$25M Fair Lawn School Referendum Approved

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Residents overwhelmingly approved a $25 million referendum Tuesday that will significantly expand classroom space and relocate fifth grade to the middle schools.

The "yes" and "no" vote was 2,241 to 1,458.

"This is a time for elation because what we did here, with the support of thousands of community members, is the best thing for our community and our kids," said Superintendent Ernest Palestis after the votes were tallied. "This is not just a vote for the referendum this is a vote of confidence for education in this community."

The referendum is designed to address a population boom of 500 students in the previous five years. Projections point to another 500 students joining the district by 2023.

"Fair Lawn is a top-notch community and it's attractive to young families," Palestis, when asked why such a boom was projected to continue. Officials have dealt with the boom by pushing class sizes to their maximum and instituting a policy that lets students attend an elementary school other than the one they were formally assigned to.

Fifth grade classrooms from the district's six elementary schools will move the two middle schools.

Thomas Jefferson Middle School will gain 14 classrooms, a new multi-purpose room, two bathrooms and more storage space. Memorial Middle School will get another nine classrooms.

The high school will also see significant changes.

The media center will more than double in size from 2,000 square feet to 5,000 and the kitchen and cafeteria will be renovated. The HVAC system in the auditorium would be upgraded as well.

"Our challenge now is to put this construction project together," Palestis said.

Palestis said site work is slated to begin in August and should take two years to complete.

The referendum will be financed by bonds. The tax increase for the average homeowner will be $106 annually, or about $9 a month. The average Fair Lawn home is valued at $327,000.

The district qualifies for $3.8 million in state aid because the referendum was approved, which reduces the out-of-pocket expenses for taxpayers to $21.2 million.

Check back for more on this breaking news story.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.