School-By-School: Freehold Regional District's $42M Bond Proposal

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ — Security upgrades. STEM classroom improvements. Needed repairs to facilities.

These are among the items contained in a $42 million plan, called FRHSD: Ensuring Excellence, that the Freehold Regional High School District is putting to voters on Tuesday. The district is seeking voter approval for the projects through three questions. Voter approval of Question 1 is required for approval votes on either Question 2 or Question 3 to be valid, the district said.

District officials say the project will not increase the property tax levy because the proposed debt would be offset by bonds that recently have been and soon will be paid off. In addition, the package has approval and support from the New Jersey Department of Education, which will fund 24 percent of the total debt if voters approve the projects.

"FRHSD: Ensuring Excellence provides a unique opportunity to complete critical work in our schools without raising the current tax levy," Superintendent Charles Sampson said. "Not only can the work be completed without raising the tax levy, but if the referendum passes the Freehold Regional will receive debt service aid from the state to complete the projects. The state will pick up 24 percent of the total ensuing debt only if Ensuring Excellence passes."

The district has been "a model of efficiency for years, with per-pupil costs thousands of dollars below the average of similar districts across New Jersey," Sampson said. At the same time, students have benefited from an exceptional educational experience.

"We have always performed maintenance to our buildings through our annual budgets, but the property tax cap did limit how much work could be performed each year," he said. In addition, pending cuts to state aid — a decrease of more than 50 percent over the next several years thanks to S2 — will just make matters worse.

"Ensuring Excellence does not solve the funding crisis we face going forward, the size of the reduction is simply too large," he said, noting the district will drop from $51 million to $21 million.

"However, if the referendum fails, the problem does get even worse," Sampson said.
I would ask voters to be informed about both Ensuring Excellence and S2. There are sections of our website dedicated to both topics."

Here are the proposed projects under each portion of the referendum, by school. Voter approval of Proposal 1 is necessary for either Proposal 2 or Proposal 3 to go forward.

COLTS NECK

Projects under Proposal 1:

• Security upgrades to entry vestibule; intruder-resistant deadbolt hardware for classroom doors and security improvements to windows on classroom doors to make them break-resistant, plus new public address system.
• Roofing replacement on sections that have reached the end of their lifespan and critical paving,
• Tennis court reconstruction and track resurfacing.

Projects under Proposal 2:

• Flexible STEM spaces: lab environments where students can learn the engineering process from research and design to fabrication, assembly and testing.
• Additional visitor bleachers

Projects under Proposal 3:

• Flexible learning spaces in the Colts Neck High School media center

FREEHOLD

Proposal 1:

• Security upgrades to entry vestibule; intruder-resistant deadbolt hardware for classroom doors and security improvements to windows on classroom doors to make them break-resistant, plus replacement of the public address system.
• Roof replacement on sections at the end of their lifespan and critical paving
• Required safety repairs to the 96-year-old auditorium.
• Tennis court reconstruction.

Proposal 2:

• Flexible STEM spaces: lab environments where students can learn the engineering process from research and design to fabrication, assembly and testing.
• Bleacher replacement.

Proposal 3:

• Upgrades and a reconfiguraion of the Freehold Borough High School, which currently can seat fewer than 400 people due to storm damage.

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP

Proposal 1:

• Security upgrades to entry vestibule; intruder-resistant deadbolt hardware for classroom doors and security improvements to windows on classroom doors to make them break-resistant, plus replacement of the public address system.
• Roof replacement on sections at the end of their lifespan and critical paving
• Tennis court reconstruction.

Proposal 2:

• Flexible STEM spaces: lab environments where students can learn the engineering process from research and design to fabrication, assembly and testing.
• Renovations and safety improvements to bleachers.

Proposal 3:

• Installation of a multi-purpose turf field

HOWELL

Proposal 1:

• Security upgrades to entry vestibule; intruder-resistant deadbolt hardware for classroom doors and security improvements to windows on classroom doors to make them break-resistant, plus replacement of the public address system.
• Roof replacement on sections at the end of their lifespan and critical paving
• Tennis court reconstruction.

Proposal 2:

• Flexible STEM spaces: lab environments where students can learn the engineering process from research and design to fabrication, assembly and testing.
• Renovations and safety improvements to bleachers at every school.

MANALAPAN

Proposal 1:

• Security upgrades to entry vestibule; intruder-resistant deadbolt hardware for classroom doors and security improvements to windows on classroom doors to make them break-resistant, plus replacement of the public address system.
• Roof replacement on sections at the end of their lifespan
• Tennis court reconstruction plus the addition of two tennis courts for five total.

Proposal 2:

• Flexible STEM spaces: lab environments where students can learn the engineering process from research and design to fabrication, assembly and testing.
• Replacement of existing bleachers at the athletic field

Proposal 3:

• Multi-purpose turf field

MARLBORO

Proposal 1:

• Security upgrades to entry vestibule; intruder-resistant deadbolt hardware for classroom doors and security improvements to windows on classroom doors to make them break-resistant, plus replacement of the public address system.
• Roof replacement on sections at the end of their lifespan
• Tennis court reconstruction.

Proposal 2:

• Flexible STEM spaces: lab environments where students can learn the engineering process from research and design to fabrication, assembly and testing.
• Renovations and safety improvements to bleachers.

Proposal 3:

• Multi-purpose turf field construction

Voters must approve Proposal 1 for votes on Proposal 2 or 3 to take effect. A "yes" vote would give the district approval to do the projects in the various packages.

PROPOSAL 1: Would appropriate and issue bonds for $20,167,639;

PROPOSAL 2: Would appropriate and issue bonds for $11,676,911;

PROPOSAL 3: Would appropriate and issue bonds for $10,169,316.

The state debt service aid percentage will equal 40 percent of the annual debt service due with respect to the final eligible costs of the projects. The Board of Education is authorized to transfer funds among the projects approved at this election.

INTERPRETIVE STATEMENT
If all three bond proposals are approved by the voters at this election, the Board of Education will be authorized to undertake school capital projects for a total cost of $42,013,866 and to issue bonds in the total principal amount of $42,013,866 to fund the projects.

The aggregate amount of the final eligible costs of the projects approved by the Commissioner of Education is $25,003,112 (with $5,105,761 allocated to Colts Neck High School, $3,501,805 allocated to Freehold Township High School, $4,446,825 allocated to Freehold Borough High School, $3,625,554 allocated to Howell High School, $4,415,205 allocated to Manalapan High School and $3,907,962 allocated to Marlboro High School).

The projects include $17,010,754 (with $1,382,568 allocated to Colts Neck High School, $3,856,642 allocated to Freehold Township High School, $2,361,207 allocated to Freehold Borough High School, $504,483 allocated to Howell High School, $4,515,556 allocated to Manalapan High School and $4,390,298 allocated to Marlboro High School) for school
construction elements in addition to the facilities efficiency standards developed by the Commissioner of Education or not otherwise eligible for State support pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7G-5(g).

The State debt service aid percentage will equal 40 percent of the annual debt service due with respect to the final eligible costs of the projects approved at this election.

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