E.B. hopes referendum gets voters’ approval
State would kick in 40% for Churchill School expansion
East Brunswick school officials have been busy getting the word out to residents about the Oct. 17 Churchill Junior High School referendum.
District officials said the school district has taken steps to ensure that everyone in the community knows about the $26 million referendum prior to Tuesday’s vote.
To date, the district has held 16 presentations, including the final presentation held last night at Churchill that included a tour of the facility.
In addition, information packets were sent to the East Brunswick Senior Center, area preschools and day-care facilities, according to an Oct. 6 statement released by the school district. A special edition of Spotlight on Education, the district’s newsletter, will be mailed to all residents with information about the referendum, officials said.
Superintendent of Schools Jamie P. Savedoff is optimistic about the outcome of the vote.
"I truly believe the community understands the need to improve and enlarge the facility to address the increasing enrollment at the school," he said.
The district has discussed the need for the proposal at public school board meetings since November 1999, and began a detailed information campaign in September when the state approved 40 percent funding of the proposal. The funding is available to school districts throughout the state under the Educational Facilities Construction and Finance Act passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Christine Whitman on July 18.
The total cost of the proposed additions and renovations is $26,834,084. The state will fund $10,733,633, leaving East Brunswick’s share at $16,100,451. According to school officials, the referendum will cost $100.50 annually for a home assessed at $150,000, the average price of a home in the township.
"The school district has received a promise from the state to fund 40 percent of the project, which the state has said ‘is necessary to protect the health and safety of the occupants of the school facility,’ " said Savedoff. "It is important to take advantage of the funding now, while it is available, because it greatly eases the burden for East Brunswick taxpayers."
The driving force behind the proposal is reducing class sizes. The facility was opened in 1962 and has not received any modifications since 1968, said Savedoff.
Proposed improvements include refurbishing all classrooms and updating the heating, ventilation and electrical systems. Upgrades to the infrastructure are also needed to meet the needs of a demanding curriculum and integration of technology.
For example, science laboratories at the school do not have working gas and in some instances do not have water — which are necessary to conduct experiments within the curriculum guidelines, according to the Oct. 6 statement.
The school serves more than 1,320 students and is projected to house more than 1,700 students by 2006, according to school officials.
However, the state Department of Education has determined that the functional capacity of both Churchill and the Smith Annex combined is 890 students. School officials say that enrollment has affected the class sizes at the school. Last year, 35 sections had 30 or more students. This year more than 60 academic sections contain 30 or more students; health and physical education classes are larger.
The state Department of Education advises that middle and junior high school class sizes should be held at 24 students.
The referendum vote is scheduled to be held from 2 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Polling locations are the same as in the general election.

