Voters Approve $5.3M Bond Referendum To Install A/C In Two Marlboro Schools

MARLBORO, NJ — Voters have approved a bond referendum from the Marlboro Township Public School District to bring air conditioning to classrooms at Asher Holmes and Robertsville Elementary Schools, according to unofficial results in the 2025 General Election.

As of Wednesday morning, unofficial results show that 8,407 voters (63.56%) approved the referendum while 4,819 voters (36.44%) rejected it. Results are not official until certified by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office.

With voter approval, district officials said this referendum will complete a district-wide air conditioning goal, providing all students with comfortable learning environments that help them maintain focus and learn better.

“The Marlboro community has shown its support for providing comfortable, energy-efficient learning environments for all of our students and staff,” Superintendent Michael Ballone said. “With this approval, we can finish the districtwide goal to add air conditioning in each school. We can bring state funding to Marlboro to help cover the cost.”

According to district officials, the voter-approved referendum ensures that Marlboro can gain up to $2.1 million in state aid to help offset part of the referendum’s total $5.3 million cost.

Combined with the district’s capital reserve, officials said this will allow Marlboro to complete air conditioning additions without increasing the tax rate.

“The approval of this referendum reflects what we can accomplish together when we put our students first,” Board of Education President Brian Cohen said. “It shows that our community understands that students learn best when they're in a comfortable environment. We are very grateful to everyone who helped share the message and build understanding throughout our community."

Over the past several years, Marlboro Township Public Schools has gradually added air conditioning to schools that didn’t have it.

Six of the district’s eight schools currently have A/C throughout their buildings, and while some large areas at Asher Holmes and Robertsville Elementary Schools are cooled, most classrooms are not.

With approval from voters, district officials said the next steps in the referendum process include:

• Working with professional consultants to finalize bond financing
• Preparing construction specifications with architects and engineers
• Awarding contracts through the state-regulated bidding process

Bonds would be sold to investors, who provide up-front funding for capital improvements, officials said. The district would also capture a kind of state aid that comes with bond funding and would then pay off the loan with money saved up from the district's capital reserve account.

Marlboro Township Public Schools aims to begin A/C installation in summer 2026, with completion targeted for spring 2027.

Previous Coverage

• 2 Marlboro Schools Lack A/C: Here's The Proposal To Fix That