FREEHOLD — Voters in Freehold Borough rejected a $32.9 million school construction referendum in a special election on Sept. 30.
The referendum put forth by the Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education was rejected by a vote of 374 no votes to 272 yes votes.
The proposed construction plan included additional classrooms and other improvements at the district’s three schools: the Park Avenue Elementary School, the Freehold Intermediate School and the Freehold Learning Center elementary school.
“I regret that we did not convince a majority of voters of our critical need for additional instructional space,” Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic said. “We will redouble our efforts. We have a responsibility to find that majority so the needs of our students are addressed.”
The board will hold a special meeting on Oct. 8 to assess its options and the next steps going forward, according to Tomazic.
Freehold Borough has 5,329 registered voters. A total of 646 residents voted in the special referendum.