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 $95 MILLION IN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

TRENTON, January 28, 2004—Voters on Tuesday approved school construction projects in six out of nine school districts, the New Jersey School Boards Association reported today. The amount of school construction authorized on Tuesday totaled $95.1 million.

 

More than $31 million of the approved construction would be funded through the Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act. Passed in 2000, the act provides $8.6 billion of state funds for school construction, covering a minimum of 40% of state-determined eligible construction costs in school districts. 

 

According to NJSBA, school construction proposals on Tuesday’s ballot would be funded by state and local sources as follows:


    Total project costs — $95,128,805.45  ($231,413,507.28 proposed)

    State grants — $31,234,018   ($68,142,540 proposed)

    Locally financed bonds — $63,418,170.91  ($155,994,350.74 proposed)

    Other local funds — $476,616.54  ($7,276,616.54 proposed)

 

Tuesday was the first date for school construction referendums in 2004. State law limits school bond elections to five specific dates; the next one is March 9. 

 

"Last year voters in New Jersey approved 73 of 93 proposals—a success rate of 78.5%, for a total of $1.42 billion in construction spending," said Edwina M. Lee, NJSBA's executive director. "Both the dollar amount and the success rate were the highest we've seen since we began tracking school construction referendums in 1997."

 

The results of Tuesday's bond referendums are listed below.

 

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The New Jersey School Boards Association is a federation of more than 600 local boards of education.  Established 90 years ago, NJSBA represents the education and related health and safety interests of New Jersey's 1.3 million public school students and advocates the positions of the state's local school districts.  The Association also provides in-service training and technical assistance to the state's 4,800 local board of education members.  School board members, who serve without compensation, are the largest group of elected and appointed public officials in the state.

 

NEW JERSEY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION REFERENDUMS
JANUARY 27, 2004

ATLANTIC COUNTY

Folsom—Passed
Addition and renovations to the Folsom Elementary School.
$6,995,304.45 – total
$3,322,237 – state grant
$3,196,450.91 – locally financed bonds
$476,616.54 – transfer from capital reserve account

BERGEN COUNTY

Englewood—Defeated
Construction of a new school; renovations to four schools and to a stadium.
$46,597,917.83 – total
$14,190,101 – state grant
$25,607,816.83 – locally financed bonds
$6,800,000 – sale of Liberty and Lincoln schools
Paramus—Passed (both proposals)
Proposal 1:
Additions and renovations to Paramus High School, East Brook Middle School and West Brook Middle School.
$23,850,000 – total
$8,487,099 – state grant
$15,362,901 – locally financed bonds

Proposal 2 (Contingent upon approval of Proposal 1):
Replace heating/ventilation systems in eight schools.
$13,350,000 – total
$5,340,000 – state grant
$8,010,000 – locally financed bonds
Saddle Brook Township—Passed
Additional funds for a referendum previously approved on March 12, 2002 (renovations of three schools).
$5,900,000 – total
$5,900,000 – locally financed bonds

BURLINGTON COUNTY

Pemberton Borough—Defeated 
Additions and renovations to the Pemberton Borough Elementary School.
$4,268,122 – total
$2,523,166 – state grant
$1,744,956 – locally financed bonds
CAMDEN COUNTY

Audubon—Passed
Additions and renovations to the Audubon Junior/Senior High School, and renovations to Mansion Avenue and Haviland Avenue schools.
$17,932,589 – total
$7,471,950 – state grant
$10,460,639 – locally financed bonds
GLOUCESTER COUNTY

East Greenwich Township—Passed
Additions and renovations to the Jeffrey Clark School and Samuel Mickle School
$11,101,927 – total
$2,924,350 – state grant
$8,177,577 – locally financed bonds
MORRIS COUNTY

Long Hill Township—Passed
Additions and renovations to Gillette Elementary, Millington Elementary and Central Middle schools.
$15,998,985 – total
$3,688,382 – state grant
$12,310,603 – locally financed bonds

 
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township—Defeated (both proposals)
Proposal 1:
Expand, renovate and upgrade the Parsippany Hills High School, Parsippany High School, Brooklawn and Central Middle Schools, and all elementary schools.
$82,318,366 – total
$20,195,255 – state grant
$62,123,111 – locally financed bonds

Proposal 2 (Contingent upon approval of Proposal 1):
Expand and renovate the administration building.
$3,100,296 – total
$3,100,296 – locally financed bonds

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g/pi/newsrel/2004/Bond election Results - Jan