A loading dock at Moorestown High School is expected to be converted to an instructional space with referendum funds.
Moorestown officials and school district representatives recently joined residents for tours of school buildings that are expected to be improved through the Sept. 16 bond referendum.
Superintendent Dr. Courtney McNeely and Business Administrator James Heiser were joined by school board members and administrators.
“We’re taking many steps to inform community members about the bond referendum and how the proposed projects would provide much-needed upgrades for our schools,” McNeely explained. “Bringing our community into our buildings provides a different perspective, especially for residents who have never been inside our schools, or who have not visited for many years.”
Referendum projects include:
- An expansion of William Allen Middle School to welcome sixth graders to the building and the addition of a full-size gym for community use
- Renovations at lower elementary schools that would support tuition-free, full-day kindergarten. The district is one of a few in the state without the program
- Renovations at the Upper Elementary School to create a true elementary school for grades three to five. The third-grade shift to UES would free up much-needed space at the lower elementary schools.
“Everybody wants to know, how fast can these wonderful improvements happen?” McNeely noted. “And we’re talking about a timeline of about three years. We know that in 2019, the bond referendum failed, and we learned from that. We took community feedback, and we went in and we said that it needed to be bigger because we needed to plan for the future and for now.”
The board will finalize the structure of the ballot question or questions following the New Jersey Department of Education review of proposed projects. The state approval process determines the amount of state aid and local tax impact. Township schools can only access state aid for project costs if voters approve the referendum.
The board and district leaders have been developing a bond proposal for several years in anticipation of enrollment growth and the need to replace aging HVAC, roofing and other building systems.
The board passed a resolution to send new project applications to the state in March. The step was necessary to allow the district’s architects to submit revised applications for eight projects, starting the review process that will determine state aid and tax impact. Two updated applications are related to the move of the bus depot, and the other six were prompted by a recent software update that requires the replacement of automatic temperature controls for all building HVAC systems.
No changes are required to the nine project applications that the state reviewed and approved last year.
“This plan would address existing space and building needs and help maintain the high-quality education that makes Moorestown such a desirable place to live,” board President Mark Villanueva offered. “We look forward to continuing our conversations with the community about this vote that impacts the future of Moorestown.”
For updates on the referendum, visit www.mtps.com/referendum.
