East Brunswick Board of Ed readies referendum info blitz


An October building referendum is addressing the distance students must travel to class between East Brunswick’s Churchill Junior High School and the Smith annex. An October building referendum is addressing the distance students must travel to class between East Brunswick’s Churchill Junior High School and the Smith annex.

Getting the word out before Oct. vote a top priority, sup’t. says

By nicole c. vaccaro

Staff Writer

East Brunswick Board of Education members announced they will be launching a massive public relations campaign to pass the Churchill Junior High School and Smith Annex building referendum next month.

Schools Superintendent Jamie Savedoff said last Wednesday that the information campaign started two weeks ago with presentations accompanying every back-to-school night in the district.

"We are trying to make this information as accessible as possible to the people in this community," said Savedoff. "We want them to be able to make an informed decision."

He added that the district is also working on a direct mailing of referendum literature to every resident in the community.

Voters will decide on Oct. 17 whether to pass the $26,834,084 plan to renovate both buildings on the site, and construct a connector in the center, joining the facilities.

Of that amount, the state has agreed to pay 40 percent or $10,733,633 by way of the New School Construction Bill. That means residents will pay $16,100,451 should they vote in favor of the plan.

If the referendum passes, the tax impact for a home assessed at $150,000 would be an additional 67 cents per $100 of that assessed value, or $100.50 annually, according to district figures.

This information was confirmed in a letter by the New Jersey Department of Education on Sept. 11, in which the state approved the district board’s request for aid that would help cut the costs involved with the proposal by 40 percent.

In addition to the back-to-school nights, direct mailings, etc., the board is planning a cable television show on local access Channel 3 that will feature information on the plan during its Spotlight on Education segment. The Board of Education Internet site will also set up a link for residents with answers to many of their questions. Voters also will be given the opportunity to e-mail questions directly to the superintendent.

Jennifer Forbes, the district’s director of community relations, said that on Oct. 10, the board will conduct one last public hearing on the referendum. All residents are encouraged and welcome to attend, she said.

Together, the schools presently have the functional capacity for 809 students, according to state officials. Currently, 1,353 students are being taught there, Savedoff said, estimating that by 2006, those enrollment numbers are expected to increase to 1,700.

Savedoff said that state guidelines suggest classes should not exceed 24 students, while up to 34 students are sharing a classroom now.

"We are not looking at this as something we’d like to see done, but rather something that needs to be done," said Savedoff, adding, "The state numbers do not lie."

Savedoff said that if voters reject the plan, several consequences may ensue.

First, the district might lose the $10 million of state aid and will need to reapply for that aid before presenting a second proposal to residents.

Savedoff cautioned that it then becomes less likely for East Brunswick to receive the same 40 percent it is now being promised, because there is a limited amount of aid available to suburban school systems and a good portion of it will have already been distributed to those who qualify.

Then, Savedoff said, taxpayers would be asked to shoulder a larger burden.

If the referendum fails, Savedoff said that the school board would present the referendum to residents for a second vote as soon as is legally possible. But the date of a second referendum would depend on the state’s response to the district’s reapplication for construction aid.

"As it now stands, we are looking at a September 2003 completion date on this project," Savedoff said. "Were the passing of the referendum to be delayed, so would the construction."

Finally, Savedoff said that should residents vote down the referendum, the district would be forced to take immediate action to address the inadequate facilities, which could result in even larger class sizes or, in some instances, trailers at the school.