Voters in six N.J. school districts considering $110 million in construction projects

Repairs, additions, and security enhancements are among the projects before voters.

Deptford is one of three Gloucester County school districts asking voters to approve spending proposals. Deptford wants voters to approve improvements at its high school, middle school and elementary schools.Read moreMelanie Burney / Staff

Updated Jan. 27, 2020, 5:58 p.m. ET

Published Jan. 27, 2020, 5:08 p.m. ET

Voters in six New Jersey school districts, including three in Gloucester County, head to the polls Tuesday to consider school construction projects totaling nearly $110.9 million.

In Deptford, the district has proposed a $37.6 million bond issue to build an addition to Monongahela Middle School that includes 16 classrooms, two science labs, a music room, and a central district office space with a public meeting room.

Like a growing number of districts, Deptford wants to add security vestibules to the main office to provide a buffer with a buzzer for visitors to enter a school.

The proposal also calls for repairing Deptford High School’s auditorium and a new HVAC system for the band and choral rooms. Floors also would be replaced at three elementary schools.

The six districts are eligible for state funds, some as much as 40%. The referendum questions, which typically seek a property tax increase, can be a tough sell among voters, and can allow districts to pay for projects that cannot be funded through their annual operating budgets.

In Woodbury Heights, a $2 million bond proposal calls for building an addition that includes a new main office and a new security vestibule, converting classrooms for small group instruction, and replacing the gym floor. If approved, it would add $87.58 annually to the tax bill of a home assessed at the township average of $177,707. The state would contribute $378,957.

“We’re not looking for luxury,” Superintendent Robert H. Goldschmidt said Monday. “We’re looking for safety, security, and better use of the building for the changing needs of schools.”

In Mantua, voters are considering two sequential questions to fund improvements at its three schools. The first, for a $9.6 million bond, calls for building new kindergarten classrooms, replacing a gym floor, and upgrading a security vestibule. It would not impact taxes, the district said. Approval for the first proposal is needed for the second proposal to pass.

If approved, voters then must decide the second $1.3 million proposal to build handicapped-accessible bathrooms for pre-K and upgrade playgrounds at two elementary schools.

The second question, if approved, would increase taxes $9.87 annually for a home valued at the township average of $205,881, the district said. The state would pick up about $2.4 million of the project costs. The district is scheduled to make its final payment on a current bond in March.

Elsewhere in the state, voters in districts in Bergen, Essex, and Morris Counties also are being asked to vote on funding for school construction projects.

Tuesday is one of five times during the year that school boards may propose a bond issue or special question to pay for school projects. Polls are open until 8 p.m.