LBI Votes 'No' On $7.7M Bond For School Improvements

LONG BEACH ISLAND, NJ — Long Beach Island voters decided Tuesday against a $7.68 million bond referendum, with the proposal failing 2-1. The bond would have funded improvements and repairs to the Long Beach Island Grade School in Ship Bottom.

According to unofficial results, 1,237 (72.21 percent) people voted no, while 476 (27.79 percent) voted in favor of the bond proposal.

Tuesday was one of five dates during the year when school boards can ask voters to approve construction proposals. Ten districts around the state held special elections Tuesday.

The LBI Consolidated School District serves about 225 students in towns along LBI except for Beach Haven, which has its own district. The students attend Southern Regional Schools starting in seventh grade.

The bond would have cost taxpayers an additional $17 a year for a home valued at $600,000. The proposal faced criticism from residents and parents who feared repairs to the LBI School might mean closure of the district's other school, the Ethel A. Jacobsen School in Surf City.

School Board President William Fenimore told The Press of Atlantic City he was disappointed with the election results.

“We had town hall meetings, we expected people to come out and make informed decisions and instead we had a lot of misinformation that was put out there and that’s unfortunately what the people relied on,” Fenimore told The Press.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.