'Huge Part Of Moorestown History': What's Next After The Successful School Referendum

MOORESTOWN, NJ — With Moorestown residents approving both school bond referendum questions Tuesday, the district plans to begin construction next summer, Superintendent Dr. Courtney McNeely told Patch.

A majority of voters approved the Moorestown School District's plans for more than $100 million in facility upgrades for all schools.

Projects include expanding William Allen Middle School, upgrading outdated infrastructure at each institution, and adding enough space to accommodate free, full-day kindergarten. Renovations are also in store for Moorestown High School and the facilities on its property.

All construction is expected to be done in three years — in time for the 2028-29 school year, McNeely says.

The projects will cost an estimated $108.3 million. The state will contribute $18.7 million toward the price tag.

The work will bring an estimated tax hike of $648 per year — $54 per month — to the average assessed Moorestown home, worth $465,125. But the successful school bond referendum enables partial state funding for the facility upgrades, which are typically only supported through local taxes.

McNeely called the successful referendum "a huge part of Moorestown history" and thanked community members for their input and collaboration throughout the process.

"The two ballot questions were a responsible plan for us, and it gave us the opportunity to maintain the excellence that our community has had in the past," McNeely told Patch on Wednesday.

Although the district tends to stand out academically, the referendum addressed district concerns of overcrowded classrooms and outdated infrastructure, such as HVACs. Moorestown is also one of New Jersey's only school districts that lacks free, full-day kindergarten.

The referendum projects will allow the district to reorganize the student body:

• William Allen Middle School: WAMS will add 13 new classrooms, giving it room for sixth-graders. The school currently only accommodates Grades 7-8.
• Moorestown Upper Elementary School: UES, which currently educates Grades 4-6, will enroll students from Grades 3-5. With sixth-graders going to WAMS, UES will take in third-graders who currently attend the district's three "lower" elementary schools.
• All other elementary schools: George C. Baker, Mary E. Roberts and South Valley elementary schools currently educate Grades PreK-3. With the third-graders moving up to UES, the schools will have room for smaller class sizes and kindergarten classrooms, which require more space than classrooms for the grades ahead.

All changes to the student bodies at each school will take effect at the same time, McNeely says. District officials hope to enact those changes by the 2028-29 school year.

The district also plans to begin offering free, full-day kindergarten at that time — a year ahead of a statewide mandate taking effect.

Construction will begin this summer at WAMS, which will get more extensive renovations than all other aforementioned schools. It will also have a new full-size gym, which community members an use off-hours.

Renovations at the elementary schools and high school will begin later on. But the district plans to time the work so it's all complete in three years.

"As far as how we work through and plan the projects all the way through, what will be finished when, I wouldn't want to give you a specific timeline for that," McNeely said. "But I'll just tell you all of the projects will be completed in three years. That's the goal."

Most construction will take place during the summers to minimize disruptions for students and staff, McNeely says.

"There could be times that there's noise, but we're going to keep that as minimal as possible," McNeely said. "The good thing is this referendum really plans on additional space, so the construction noises would be really the only thing I can think of on the campuses that may be seen as a disruption."

Before work can begin, the district's architects must make detailed designs. School officials will prepare a competitive bidding process and award contracts to the lowest qualified bidders — per state law.

Architects will finalize designs with input from staff throughout the rest of the school year.

For more information on each project, visit the district's referendum website.