Planning Board Postpones Courtesy Review Of Princeton Schools Expansion Plans

PRINCETON, NJ — The Municipality’s Planning Board has removed the courtesy review of the school district’s expansion plans from this week’s agenda.

The review was scheduled to take place during Thursday’s Planning Board meeting.

District officials said they had no idea about the cancelation.

“The district does not know why the PPS courtesy review was removed from the planning board agenda. It was not requested by the district,” district officials said in a statement.

Princeton Planning Board did not respond to Patch’s request for comment at the time of publication.

NJ state law allows local planning boards to hold a courtesy review of plans, to provide comments for consideration as part of the Department of Education review.

The PPS expansion plan is part of the now 2025 referendum where the school district will add new classrooms and core spaces at Community Park Elementary, Littlebrook Elementary Princeton Middle School and Princeton High School.

The vote on this referendum will take place in January 2025 depending upon the approval from the New Jersey Department of Education.

In May, PPS approved a motion to submit paperwork to the NJDOE seeking approval for the referendum.

The cost of the proposed new construction and renovations is between $85 to $89.5 million, which does not include potential state aid. The specific dollar amount and referendum questions for voters to consider will be determined after the NJDOE reviews the application and advises which portion of the costs are eligible for NJ State funding.

The referendum stems from the growth Princeton is expecting over the next few years. The town will see more than 1,100 new residential units and Princeton Schools is planning to welcome new students.

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