Hillsborough Schools $8.09M Referendum: Voting Information

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A $8.09 million bond referendum to implement a full-day kindergarten program as well as laying out a plan for long-term financial stability in Hillsborough is up for a vote on Tuesday, March 12.

Polls will be open until 8 p.m.

If the referendum is approved by voters, it will increase 2019 property taxes approximately $25 per month on the average Hillsborough home assessed at $389,300. This is equal to approximately $6 per month for every $100,000 of assessed home value.

This tax estimate is based on the November 2018 ratables. The finalized tax rate will be based on the Township's February 2019 ratables which have yet to be released, according to the district.

The full-day kindergarten would be implemented for the start of the 2019-2020 school year. The program would be held at all six elementary schools in the district.

Expenses associated with the implementation include staff, supplies, training, technology, transportation costs, and the lease of modular classrooms to be used for offices and/or specialty classrooms.

Additionally the passage of the full-day kindergarten would help the school district gain more funding from the state, the district claimed.

Gov. Phil Murphy's administration recently released the proposed state aid numbers for every school district in the 2019-20 school year. Hillsborough is expected to see a 2.11 percent decrease in state aid. This means the district would receive a total of $24,399,824 or $526,434 less in state aid. (See Related: Hillsborough Schools Expected To See Decrease In State Aid)

In comparison, Hillsborough is one of three districts in Somerset County — Bridgewater and Montgomery are the other two — that only offers a half-day kindergarten program. Additionally about 90 percent of districts in New Jersey have a full day kindergarten.

If the referendum does not pass, the number of teachers and staff would need to be considered as well as increasing class sizes.

The district would also be forced to contemplate increasing fees for students to participate in athletics and co-curricular activities, raising fees for technology, and eliminating programs that the Board could no longer afford, the district stated.

Click here for more information on the referendum.

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