Photo by Allison Perrine
COLTS NECK – The Colts Neck School District’s $25.5 million bond referendum was defeated Tuesday, making it the second failed attempt for proposed upgrades since 2018.
The county clerk’s unofficial results show that Colts Neck voters cast 827 “no” votes and 694 “yes” votes Sept. 24. Nearly 19 percent of the 8,133 total registered voters in the township participated. Late mail-in ballots and provisional ballots are still pending.
Superintendent MaryJane Garibay said she was surprised and disappointed in the result, but not discouraged. “This is what we do, we’re problem solvers and we figure out ways to do things when there are roadblocks. And this is a roadblock.”
She said the district took time to reflect and do things differently this go-around, trying to engage community members and share as much information as possible. “It’s not an option to not get it done,” she said of the projects. But it won’t be done through a referendum, which she said is disappointing because the district will not receive state aid. It will now be entirely on the taxpayers, she said. “It’s a good opportunity that just isn’t going to come our way.”
Garibay also noted a storm of “misinformation” spreading on Facebook in the days before the election, which she said may or may not have influenced the outcome. She said she encourages people to attend school board meetings and to ask questions or voice concerns in that setting, instead of taking social media comments “at face value.”
“We have an obligation to remain fiscally responsible to taxpayers, but also to maintain our facilities,” she said.
The referendum would have allowed for upgrades to Cedar Drive Middle, Conover Road Elementary and Conover Road Primary schools, and for blacktop resurfacing at Cedar Drive to improve traffic flow safety.
On Tuesday afternoon, residents Arlene and Joe Radman had just voted at the library. Though they declined to say how they voted, Arlene said they support the schools and parts of the referendum, especially security upgrades. However, she said she would have preferred if the proposed security upgrades for the schools had been removed from the referendum and done separately.
Joe noted the board’s anticipation of $2.6 million in reserve funds that could have been appropriated toward bond loan payments and said that money could just be used to make security upgrades to the schools.
Arlene also said spreading maintenance work out on a rotating basis could be a “more palatable” option for residents, especially elders on fixed incomes who want to stay in town.
Residents Douglas and Victa McKenzie, exiting the polls at Fire Company No. 1, said they were happy to come out and support the schools. “We always support the schools. You have to support the schools in town,” said Doug; Victa added that the schools are “the bedrock” of the community.
Speaking on her own behalf and not the board’s, school board member and resident Jacquelyn Hoagland said she certainly supported the referendum. Some schools do not have air conditioning and some equipment is beyond its useful life, she said, and the upgrades would improve safety at the schools and bus operations. “The children deserve nothing less,” she said.
This year’s failed referendum did not include certain items from last year’s, like a proposed auditorium at Cedar Drive as well as a swipe-in security system for staff members. Those items will be applied for and pursued through grants.
