400 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
3 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Construction of three
additional classrooms at Irving School
$1,386,000 – total
$214,500 – state grant
$1,171,500 – locally financed bonds
Metuchen—Passed
Renovations at Metuchen High School and window replacement
at the Edgar School
$28,745,350 – total
$11,498,140 – state grant
$17,247,210 – locally financed bonds
MONMOUTH COUNTY
Manasquan Borough—Passed
Addition and renovations to the Manasquan Elementary School
$12,750,000 – total
$3,097,009 – state grant
$9,652,991 – locally financed bonds
Neptune City—Defeated
Addition and renovations to the Woodrow Wilson Elementary
School
$14,097,644 – total
$4,507,674 – state grant
$9,589,970 – locally financed bonds
Upper Freehold Regional—Passed
Construction of a new middle school and renovations to the
existing elementary school
$38,998,901 – total
$6,412,705 – state grant
$32,586,196 – locally financed bonds
MORRIS COUNTY
Chester Township—Passed
Additions and renovations to three schools.
$22,750,000 – total
$5,519,012 – state grant
$17,230,988 – locally financed bonds
Mount Arlington—Defeated
Renovation and expansion to the Mount Arlington
Elementary/Middle School and Edith Decker Elementary School
$9,676,610 – total
$2,263,089 – state grant
$7,413,521 – locally financed bonds
Randolph Township—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Additions and renovations to the Randolph High School
$19,796,508 – total
$4,934,397 – state grant
$14,862,111 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2: Renovations to five schools.
$4,917,542 – total
$1,967,016 – state grant
$2,950,526 – locally financed bonds
OCEAN COUNTY
Lavallette Borough—Passed
Renovations for security and for library and adjacent
classrooms at the Lavallette Elementary School
$1,978,873 – total
$791,549 – state grant
$1,187,324 – locally financed bonds
PASSAIC COUNTY
Bloomingdale—Defeated
Additions and renovations to two schools
$22,387,614 – total
$5,390,381 – state grant
$16,997,233 – locally financed bonds
Clifton—Passed
Purchase land and renovate facilities to provide an annex
building to the Clifton High School
$15,153,548 – total
$4,004,000 – state grant
$11,149,548 – locally financed bonds
Pompton Lakes—Defeated
Additions and renovations to Pompton Lakes High School
$15,500,839 – total
$4,528,069 – state grant
$10,972,770 – locally financed bonds
SALEM COUNTY
Alloway Township—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Addition and renovations to Alloway Elementary School
$5,295,509 – total
$2,265,939 – state grant
$3,029,570 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1):
Install air conditioning at Alloway
Elementary School
$788,538 – total
$401,781 – state grant
$386,757 – locally financed bonds
Pittsgrove Township—Passed
Renovations to four schools.
$4,168,750 – total
$2,104,657 – state grant
$2,064,093 – locally financed bonds
SOMERSET COUNTY
Somerville—Passed
Renovations to the middle and high schools, and renovation
and expansions to the Van Derveer Elementary School
$24,950,000 – total
$9,537,833 – state grant
$15,412,167 – locally financed bonds
SUSSEX COUNTY
Andover Regional—Both Passed
Proposal
1: Renovations to both school district school facilities
$5,571,015 – total
$2,228,406 – state grant
$3,342,609 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Additions and
renovations to the Burd Elementary School
$2,649,988 – total
$472,815 – state grant
$2,177,173 – locally financed bonds
UNION COUNTY
Hillside Township—Defeated
Renovations to three schools; expansion and renovations to
three other schools
$33,816,413 – total
$11,217,327 – state grant
$22,599,086 – locally financed bonds
Westfield—Passed
Construction of improvements to the track and field at Gary
Kehler Stadium
$1,381,839 – total
$1,381,839 – locally financed bonds
WARREN COUNTY
Warren Hills Regional—Question 1 Passed; Question 2
Defeated
Proposal
1: Expansion and renovations to the middle and high
schools.
$36,797,413 – total
$13,021,869 – state grant
$23,775,544 – locally financed bonds
Proposal
2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Relocation and
construction of new athletic facilities at the High School
$6,086,755 – total
$6,086,755 – locally financed bonds
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