Bond Referendum Approved, Haddonfield School Superintendent Says

Editor's note: This article was last updated at 10:05 p.m. Tuesday.

HADDONFIELD, NJ — With a heavy majority of votes in favor of the school bond referendum, Haddonfield's superintendent declared Tuesday night that the referendum has passed.

More than three-quarters of votes have come back in favor of the bond referendum as of 10 p.m. Tuesday. See the live results below.

Ballot counts are still underway in all of Haddonfield's voting precincts at that time. But there have been significantly more votes in favor of the referendum (2,756) than opposed (772) as of this writing. All precincts have reported partial results.

Superintendent Chuck Klaus, who championed the Haddonfield School District referendum, thanked every community member who voted in the special election.

"Voter approval means all five of our schools will benefit from improvements across the board," Klaus said in a statement. "I'm especially excited to see how we can better address the needs of Early Childhood Education, which forms the foundation for everything else. Space has been a barrier to that, and now we can plan the path toward full-day kindergarten."

"Also important are the repairs and renovations we can make to our buildings," Klaus continued. "Completing that work with bond funding takes some pressure off the operating budget that very directly impacts instruction. It also means Haddonfield School District will gain about $9 million in state aid."

The Haddonfield School District put forth a bond referendum to secure funding to add classrooms, upgrade aging facilities and make the district's schools and playgrounds more accessible. It would also give Haddonfield enough classroom space to offer full-day kindergarten, according to district administrators.

Typically, upgrades to school facilities are fully funded by local property taxes. But a successful bond referendum allows districts to secure some state funding for major project. Haddonfield will receive $9 million from the state.

However, it also means a local tax hike. Haddonfield taxpayers would be responsible for $37.7 million, which would increase property taxes by $369 per year on the average home ($530,509 in Haddonfield).

Below are the latest vote tallies. All results are unofficial until certified by the county clerk on a later date.

HADDONFIELD SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUM

0 of 10 precincts reporting full results

• Yes: 2,756
• No: 772