Cherry Hill voters approved a $363 million school bond referendum, N.J.’s largest in at least a decade

Cherry Hill voters on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a $363 million bond referendum, the largest passed by voters in New Jersey in at least a decade, the district announced.

In preliminary results, the measure passed 8,831-4,011, the district said in a statement Friday.

The proposal was the most ambitious in Cherry Hill’s history and will impact all 19 schools in the district, Superintendent Joseph Meloche said. With more than 11,000 students, the district is the 11th-largest school system in the state.

“This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity that our community has come together to support. The benefit to the next generations of students will be immeasurable,” Meloche said in a statement.

Meloche said district officials plan to meet with their financial advisers, bond counselors, and architect to develop a sequence for the projects. The first bids could go out in January, he said.

“It’s a major undertaking,” Meloche said in an interview Friday. “We’re talking about substantial, substantial work that must be done.”

Meloche said work would likely begin in the summer of 2023 and take about five years to complete. The district plans to replace roofs, windows, and doors and HVAC systems, make safety and security improvements, and add new learning spaces.

Cherry Hill was among 11 districts, including Mansfield in Burlington County and the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District in Atlantic County, that held special elections Thursday to consider school bond proposals totaling more than $611 million. All passed except one in North Jersey, where results were still pending.

The bond will be paid over 20 years.

The state is expected to contribute about $113 million for the Cherry Hill projects, leaving the balance for residents. That means an annual property tax increase of about $400 on a home assessed at the township average of $226,400. In 2022, school taxes represented about 56% of the average bill of $9,250, according to the district.

Cherry Hill voters last approved a school bond in 1999, for $52 million. They rejected a $211 million proposal in 2018.

With opinions running strong in the community of 70,000, it was unclear leading up to election day if voters would approve the bond. Meloche said he believed photos that were shared depicting needed repairs and tours conducted to let residents see the state of the buildings helped voters decide in favor of the proposal.

“I”m overjoyed for the students and the community,” Meloche said of an effort that began six years ago with an earlier referendum that was defeated in 2018. “The legacy that this will leave on Cherry Hill will always be remembered.”