Schools throughout Ocean Township will soon be upgraded after voters approved last week’s referendum by a nearly 2-1 margin.
Superintendent of Schools Jim Stefankiewicz said the overwhelming public support during the Dec. 9 special election will allow the district to move forward with the $28.9 million project, which includes upgrades to all five district schools.
“We are very excited, and really, it is going to allow us to do a lot of great things for our kids,” he said in a Dec. 11 interview. “I can’t say I was surprised with the results — when we went out and we promoted the vision to our public, we received a lot of positive responses, but we did hear about some concerns.
“Overall, we felt that the support was out there.”
During the special election, 1,281 voters from Ocean Township and Loch Arbour supported the measure, while 716 opposed the plan.
The district will now bond for a variety of upgrades, which include HVAC upgrades to all five schools, upgrades to the gym and wellness center at the high school, and renovations to the science labs for each grade level at the intermediate school.
Stefankiewicz said the district will soon begin working on a final design for the facilities, and he expects the two-year project to begin this summer.
“Everything that we’ve seen thus far has really been concepts, so now we will work with our staff and our administrators to really home in with our architect and produce the actual drawings and designs of what gets built,” Stefankiewicz said.
“Things will be done in stages, and obviously we want to try to minimize the disruption to the education process,” he added. “With a job of this scale, we are not going to be able to do all the work in the summer — it’s just not possible.”
In the weeks leading up to the special election, Stefankiewicz cited the age of the school buildings as the driving factor for the needed upgrades. Ocean Township High School was built in 1964; the Township of Ocean Intermediate School in 1974; the Wayside Elementary School in 1969; the Ocean Township Elementary School in 1957; and the Wanamassa Elementary School in 1930.
More than half of the $28.9 million requested will fund work at the high school. The $15.4 million proposal includes renovations to the auditorium, an entrance plaza and gym addition, upgrades to the wellness center, HVAC upgrades, and classroom and theater additions.
Plans for the intermediate school, including renovations to the science labs for each grade level and HVAC upgrades, will cost $1.75 million.
Another $3.4 million will fund upgrades to the Wayside School, providing six additional classrooms, a connecting corridor between the third- and fourth-grade wings, renovations to the art and music rooms, a more efficient cafeteria and exterior upgrades.
Upgrades proposed for Wanamassa total $6.4 million. The work includes the addition of a gymnasium and other classrooms, the conversion of the multipurpose room into a cafeteria, a new playground, and parking and HVAC upgrades.
The $1.9 million for the Ocean Township Elementary School includes HVAC upgrades, renovations to the art and music rooms, and exterior upgrades.
According to Business Administrator Ken Jannerone, the public supported district referendums in both 1995 and 2001, with the 1995 bond coming off the books in 2015.
Stefankiewicz said the time between the referendums is a major reason for the public support.
“It’s been 15 years almost since the district was undertaking a major building referendum, so it’s not like we do this all the time,” he said. “I think our community really looked at this as some much-needed upgrades and things that will really position us for the next 15 to 20 years.”
Ocean Township was one of three county-wide school district referendums held on Dec. 9, but the only one to pass the public’s vote. A $9 million referendum in West Long Branch and a $33 million referendum in the Freehold Borough School District both failed.
“We are certainly very happy. This community has a long tradition of being supportive of its schools,” Stefankiewicz said.
In the weeks leading up to the vote, Stefankiewicz and other district officials made several public appearances around the township to promote the referendum.
“It was a true group effort. We had a group of parents working with us to get the word out,” he said. “Our principals, our staff, everybody was really working hard to get people informed.
“We are humbled by the response we got from our community, and we are going to do all we can to make the realization of our vision come true for the wellbeing of our kids.”
The district educates approximately 3,225 students and operates on a $70.8 million budget.
A copy of a PowerPoint presentation, narrated by Stefankiewicz, can be viewed on the district website at ocean.k12.nj.us.