RED BANK — On Election Day, Nov. 5, Red Bank voters showed their overwhelming support for a school bond referendum worth over $6 million.
Unofficial tallies posted by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office showed that as of Wednesday, Nov. 6, there were 1,287 votes in favor of the $6.75 million bond referendum and 607 against it. With its approval, the district will be eligible for up to 40 percent state aid to help offset the costs.
Superintendent of Schools Jared Rumage posted a thank you message on Twitter noting “Tentative referendum results look good!” Official vote tallies will not be known until Nov. 12 once the county counts all late mail-in and provisional ballots.
The average Red Bank homeowner with a home valuation of $366,000 will not see an increase in their tax bills from this referendum, according to the district. Upgrades will include a new roof at Red Bank Primary School and window replacements at Red Bank Middle School, among other health, security and code concerns.
“We put this forward because the work needs to be done,” said school board president Fred Stone in an interview before the Nov. 5 vote. “It’s work that needs to be done fairly soon and it’s best to do it as a package for the economies of scale.”
The district identified $20 million worth of work that could be labeled as a top priority, but scaled it back to just the “bare bones” of what needed to be done immediately, said Rumage. Of the $6.75 million total, $2.13 million will be spent on roof replacement for the primary school which Rumage said has deteriorated roof sheathing and issues with siding, gutters and more. It also calls for HVAC replacement and control upgrades.
Design work will start this November and is projected to last through March 2020. Construction will likely begin from June 2020 to October of that year. Additional work for future projects has been organized and labeled as “Priority 2” and “Priority 3” needs for the district. Priority 2 work will be looked at over for the next two to four years and Priority 3 for the next five years and beyond.
“It’s what’s best for our students and our schools,” said Rumage.
