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)

VOTERS APPROVE $156 MILLION IN SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

 TRENTON, April 20, 2005—Voters approved school construction proposals in eight of the 11 school districts that had bond referenda questions on the ballot during Tuesday’s Annual School Election, the New Jersey School Boards Association reported today. The amount of school construction approved Tuesday totaled $156.2 million.

In addition to the proposed school-construction bond questions in 11 districts, voters throughout the state also filled 1,640 local board positions and acted on 549 proposed school operating budgets.

 Of the total amount of school construction bonds approved Tuesday, $48.3 million will be funded through the state’s Educational Facilities Construction and Financing Act. School-construction financing approved Tuesday is divided between state and local sources as follows:

 

    Total project costs – $156,287,477   ($172,193,587 proposed)

    State grants – $48,391,883   ($49,637,367 proposed)

    Locally financed bonds – $106,669,773   ($121,330,399 proposed)

    Other local sources – $1,225,821  ($1,225,821 proposed)

 

State law limits special school elections to five dates a year. The next date that a school board can put a bond referendum question before local voters is September 27.

 A list of proposed bond referendums follows.

 

ANNUAL SCHOOL ELECTION

APRIL 19, 2005

BOND REFEREUNDUM RESULTS

 

BERGEN COUNTY

 

Montvale—Passed  

Improvements to Memorial Elementary and Fieldstone Middle schools.

$3,940,733 – total

$1,569,093 – state grant

$2,371,640 – local bonds

 

Saddle River—Passed 

Additions and renovations to the Wandell Elementary School.

$2,350,671 – total

$224,850 – state grant

$900,000 – local bonds

$1,225,821 – transfer from capital reserve

 MONMOUTH COUNTY

 Keyport—Passed
Replace roofs at two schools; new phone system at two schools and administrative offices.
$1,327,812 – total
$527,125 – state grant
$800,687 – local bonds

 MIDDLESEX COUNTY

 Sayreville—Passed  

Addition and renovations to War Memorial High School.

$46,932,907 – total

$13,910,264 – state grant

$33,022,643 – local bonds

 MORRIS COUNTY

 

District of the Chathams—All Passed 

Proposal 1: Additions and renovations to four schools.

$22,860,000 – total

$5,288,429 – state grant

$17,571,571 – local bonds

 Proposal 2 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Replace windows at two schools.
$1,192,000 – total
$476,800 – state grant
$715,200 – local bonds

Proposal 3 (contingent upon passage of Proposal 1): Improvements to athletic fields and facilities.
$2,650,000 – total
$411,600 – state grant
$2,238,400 – local bonds

Hanover Park Regional—Passed
Additions and renovations to the Hanover Park and Whippany Park high schools.
$46,210,352 – total
$14,496,268 – state grant
$31,714,084 – local bonds

OCEAN COUNTY

 Pinelands Regional—Defeated
Construct a building for use as an alternative education program and athletic field house.
$1,167,400 – total
$1,167,400 – local bonds

 

Point Pleasant Beach—Passed

Addition and renovations to the G. Harold Antrium Elementary School.

$8,988,502 – total

$3,553,654 – state grant

$5,434,848 – local bonds

 Toms River Regional—Passed
Install solar panels at seven schools.
$19,834,500 – total
$7,933,800 – state grant
$11,900,700 – local bonds

 

 

SALEM COUNTY

 Mannington Township—Defeated
Renovations to the Mannington Elementary School.
$3,113,710 – total
$1,245,484 – state grant
$1,868,226 – local bonds

 

 

SOMERSET COUNTY

 Franklin Township—Defeated
To fund the completion of various renovations that voters approved in a May 2001 referendum.
$11,625,000 – total
$11,625,000 – local bonds