South River school officials will go back to the drawing board after a referendum on proposed school upgrades failed by a handful of votes.
In the Sept. 30 vote, 245 residents were in favor of the project and 283 were opposed.
The $10.1 million initiative called for building and technology upgrades at all of the borough’s schools as well as the administration building.
The cost of the project would have been shared by the state Department of Education. The district was eligible for $2.8 million in grant funding, and the remaining $7.3 million would have come through bonding.
School officials said there would not have been a resulting tax increase, thanks to expiring debt service.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Pfister said early last week that he had not heard from voters as to why the majority was not in favor of the initiative.
“Once the Board of Education and administration have had the opportunity to meet and reflect upon the outcome of the referendum, we will formulate a plan for the future,” he said.
The project would have included the addition of preschool classrooms and designated space for occupational and physical therapy, as well as private parent-teacher and student-teacher meeting space at the administration building. The high school also would have received an addition of three classrooms for computer labs. Wireless hubs were slated for the primary, elementary and middle schools.
Infrastructure upgrades focused on security and structural integrity at all schools. Parking lots were also slated for repairs. Several officials and parents expressed their disappointment with the vote. The district’s PTA released a statement indicating its dismay.
“We will continue to support initiatives that provide our children with the resources to be successful,” the PTA said in the statement.
Mayor John Krenzel said he was also disappointed with the results and the voter turnout.
The borough has 8,138 registered voters. The 528 voters who participated represent 6.5 percent of registered voters.
“It is a shame that so few people voted,” he said. “How many parents have children in South River schools? Less than 600 people voted.
“… Two hundred and eighty-three people decided the course of South River education. If people thought that the referendum would go through and they did not need to vote, they were sadly mistaken. The ‘no’ people always come out.”