Voters Approve $147M Toms River Schools Project Package

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Voters in the four towns making up the Toms River Regional School District said yes by a significant margin Tuesday to the district's proposal to spend $147 million on repairs and upgrades throughout the district.

As of 10 p.m., unofficial results with 75 of 75 districts reports had yes votes at 7,513 and nos at 5,383, including mail-in ballots, a margin of 2,130 votes. Ballots were cast in Beachwood, Pine Beach, South Toms River and Toms River.

The proposal would bond for $147 million in repairs and upgrades in the district's schools, maintenance building, the John J. Bennett Athletic Center bubble, the Central Registration Complex and its vehicle maintenance compound. By law, funds allocated for specific projects must be spent on those projects.

Of that amount, the state Department of Education will pay more than $47 million, covering a percentage of the projects at each of the schools. (The state says it's 40 percent, but Business Administrator William Doering has said it works out to about 32 percent.)

In Toms River, the additional debt service would cost taxpayers $11.80 per month, or $141.65 per year, for a home assessed at the township average of $272,400. In Pine Beach, on an average assessment of $267,900, it would cost $11.06 or $132.72, and in South Toms River, the cost would be $6.04 per month, or $72.52 per year, on a home assessed at $165,200. For Beachwood taxpayers, it would cost $8.06 per month or $96.75 per year on the $203,600 average assessment.

According to the Ocean County Clerk's Office, there are 7,350 registered voters in Beachwood, 1,708 in Pine Beach, 2,251 in South Toms River, and 65,203 in Toms River. Overall, 12,896 ballots were cast through Tuesday; under a new state law governing mail-in ballots, any postmarked by Tuesday have 48 hours after the close of the polls to arrive and be counted. Pine Beach had the highest percentage turnout, with 27.68 percent (472 voters).

You can see how much it would cost you based on your home assessment in your town on the tax calculator on the district's website.

READ MORE:

• Toms River Schools Referendum: A School-By-School Guide
• Toms River Schools Referendum: A Student Speaks Up
• 'If Not Now, When?' TR Referendum Targets Critical School Repairs
• Todd Frazier, TR Teachers Union Chief Urge Passage Of Referendum
• Toms River Schools' Project Is Critically Needed Now: OPINION

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Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff