The bond will go toward replacement of asbestos floor tiles, repair of roofs and the purchase of energy efficient windows.
By: Lea Kahn
Township voters gave their stamp of approval to the school district’s proposed $9.8 million bond referendum by a vote of 1,071 to 528 Tuesday, paving the way for repairs at several schools.
School district officials, who had gathered at the Municipal Building to wait for the results, were elated. A majority of voters in each of the six polling places approved the bond referendum.
The voter turnout of 1,599 voters amounted to 9 percent of the 17,863 registered voters in Lawrence. That reflects a drop from the 17 percent voter turnout for the last bond referendum in 2002, which sought approval for $37.2 million $27.6 million of which was paid for by voters for school renovations and expansions. Turnout for the annual school board election and budget vote has averaged 12 percent over the past 12 years.
The money will be used to fund the repair of leaky roofs and the replacement of asbestos floor tiles and energy inefficient windows through the district.
The state has agreed to pick up 40 percent, or $3.9 million of the $9.8 million bond. The cost to the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $164,000 would be $44.28 per year, or $3.69 per month.
The current school district tax rate is $2.05 per $100 of assessed value. Of that amount, 9 cents goes toward paying off the school district’s $31.5 million in existing debt, or $147.50 on the average house. The bond referendum will add 3 cents to the tax rate to cover debt service.
"I’m thrilled," said school board President Laura Waters. "The community, as usual, pulled together to support education. They showed again that’s what they value. Now, we can get to fix our (leaky) roofs."
Superintendent of Schools Philip Meara also said he was pleased with the results. Taking over the top spot earlier this year, he acknowledged he didn’t know what to expect since this is the first bond referendum he has experienced in the Lawrence district.
Mr. Meara said the hard work put into the bond referendum by its supporters paid off. He said he spoke to every school’s Parent-Teacher Organization, and also visited the Lawrence Senior Center to explain the referendum to the senior citizens. Everyone was receptive, he said.
"Every principal (from every school) was involved," Mr. Meara said. "They sent home letters and a bulletin (explaining the referendum). Every principal told the parents how their school would benefit. I think that personalization paid off. I think people understood the bond referendum."
The money will be used to pay for new windows at Lawrence High School, Lawrence Intermediate School and Benjamin Franklin Elementary School.
Windows at LHS would be replaced at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. New windows at LIS are estimated to cost $1.2 million and the windows at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School are expected to cost $492,000.
New roofs are needed at LHS and Eldridge Park, Lawrenceville and Slackwood elementary schools. Estimated costs for new roofs are $654,888 for Eldridge Park, $765,363 for Lawrenceville and $535,423 for Slackwood. Replacing portions of the LHS roof is expected to cost $2.6 million.
Floors tiles containing asbestos in all of the district’s seven schools need to be replaced to comply with modern safety standards. School district officials want to remove the tiles and replace them with new vinyl composition tiles at a cost of about $1.9 million. The asbestos floor tiles currently do not represent a health hazard, school district officials said.
School Business Administrator Thomas Eldridge said work on the new floors could begin during the summer. The window replacement project would likely begin in the fall, while work on the new roofs would begin in summer 2008.

