Referendum To Address $82M In Needed School Construction Planned In Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township school officials discuss a possible building referendum that could ask voters to support major repairs across the district’s six schools.

During the Oct. 12 Board of Education meeting, Vice President David Shaw said the district is sharing information now, more than a year before any vote, because the work affects "every family and every taxpayer in town."

The district’s facilities plan, first presented at a Sept. 28 BT Connect meeting, identifies about $82 million in work over the next 10 years.

"Almost all of it is basic maintenance like roof, boilers, heating and cooling, and fire safety systems," Shaw said. "These are needs, not wants. None of it is for new space."

Independent experts reviewed each building and identified 104 projects that need to be completed within 10 years.

Shaw said some boilers are already two to three years behind schedule. He also said the district’s last referendum was in 2005 and that existing debt will be paid off by 2031.

School construction costs are handled separately from the operating budget, which covers expenses such as teachers, buses and health care.

Major repairs are typically financed through voter-approved borrowing and repaid over 20 years.

Shaw said the district’s bond adviser provided preliminary projections showing the work could be funded "without raising the debt portion of your school taxes" because current bonds are being retired and the state pays about a third of the cost.

He said the district also plans to pursue state grants for some roof and heating work and utility programs for energy-saving upgrades.

Projects such as LED lighting can also lower electric bills over time.

He added that the plan affects only the debt portion of school taxes, while the operating budget is separate and "will likely still go up mostly because of health care costs."

The district cannot close all six schools in the same summer and plans to tackle the most urgent work first, followed by projects tied to grants and then projects expected to produce the fastest energy savings.

Shaw also addressed questions about housing and enrollment.

He said a demographic study estimated that the proposed 280-unit Mountain View project would bring about 105 students and that the district planned for as many as 120.

He said current estimates show the district has space for projected enrollment and that the referendum would repair buildings the district expects to use for decades.

The first vote of the referendum is planned for November 2027 at about $35 million, with a second vote around 2030.

"If it doesn't pass? The needs don't go away," Shaw said. "We would have to delay projects or pay for them out of the operating budget without that state aid and delays raise the risk of emergency repairs."

Shaw asked residents to read the referendum page at bernardsboe.com/page/referendum on the district website and send questions by email to referendum@bernardsboe.com.

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