By Allison Musante, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR PLAINSBORO The Board of Education has unanimously approved an amendment to the agreement for field lights at both high schools, an action that some fear could yield inequity between the schools and put tax dollars at stake in the future.
The amendment to the district’s agreement with the High School South Booster Club says that installation work is expected to be completed in 2011 at High School South and 2012 at High School North. It further says that no work may occur unless the club has secured sufficient funds to complete work at each high school.
The concern, raised at the board’s April 27 meeting, is that the Booster Club may raise enough money for lights at South, but fail to raise enough money for North.
”There is a question that if money is only raised at South, which is slated to be done first, would taxpayer money go toward paying for the second?” said board member Todd Hochman.
He said he wouldn’t vote in favor of such action, as did several other board members.
”I would never vote to spend taxpayer money for light installation, period,” he said.
But the action appears to be a possibility. West Windsor resident Sara Spangler Campanella raised the concern about what a future board may do, when the current board members have left. She said she had voted against the district’s budget last week “when it became apparent that the district is willing to set a precedent allowing a group to move forward with a project that is not fully funded, which is both imprudent financially” and poor policy.
Board President Hemant Marathe said he was confident that not a single penny of taxpayer money will go toward funding the lights, according to the Dec. 17 agreement with the club, which is working on fund-raising and securing loans to fully pay the installation cost of between $240,000 and $260,000.
Equity between the high schools has been an issue since High School North opened in 1997, Mr. Marathe said, but if lights could be installed at only one school, it would preferable to neither school getting them.
”I don’t have a problem with that,” he said. “If someone offered us $50,000 for a new science laboratory at High School North and not South, would I turn it down? No. I’m not of the view that if both can’t have it, neither will.”

