By Allison Perrine
COLTS NECK – The fate of a $25.5 million bond referendum for school security and infrastructure upgrades will be determined by Colts Neck voters Sept. 24.
Should the referendum be approved, residents will not see an additional impact on their tax bills in the first year, officials said. Then, based on the median value of a home in Colts Neck of $828,700, taxpayers could see, on average, an additional $48 in the second year, $72 in the third year and $248 annually thereafter on the 25-year bond issue.
“I don’t think we can stress enough how important these upgrades are for facilities and students,” said superintendent of schools MaryJane Garibay. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and the referendum is the way to do it.” Now is a good time to hold the referendum, Garibay said because the state will provide up to 40 percent debt service aid for all of the projects if it is approved now.
The school district first had a referendum in 2018 for upgrades, but it was defeated in a vote cast by 2.03 percent of the 150,811 total registered voters in Colts Neck. It was a two-question referendum that featured proposed items in the upcoming vote Sept. 24 and more. The first question received 853 “no” votes to 688 “yes” votes, and the second question received 987 “no” votes and 543 “yes” votes. Garibay said since that defeat, school board members and administrators reflected on what is most important on the list of proposed upgrades. After speaking with community members who approved and disapproved of the 2018 referendum, they returned with a modified project list. The Sept. 24 referendum will no longer include an auditorium at Cedar Drive nor a swipe-in security system for staff members. They will be applied for and pursued through grants, Garibay said.
“As a school district, our students are our priority. Through our annual budget, we make a commitment to providing rigorous, nurturing, comprehensive learning environments where all students have opportunities to thrive,” Garibay stated.
If the referendum is approved, security, health and energy-efficient upgrades will be made to Conover Road Primary, Conover Road Elementary and Cedar Drive Middle schools. Of the $25.48 million total, $960,000 will be spent on Conover Road Primary; $11.35 million will be spent on Conover Road Elementary; and just over $10.7 million will be spent on Cedar Drive Middle School. Conover Road will also see $2.45 million in improvements for paving and blacktop resurfacing to improve traffic flow safety.
Garibay said the Conover Road schools were never designed to be one campus, but two separate schools that would sit next to one another. Because of this, the buses “are very close” to the parent drop-off location. Additionally, about 80 children in the district’s preschool program are driven to school and dropped off each day, which contributes to school traffic. The improvement would help the school reconfigure the drop-off and pickup location, she said.
The school district received criticism after the 2018 referendum because some stakeholders felt the information was not presented to Colts Neck groups outside of the school district. To combat this in the 2019 referendum, Garibay said administrators “tried to extend well into the community.”
“We learned from that. We reflected,” she said. They sent out two community mailers with information about the referendum, updated the website, had a “coffee chat” at a community member’s house, gave tours of the facilities and made sure the school board meeting dates were available, “everything we did the first time around and then some,” she said.
It’s important, Garibay said, that people know that their vote matters. “We see it as when people move to Colts Neck, they’re making an investment in their school.”
School board president Kimberly Raymond said as a mother of three children who completed their education in Colts Neck Township schools, she is proud of the great programs and staff that the board has supported. “The Colts Neck Board of Education believes our school environment should reflect that excellence and provide our school community with facilities that nurture our vision and mission and that our community can be proud of for generations to come.”
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 24. Public voting locations include: Election Districts 1 and 7, Colts Neck Fire Company No. 1; Districts 2 and 8, St. Mary’s Parish Hall; Districts 3 and 6, Colts Neck Library; and Districts 4 and 5, Colts Neck Board of Education Administration Building.
Garibay said anyone with questions is welcome to contact her or business administrator Vincent S. Marasco.
