Officials hoping voters say yes this time

Spotswood referendum
set for Tuesday would enable school additions

By vincent todaro
Staff Writer

Spotswood referendum
set for Tuesday would enable school additions
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer

SPOTSWOOD — The Board of Education will try again to pass a school construction referendum Tuesday when residents will cast votes on a scaled-back version of last year’s defeated plan.

The climate will be a little different this time around, however. Unlike the more expensive December referendum, the current proposal is being supported by municipal officials, some of whom were vocal critics of the previous proposal.

The $15.9-million plan for additions and renovations at the borough’s schools is about $3.5 million less than the previous package, which was defeated 974 to 499. Still, school officials don’t know what to expect Tuesday.

"We’re not sure it’s going to pass," said Board President Frank Kardashian. "We’re cautiously optimistic."

If the measure is voted down, he said the board will likely appeal to the state commissioner of education, who has the power to override the vote and allow the bond referendum to proceed.

"We could go to the commissioner, and ultimately he would give us approval," Kardashian said, adding that he would prefer it if the district did not have to go that route.

The referendum would increase the annual school taxes on a home assessed at the borough average of $70,000 by about $295, or almost $25 per month. The cost of the project would be paid by the district over a 20-year period.

Kardashian said there are three things working in the district’s favor this time around: the overall cost of the project has been reduced, the amount of state aid has increased, and the community is more knowledgeable about the project.

"We had a better program to advertise this," he said.

School officials have met with the Borough Council, local senior citizens and other groups to discuss the referendum. Mailings were sent home, a hotline was established, and various officials were also expected to make themselves available at the high school in order to answer questions in the evenings leading up to the referendum.

District officials are not certain if there was a particular demographic group that cast more dissenting votes in last year’s referendum, he said.

"It’s very difficult to analyze if there’s any group that is opposed to it," he said. "All senior citizens are not opposed to education."

The referendum calls for major additions at Spotswood High School, as well as at the Memorial School (presently for seventh and eighth grades) and Schoenly School (kindergarten and first grade). Minor improvements are planned for the Appleby School (presently for second through sixth grades).

The district will also be changing the district’s configuration by moving its sixth grade from Appleby to Memorial, a move that will save the board from having to build additional classrooms at Appleby, officials have said.

The entire project is necessary to meet modern educational requirements and to accommodate the ever-increasing student enrollment in Spotswood’s schools, officials have said.

The board was able to secure about $5.4 million in state aid for the project, and thus the amount taxpayers are being asked to raise is approximately $10.5 million.

To reduce the cost from the last referendum, the district cut the proposal to build both a new auditorium and an auxiliary gymnasium at the high school.

The December referendum would have increased taxes on a home assessed at the borough average by about $400 per year — $105 more than the current referendum.

Kardashian said the need to improve the schools is urgent, and that it will only cost more money if put off.

"If we dilly-dally, it’s going to cost all of us more money," he said. "What is the advantage to waiting?

"We don’t have many options," he said.

The district has continually pointed to its enrollment projections as a reason for concern. It currently has a student population of more than 1,700, but projections show an average of 100 additional students per year. By the 2005-06 school year, the district expects 2,019 students.

"The need [for this] is primarily because we don’t have enough classroom space," Kardashian has said.

The district not only has to provide space for students who actually live in Spotswood, but also those from Helmetta, which sends all of its students to Spotswood, and Milltown, which sends its high school students.

Before last year’s referendum, borough officials including Mayor Barry Zagnit and Councilwoman Judith Ruffo, liaison to the school board, came out against the referendum. Both said the project was desirable, but too expensive for Spotswood taxpayers.

Zagnit said last week following the board’s presentation at the council meeting that he supports the revised proposal. He said he and members of the council agree with the board that the project is necessary, and he credited school officials with paring down the project as best they could.

"We’ve compared this to the last one, and we see how hard the Board of Education worked to bring it into a very realistic size and dollar value," Zagnit said.

"It’s very obvious the schools are the centerpiece of our community, and very obvious our schools are in need of money," the mayor continued. "We have to provide the right environment and educational facilities."

For more information about the referendum, call the hotline at (732) 723-2236 during weekdays.

The polls will be open Tuesday from 1-9 p.m.