$241M Hoboken School Referendum Tuesday: Students Write 'Yes'/'No' Letters; How To Vote

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken residents can vote "Yes" or "No" Tuesday on a $241M project to build a new Hoboken High School and reconfigure other schools. Over the weekend, board members and students themselves submitted letters.

Come back to Hoboken Patch on Tuesday night for election results or sign up here to either get news alerts or a free 6 a.m. newsletter each day with Hoboken news.

Student Letters: Yes And No

• Here are students writing about the "yes" vote.
• Here is a student writing about reasons for a "no" vote.

Post your own letter on Patch using these guidelines for posting an article. At the end, click the button to post as an article. If students can, you can!

(Speaking of students: READ MORE: Hoboken Teens' Gravity Experiment Chosen For International Space Station)

Voting Hours And Three Ways To Vote

The polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. See more details below on how to vote Monday or Tuesday.

According to the county clerk's office, 43,465 Hoboken voters are eligible to vote. You can vote three ways:

• In Person Tuesday: You can vote Tuesday at the polls from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here for a state site to find your polling place or click here for directions from the city.

• Absentee Ballot/Vote By Mail: You can mail your ballot or drop in the ballot boxes in front of City Hall or at Sixth and Hudson streets.

• Voting Absentee On Monday: 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher noted in her newsletter, "If you cannot vote tomorrow, you can go to the County Clerk today by 3 p.m. and vote absentee in person. This is what I did last week. They are at 257 Cornelison Ave. in Jersey City. It is an easy 15 min drive – will take you no more than an hour soup to nuts."

For more information on the Tuesday election, see this page on the city of Hoboken website.

More About The Plan

Hoboken school administrators having been sharing details about the $241 million project — which would reconfigure the schools and build a new Hoboken High School — since it was introduced to the public two months ago.

The district says the proposal is long needed to address enrollment trends and aging school buildings (ranging in age from 60 to 110 years old).

Critics have said the plan needs more discussion and will raise taxes for homeowners ($491 per year on average, says the board) and on some renters, including those under rent control (the city's longstanding Rent Control Ordinance allows landlords to split tax and utility increases among tenants).

The district has been steadily updating a list of responses to frequently asked questions, adding number 22 last week, "School Choice."

What's In The Project?

The project, as currently proposed, will involve building a new Hoboken High School building at 1000 Jefferson St., on the site of the current district athletic field west of Columbus Park. The new building would include a rooftop athletic complex, and would also contain an ice rink and pool.

The current HHS building at Ninth and Clinton streets would become the city's new middle school. The existing middle school — a 110-year-old building on Fourth Street formerly attended by Frank Sinatra — would be turned into an elementary school.

Past Patch Coverage, Letters, And Voter Information

• Board addresses 'misinformation': Read more
• Post a letter: How To Post A Letter About The Hoboken School Project On Patch
• Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher And Emily Jabbour Explain Their Stances: Councilwomen Weigh In On Opposite Sides
• Councilman Ruben Ramos Jr. Supports 'No' Vote
• Jan. 11 Board of Education meeting: Watch It Here
• READ MORE: More Residents Submit Letters
• District Q&A: The district has answered 22 questions from the public about the project, including about costs and timing. Click here.
• The district released a new video about the project over the weekend. Click here.
• Check the school district webpage for updates.

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