$8.5M School Referendum In Caldwell-West Caldwell Will Be Put To Voters In November

CALDWELLS, NJ — A proposal to build a new field house at James Caldwell High School will be appearing on the ballot in the Caldwells – again.

Voters in the Caldwell-West Caldwell Public School District will be asked to cast ballots on a referendum in the 2025 general election, which takes place on Nov. 4.

The district is seeking permission to fund the project with $8.5 million in bonds. If it gets a green light, the current 80-year-old field house will be replaced with a 7,080 square foot building that is more than twice its size. The one-story building would include a trainer’s room, locker facilities, public restrooms, storage/utility space and a public lobby.

Caldwell residents would pay an extra $84 in school taxes per year if the referendum passes. West Caldwell residents would pay an extra $83 per year.

The Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education has released renderings, financial data and other information about the proposal. View it online here.

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It isn’t the first time this year that Caldwell and West Caldwell residents will be asked to vote on whether to build a new field house.

In March, a larger version of the plan was put on the ballot as a referendum, along with a separate question authorizing major renovations at six of the district’s seven schools. The question about the school renovations passed, but voters rejected the field house proposal.

• Read More: Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools Hold Referendum (See Election Results)

District administrators noted that the new field house plan amounts to only 55.1 percent of the previous budget.

The Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education heard a presentation about the field house proposal at their Sept. 15 meeting. Watch footage online here (the presentation begins at the 35-minute mark).

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