Election 2025: The 2 Sides Of Abington Middle School Referendum

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — It's not every day that the decision to build a new school goes before voters.

In many cases, school districts hold endless meetings, get feedback from the community, meet with designers and architects, come up with a price that taxpayers may be able to swallow, and then the school board takes a vote.

So it's rather rare when such a project comes before voters during an election.

With the election less than two weeks away, all the cards are on the table.

Plans for a new $285 million middle school are going before eligible voters in Abington Township and the Borough of Rockledge in the May 20 primary election.

Besides the special ballot question, residents will also choose among seven candidates running for four, four-years terms on the Abington School Board.

There are two sides representing the referendum:

Common Sense Abington is speaking out against the referendum, citing excessive debt, lack of transparency, and increased taxes. Click here for more about what Common Sense Abington has to say about the referendum.

Vote Yes to Invest is speaking out in favor of the referendum, citing the multi-year community-driven planning process and the desire to invest in a long-term, cost-effective solution to the challenges facing the existing middle school, which include a lack of accessibility, outdated systems, and overcrowded learning environments.

Click here for more about what Vote Yes to Invest has to say about the referendum.

The Abington Township School District has unveiled the key benefits of the $285 million middle school proposal and what the tax impact would be for the residents of an average home assessment.

School officials said the plan to build the middle school would create "a learning environment with bright natural light, enhanced airflow, and equitable access to improve the student experience."

If the referendum is approved by a majority vote, the estimated tax impact on a median home in the district with a current implied market value of $387,402 would be $54 per month.

The earliest the tax impact would incrementally go into effect would be July 2026, school officials said.

Meanwhile, Common Sense Abington is speaking out against the referendum.

The group has come up with its own points about the proposal:

• $285 million borrowed for 40 years at 5.5 percent = minimum of $708 million total by the time the debt is paid off in 2066.
• The new middle school will be built for $850+ per square foot at the upfront cost and will cost $1,900 per square foot, recognizing the total cost of the project.
• This construction is 4.6 times as expensive as the High School addition and renovation.
• At 40 years with 2,200 students per year in the new school, the project costs another $6,700 per student per year for the next 40 years just for the middle school construction. That doesn't include the annual expense to run the whole district and educate our kids.
• The average homeowner will pay over $25,000 for this project. Small businesses will pay over $35,000 in additional taxes for this bond issue.
• Renters will see increases by an equivalent amount.
• A $700 per year increase in taxes will be the equivalent of eliminating everyone’s homestead exemption, plus an additional $200-$500.