Moorestown Bond Referendum Hits Final Stretch, With $108M In Upgrades On The Line

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown's school bond referendum has hit its final stretch, with township residents set to vote on funding for more than $100 million in facility upgrades.

Residents will vote Tuesday, Sept. 16 to decide on two separate ballot questions regarding different capital improvements to Moorestown Township Public Schools. Voting by mail is also underway.

Here's what voters should know ahead of the bond referendum.

WHAT IS A BOND REFERENDUM?

In a bond referendum, local voters decide whether to allow their school district to issue bonds in order to fund facility upgrades.

Those upgrades, if approved, will hike local property taxes. However, a successful bond referendum is essentially the only way for New Jersey school districts to receive some state funding for those improvements, which could save local taxpayers some money in the long run.

Each ballot question needs a majority to vote "yes" to pass.

SCOPE OF MOORESTOWN'S PROPOSALS

District officials crafted the proposed projects with a few goals in mind, including:

• Addressing overcrowded classrooms, especially at the elementary levels.
• Upgrading outdated infrastructure, such as HVACs.
• Creating enough space to offer free, full-day kindergarten.
• Expanding William Allen Middle School so it can take in sixth-graders.

"This community vote is the next big step in addressing our schools’ critical needs," School Board President Mark Villanueva said in a statement. "After years of diligence and community input, we developed this referendum as a financially responsible strategy to improve our schools on a scale that is just not possible through the annual budget."

BALLOT QUESTIONS

There are two ballot questions. The first includes the majority of the proposed projects, while the second centers around improvements at Moorestown High School.

Question 1 can pass independently, while Question 2 can only pass if Question 1 is approved.

Both questions would bring an estimated tax hike of $648 per year — $54 per month — to the average assessed Moorestown home, worth $465,125. But the state would contribute $18.7 million toward the $108.3 million price tag.

Question 1

• Projects on the ballot: William Allen Middle School expansion, upgrading infrastructure at all schools (including HVACs), new roofing at three schools, security improvements, and replacement of tennis courts, stadium turf, and Isenberg Gymnasium.
• Total cost: $80.3 million
• State aid: $16 million
• Estimated tax impact: $444 per year ($37 per month)

Under the plans, William Allen Middle School would add 12 new classrooms (24,500 square feet overall) to create space for sixth-graders. WAMS currently only supports Grades 7-8.

Moorestown Upper Elementary School would then support third-graders, giving it a more conventional age setup of Grades 3-5 instead of 4-6.

This would then free up space in the three "lower" elementary schools, which have the greatest overcrowding issues, according to district officials.

The district would add more kindergarten-compliant classrooms to the lower-elementary buildings. Moorestown is one of New Jersey's only school districts without full-day, tuition-free kindergarten.

The state recently passed a law requiring all school districts to offer free kindergarten by the 2029-30 school year. Moorestown will be able to offer it by 2028 if the referendum passes, according to district officials.

District officials hope to enroll students at their neighboring elementary schools, which currently isn't always possible because of class-size issues.

Question 2

• Projects on the ballot: Building a new operations center, instructional renovations at Moorestown High School, athletic enhancements (three new turf fields, lighting), and new traffic flow.
• Total cost: $28 million
• State aid: $2.7 million
• Estimated tax impact: $204 per year ($17 per month)

The district's current operations center for maintenance equipment is part of an instructional wing at Moorestown High School. If Question 2 passes, the facility will get a new building on what is currently part of the school field, freeing up classroom space.

The operations center would also have an enclosed bus depot — an adjustment made earlier this year after residents spoke out against original plans to move the bus depot to the field behind the Upper Elementary School.

The facility would go over a playing field. But that space would be regained with the construction of three new turf fields.

VOTING IN-PERSON

Residents can head to the polls between 2-8 p.m. Sept. 16 at the following locations:

• Districts 1, 2 & 3: New Albany Road Recreation Center, 109 New Albany Rd.
• Districts 4, 5, 7 & 8: Mary E. Roberts School, 290 Crescent Ave.
• Districts 6, 9, 10, 11 & 12: George C. Baker School, 139 W. Maple Ave.
• Districts 13, 15, 16 & 17: South Valley School, 210 S. Stanwick Rd.

You can figure out your polling place with the state's polling search tool.

VOTING BY MAIL

Vote By Mail ballots must also be postmarked for return or dropped in a mailbox or drop box by Sept. 16.

Drop boxes are located at:

• Moorestown Town Hall, 111 West 2nd St., Moorestown
• Burlington County Board of Elections, 301 Harper Dr., Moorestown
• Burlington County Clerk's Office, 50 Rancocas Rd., Mount Holly

MORE INFO

Check out some of Patch's coverage to see how the referendum process has unfolded:

• May 2024: Bond Referendum Proposed For Moorestown School Upgrades
• June 2024: Proposed School Bond Referendum Sees Concerns, Enthusiasm From Moorestown Community
• February: Bus Depot Won't Go Behind Moorestown Upper Elementary School
• March: Moorestown Changes School Referendum Plans: 4 Things To Know
• July: School Bond Referendum Finalized: See Tax Hikes, Upgrades On Moorestown's Ballots

District representatives and volunteers are also holding a few more public-engagement sessions, where residents can ask questions about the referendum:

• Tuesday, Sept. 9: Upper Elementary School, back-to-school night for Grade 6.
• Wednesday, Sept. 10: William Allen Middle School, back-to-school night
• Thursday, Sept. 11: back-to-school nights at Baker, Roberts and South Valley elementary schools.
• Thursday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.: Rotary Club 2nd Street Market (Town Hall lawn, 111 W 2nd. St.).

You can also visit the district's referendum website.