Voters in 10 New Jersey school districts approved an estimated $127 million worth of construction projects, while residents in three other communities rejected projects totaling $125.7 million, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s special elections. About $45 million (35 percent) of the approved projects will be covered through state funds. In addition to the communities that voted on construction projects, residents in Longport and Lopatcong were asked to approve school tax levy hikes. Here are the unofficial vote breakdowns, as reported by various school districts or municipal or county clerk offices. Summaries of the ballot questions were compiled by the New Jersey School Boards Association.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROPOSALS
Hasbrouck Heights (Bergen County) — passed (594 yes votes; 466 no votes)
Proposal: Improve heating and ventilation system at Hasbrouck Heights Middle School/High School and two elementary schools, wiith partial funding of $500,000 from the district’s capital reserve.
Total cost: $6,725,106
State portion: $2,329,502
Northern Valley Regional High School (Bergen County) — passed (2,574 yes votes; 1,882 no votes)
Proposal: Renovate and upgrade both high schools, including providing various labs and renovating the auditoriums, and upgrading athletic facilities and camera security systems.
Total cost: $11,707,485
State portion: $4,517,932
Haddonfield (Camden County) — all proposals passed
Proposal: Three-part proposal for HVAC improvements and installations, door and window replacements, exterior repairs, plumbing and drainage work, various upgrades, plus athletic facility improvements at Haddonfield Memorial High.
Proposal 1 (2,264 yes votes; 1,303 no votes): “critical needs” improvements
Total cost: $30,152,660
State portion: $12,061,064
Proposal 2 (2,148 yes votes; 1,393 no votes): various capital improvements
Total cost: $3,661,190
State portion: $1,464,476
Proposal 3 (2,026 yes votes; 1,510 no votes): high school athletic field
Total project cost: $1,437,500
State funds: $175,000
Middle Township (Cape May County) — both proposals passed
Proposal: Two-part proposal to improve and renovate four schools.
Proposal 1 (977 yes votes; 349 no votes): Improve and add new construction to two elementary schools; renovate middle and high schools.
Total cost: $21,320,439
State portion: $2,283,245
Proposal 2 (779 yes votes; 536 no votes): Construct and refurbish athletic and playground facilities at School #2.
Total cost: $3,324,699
Deptford (Gloucester County) — both proposals failed
Proposal: Two-part proposal to improve eight schools, including adding classrooms, enhancing security, providing special-education facilities and science labs at the high school, improving the HVAC, site safety, and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Proposal 1 (888 yes votes; 2,269 no votes): Security improvements, classroom additions, auxiliary gymnasiums; 16-classroom expansion at Monongahela Middle School; addition of special education and science lab facilities at the high school.
Total cost: $68,576,150
State portion: $10,380,395
Proposal 2 (849 yes votes; 2,276 no votes): Air conditioning and electrical system upgrades.
Total cost: $28,830,710
State portion: $11,581,786
Kingsway Regional (Gloucester County) — both proposals failed
Proposal: Two-part proposal to improve the district’s athletic stadium and fields and create a new bus maintenance center.
Proposal 1 (905 yes votes; 2,632 no votes): Resurface football field and grass field to support multi-sport synthetic turf field; convert 6-lane track to 8-lane rubberized surface track; expand bleachers; construct new bus maintenance facility.
Total cost: $9,980,625
Proposal 2 (870 yes votes; 2,650 no votes): Construct new track and field/marching band field house; expand athletic field house.
Total cost: $1,968,750
Monroe Township (Gloucester County) — both proposals failed
Proposal: Two-part proposal, including security system improvements; high school parking lot repaving and basin dredging; HVAC and structural work; middle school auditorium and auxiliary renovations; athletic facility improvements and renovation of district-owned property for new administrative offices.
Proposal 1 (903 yes votes; 1,299 no votes): Improve aging infrastructure; renovate middle school auxiliary gym and auditorium and track, improve tennis court and field irrigation; and build district administrative offices.
Total cost: $12,433,635
State portion: $4,472,664
Proposal 2 (353 yes votes; 1,845 no votes): Includes multi-use synthetic turf at stadium and soccer fields, and synthetic turf improvements for baseball and softball.
Total cost: $3,900,000
Matawan-Aberdeen Regional (Monmouth County) — both proposals passed
Proposal: Two-part proposal for HVAC upgrades and other improvements, including new ventilators, electrical upgrades and air conditioning.
Proposal 1 (567 yes votes; 389 no votes): various HVAC improvements
Total cost: $13,400,000
State portion: $5,360,000
Proposal 2 (526 yes votes; 427 no votes): additional HVAC improvements
Total cost: $6,456,000
State portion: $2,582,400
Eagleswood (Ocean County) — both proposals passed
Proposal: Two-part proposal to include site improvements, renovations and an addition to the elementary school.
Proposal 1 (220 yes votes; 126 no votes): site improvements and renovations.
Total cost: $2,815,510
State portion: $1,126,204
Proposal 2 (196 yes votes; 149 no votes): improvements and a building addition
Total cost: $1,577,000
State portion: $305,898
Island Heights (Ocean County) — passed (311 yes votes; 195 no votes)
Proposal: Various improvements and renovations to Island Heights Elementary School.
Total cost: $2,992,252
State portion: $1,196,900
Hillsborough-Millstone (Somerset County) — passed (1,548 yes votes; 475 no votes)
Proposal: Replacement of high school’s artificial turf field, parking lot paving, and drainage and site improvements at the middle school.
Total cost: $2,034,509
State portion: $813,803
Montgomery-Rocky Hill (Somerset County) — passed (1,185 yes votes; 803 no votes)
Proposal: Renovations, alterations and improvements to five schools.
Total cost: $18,502,580
State portion: $7,150,917
Watchung Hills Regional (Somerset County) — passed (675 yes votes; 267 no votes)
Proposal: Replacement and repair of existing synthetic turf field at main high school football stadium, along with associated site work and track repair.
Total cost: $941,250
State portion: $376,500
TAX LEVY QUESTIONS
Longport (Atlantic County) — too close to call (91 yes votes; 95 no votes, with mail-in and provisional ballots to be counted)
Proposal: To raise an additional $398,265 to cover tuition and transportation cost increases. Longport is a non-operating district, whose primary expenditures are paid to nearby districts to educate the community’s children and pay for transportation.
Lopatcong (Warren County) — results unavailable
Proposal: To raise an extra $600,000 to maintain seven district-wide general/special education teachers and one music teacher, and to replenish the fund balance in 2016-2017.
Source: PoliticoPro