Princeton Schools Share Plan For $26.9M Bond Referendum

PRINCETON, NJ — A $26.9 million bond referendum to provide upgrades to the Princeton Public Schools will go up for a vote in Princeton on Tuesday, Dec. 11.

In anticipation of the vote, the district released a multifaceted plan to provide information to the community.

The single question was approved to be placed on the referendum ballot following a unanimous vote (10 to 0) by the Princeton School Board voted in early October.

The question addresses the district's most urgent needs in its aging schools, including safety, security and HVAC upgrades.

If passed by the community, the referendum will also provide facility improvements for Princeton High School, including four additional classrooms, a dining distribution center on the main floor, increased space for athletics, and an improved area for student counseling.

The referendum was the result of about two years of work involving the school board, the school district, and members of the community.

Ultimately, the board decided to focus an initial referendum on the most urgent and immediate needs for the schools.

“We have strived to plan our future together,” stated Superintendent Steve Cochrane. “We have strived to honor our community’s economic diversity while at the same time addressing the needs and aspirations of all our students, staff, and families. We believe this referendum begins to do that.”

“What makes the town of Princeton great is our ability to solve problems together,” stated Princeton Public School Board President Patrick Sullivan. “With the challenges we currently face and those we anticipate for the future, it is vital that our community is accurately informed about the immediate needs in our schools and is also engaged in developing the longer term vision we have for our growing district.”

The district announced on Wednesday a series of initiatives to provide information and begin community engagement.

Those initiatives include:

• Referendum Web Page – The new page (click here) will provide a centralized, one-stop shop for a variety of needed tools and information related to the referendum. Included on the site will be a community “toolkit” providing a detailed FAQ and PowerPoint, various graphs and renderings, as well as voting information.
• Regular Saturday School Parent Tours – Scheduled during select Saturday mornings between now and the Dec. 11 vote, community members will have the ability to review first-hand shovel-ready projects and needed upgrades at Princeton High School that will take place if the referendum passes. The tour dates and times are: Saturday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 1 at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Saturday, Dec. 8 at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Specific information regarding these tours can be found on the referendum web page.
• Social Media Information Sharing – For information updates on the referendum, the Princeton community can “like” or “follow” the district on Twitter @princetonk12 and Facebook at PrincetonPublicSchoolsNJ to receive fact-based updates, reminders, and information related to the referendum.
• Special “Meet the School Board” on Dec. 4 – In addition to regularly scheduled Board Meetings between now and the December election and the more than 40 public meetings held on this issue, the Princeton School Board and District Leaders will be available on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m. in the Board Office at 25 Valley Road to discuss the referendum vote and opportunities for further involvement in the coming months. In addition, the school district will use mailers, posters, handouts, newsletter, and emails between now and Dec. 11 to ensure the community understands the referendum projects as well as where and when to vote.

The following are the consolidated polling locations for Princeton’s Referendum vote on Dec. 11: NOTE: Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

1. Community Park School, 372 Witherspoon Districts 5, 9, 10 11, 21 and 22 2.
2. Riverside School, 58 Riverside Drive West Districts 7, 8, 12, 17, 18 and 19 3.
3. Johnson Park School, 285 Rosedale Road Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 4.
4. Littlebrook School, 39 Magnolia Lane Districts 13, 14, 15, 16 and 20

(Image via Shutterstock)

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