About a week before Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation that mandates tuition-free, full-day kindergarten statewide, the township board of education voted to hold a Sept. 16 referendum that would add the program to its schools if approved.
The board and district have been planning for full-day kindergarten and other building improvements for several years through steps such as a complete facilities assessment, community surveys and public meetings. Referendum projects would create kindergarten space by shifting grade levels among buildings and addressing other academic needs in the process.
“We’re excited about the prospect of extending tuition-free, full-day kindergarten to the Moorestown community,” said school Superintendent Dr. Courtney McNeely. “We have always viewed it as a need to fill, rather than a potential mandate to follow. That’s why we had these plans in motion long before the full-day kindergarten requirement became law.”
If voters approve the referendum, school construction and renovations would be completed in time to open full-day kindergarten by 2028. The state’s full-day requirement goes into effect for the 2029-2030 school year.
Moorestown is one of only a few districts in the state that does not yet have tuition-free, full-day kindergarten or a fully funded plan to add it.
“Creating space for full-day kindergarten through the bond referendum would bring the added benefit of state funding,” said board President Mark Villanueva. “This money would not otherwise be available to improve our schools and prepare for growth.”
Moorestown’s lower-elementary classrooms often reach capacity now and new housing developments are expected to increase enrollment. The bond referendum would create space for the youngest students through a series of building changes. A two-story addition at William Allen Middle School would let sixth graders move from Upper Elementary School, bringing grades six through eight under one roof.
Third graders would move from the lower elementary schools to UES, creating a true elementary school for grades three to 5. That would open the space for Baker, Roberts and South Valley to welcome full-day kindergarten and accommodate growth in pre-K-2 schools. Kindergarten classrooms would receive renovations, including the addition of bathrooms where needed.
Moorestown voters will see two questions on the September referendum ballot, with the renovations in the first question:
Question 1
Elementary renovations; William Allen Middle School additions, gym and facilities renovations; district-wide infrastructure (HVAC, roofs); high-school projects, including replacement of tennis courts, stadium turf and Isenberg Gymnasium renovations; and security improvements.
- Cost: $80.3 million
- State aid: $15.9 million
- Estimated monthly tax impact: $37
Question 2
Operations Center to house transportation and maintenance; highs-school instructional improvements, athletic enhancements of three new turf fields, lighting and traffic flow.
- Cost: $28 million
- State aid: $2.7 million
- Estimated monthly tax impact: $17
Question 2 cannot pass unless Question 1 is approved. The estimated tax impact is based on a property assessed at Moorestown’s average of $465,125.
Residents can learn more about the bond proposal at mtps.com/referendum, where updates and community events will be posted.
