When Will Moorestown Schools Unveil The Bond Referendum Questions? What To Know

MOORESTOWN, NJ — After tinkering with project proposals for Moorestown's school bond referendum, district officials hope to unveil the ballot question — or questions — in the near future.

But once again, that will depend on the state's timeliness, officials said at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

The referendum — tentatively set for Sept. 16 — will determine whether the Moorestown School District can issue bonds to fund significant upgrades to all schools and facilities. Although a successful bond referendum typically leads to a local tax hike, it's essentially the only path for New Jersey schools to partially fund those upgrades with money from the state.

The district's overall vision centers around expanding William Allen Middle School so it can support an extra grade, which would decrease class sizes at the elementary levels and offer space for free, full-day kindergarten. But all school facilities would be upgraded under the current plans.

Last month, the district sent eight new proposed projects to the New Jersey Department of Education. Now, the state must determine much it's willing to fund each project.

The school board hopes to receive those answers by June so they can develop and vote on the ballot questions that month, said Board President Mark Villanueva. But if it comes in later, the board will schedule a special, public meeting in July to do so.

Moorestown's school board typically doesn't meet in July. However, board members must approve ballot questions at least 60 days before the referendum.

"We are a little bit handcuffed in finalizing questions to the extent that we need information from the state," Villanueva said. "We hope to get it as soon as possible."

The ballot questions will not only reveal which projects are on the ballot but how much local taxes will increase if the voters approve them in September.

New Proposals

The district already received word from the state about most of the proposed referendum projects.

However, the original plan to hold the referendum in March was put on hold so district officials could have more time to determine which projects should be on the ballot — and whether the community should vote on one or multiple questions.

On top of that, local uproar over one proposal — moving the district's bus lot from Moorestown High School to the back of Moorestown Upper Elementary School — prompted district administrators to consider different options.

So last month, the board sent some of the new projects to the state, including plans to keep the bus depot on Moorestown High School property but move it further from the school.

The district also pitched centralized temperature controls for the HVACs at all schools.

If the state responds with favorable timing, the board will reveal the ballot questions and vote on them at June 17's meeting. But if they come in later, the board may need to plan a special meeting in July.

The state responded to Moorestown's original proposals later than expected, so Villanueva warned that could happen again.

Public Engagement

Despite the ballot questions remaining unknown, school officials will start holding community-outreach events about the referendum in May. There are 18 events scheduled between May 7 and June 11, which are listed on the district's referendum website.

School officials will ramp up public outreach even more as the referendum gets closer, says Superintendent Dr. Courtney McNeely.

Moorestown voters rejected the district's $26 million referendum in 2019, so school officials have emphasized the importance of community engagement to avoid the same result. That also means reaching residents who don't have kids in the school system.

A group of community ambassadors is helping the district identify how to best reach different groups of voters.

"It is a very different form of communication for each kind of group, because we have different interests in the community that we want to tap into," McNeely said.

Overall Plans

The district's referendum proposals include:

• Expanding William Allen Middle School: WAMS currently serves students from Grades 7-8, while Moorestown Upper Elementary School (UES) holds Grades 4-6. Expanding WAMS would allow it to take in sixth-graders for a traditional middle school setup. UES would serve Grades 3-5, allowing for a more traditional elementary setting.
• More elementary space: The shifting in grades is partially designed to help reduce class sizes in Moorestown's three "lower" elementary schools, which would go from PreK-3 to PreK-2. According to district plans, this would free up space to provide free, full-day kindergarten and make the district eligible for preschool-expansion aid.
• Moorestown High School upgrades: The district wants to expand MHS's classroom space, among other renovations to the school's indoor and outdoor facilities. Moving the bus lot would create space for this expansion.

View the full list of project's on the district's referendum website.