State Aid Figures To Determine Scope Of Wall School Referendum

WALL, NJ — The school district is awaiting word on state funding for a planned December school improvement referendum, the school officials said in a letter to parents.

"The district submitted the required paperwork to the New Jersey Department of Education and is awaiting verification of how much financial aid the district would receive toward the costs of improvement projects," according to the district website.

"At this time, we cannot determine the precise tax impact, so complete funding details will be shared with the community as soon as they are available from the New Jersey Department of Education," the website said.

In a letter to parents, Superintendent Tracy R. Handerhan and Board President Ralph Addonizio told residents that at the Sept. 20 Board of Education meeting, the board has scheduled a referendum on many school improvements for Dec. 13.

"We have expanded the Referendum section of our website to share the Board’s efforts to inform our Wall Township Community. We invite you to visit wallpublicschools.org/vision with the understanding that much more information will be added in the near future as we progress toward the referendum," the letter said.

Addonizio said Thursday the board expects to have state aid figures in hand "hopefully any day now." The board moved its meeting to Tuesday, Oct. 18, he said, to discuss the wording of the referendum once the state completes its review and the state aid is calculated.

The letter also noted that the website provides other factual information:

" A referendum is a vote, and a bond referendum asks voters to approve funding through the sale of bonds. These bonds can provide the school district with up-front funding to make long-lasting improvements. Property taxes are used to buy back those bonds, with interest."

The board also outlined its vision for improvements:

"The Board’s vision includes bond funding to replace old building systems and roofs, modernize restrooms and classrooms, and upgrade Wall High School’s auditorium and athletic facilities, all of which are cornerstones of student and community life."

The timing is crucial, the letter said:

"The primary reason for holding a bond referendum now is that the district has needs at this very moment. Another factor in the timing is debt pay-off. The district is finishing payments on the improvements that voters authorized in 1998. Renewing the current level of debt payments would keep Wall’s schools maintained and the tax rate steady."

The letter said that the "Wall Township Board of Education is strategically packaging the most critical needs into a ballot question that would have no impact on the current property tax rate. A special kind of state aid would cover about one-third of the costs, and the remainder can be paid for as new debt takes the place of old debt."

A second question on the same ballot would include other important projects, including additional improvements to schools and Wall High School’s athletic facilities, the letter said.

"Age and the high level of activity have taken a toll on our facilities," the website notes.

The Board of Education worked with district staff and outside professionals in 2019 to review all district facilities inside and out, the website says.

The process identified $236 million in potential projects throughout all seven schools. Its vision of a "tax-neutral" proposal - one that would not raise taxes - called for trimming that list to about $50 million. Costs beyond that line would have required a tax increase.

"And yet, Board members knew that students and the community would benefit from additional important projects. That’s why Wall Township voters will see two questions on the ballot on Tuesday, Dec. 13," the website said:

• A primary proposal to complete repairs and renovations that are necessary to keep schools maintained and functioning, with no increase to the current tax rate.
• A second proposal that would take care of additional building needs and improve Wall High School athletic facilities, with a slight increase to the tax rate.

The Board will determine the final project list after the state Department of Education completes its review of the district’s plan, the website says.

"State aid is such an integral part of the equation. The district will not know what fits into the tax-neutral proposal until the state aid commitments are received," the district said on the website.

"The district will determine which projects fit in the tax-neutral goal, and which to include in the ballot’s second question. With this website, the board launches an earnest effort to inform and educate the citizens of Wall Township about the Dec. 13 bond referendum," the website states.

Approval by voters would start the multi-year timeline for repairs and renovations, with completion in late 2025 or summer 2026.