The East Brunswick Board of Education will consider holding a bond referendum in order to rebuild the Memorial Elementary School.
During her report at the Oct. 16 board meeting, Superintendent of Schools Jo Ann Magistro said the school, which was heavily damaged in a July 10 fire, could be reconstructed with funding from a combination of sources, including insurance, a state construction grant, and the bond referendum.
“We do not have amounts to attach to these sources,” Magistro said in reference to the three possible funding areas. “Both the district’s insurance providers and independent professionals have assessed the full extent of the damage, and we are hoping to have figures to share with the board in the near future.”
Coordinator of Community Relations Patricia LaDuca said the district is weighing its options for rebuilding the school, and it is too soon to know if the board will go out for a bond referendum.
“We’re not there yet,” she said.
Insurance money alone would not be enough to construct a new school, she said.
School officials do not yet know whether they will look to salvage and repair parts of the school, or if it would be more beneficial to build a new school entirely, LaDuca said.
No one was seriously injured in the fire, but a large portion of the Innes Road school suffered extensive smoke and water damage, putting it out of commission at least for the current school year. Memorial students are currently being taught at the former Corpus Christi School in South River via a two-year lease arranged between the Board of Education and the Corpus Christi Pastoral Council. The school board is paying $60,493 per month to lease the building and grounds, though officials said that cost is being covered by insurance, at least initially.
Officials said the Corpus Christi arrangement is only a “temporary solution,” and the board is focused on bringing the students back to East Brunswick.
“We are all pleased that the Memorial School community has settled into their new home-away-from-home in South River. But leasing Corpus Christi is only a temporary solution. We need to bring our Memorial School children back home to East Brunswick,” Magistro said.
The superintendent said district officials have an appointment with the state Department of Education to discuss the state construction grant. The school board’s architect, Jeff Venezia, was on hand at the Oct. 16 board meeting to discuss options for the new Memorial School.

