Toms River Schools' Referendum Info Sessions Begin Thursday

TOMS RIVER, NJ — At Washington Street Elementary School, water puddles on the window sills when it rains. At Toms River North, tiles in the bathrooms have fallen off the walls over the years. At Pine Beach Elementary, the bathroom sinks are in disrepair.

And across the district, there are stained ceiling tiles and stained carpeting, some of which is more than 30 years old.

Those are just some of the issues the district is hoping to address in a $147 million bond proposal set to go before voters in Toms River Regional School District on Jan. 22.

There are three information meetings set, beginning with one Thursday, Jan. 3, at 6:30 p.m. Toms River East.

The presentations also will be given at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 7 at Toms River North, and at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 at Toms River South.

The referendum seeks approval to issue bonds for the work, which would cover repairs and improvements at all 18 schools, plus three outbuildings, and grounds in the district.

On the list of projects are things such as repairing ceilings at Hooper Avenue Elementary and crumbling walls at the Early Learning Center; door and window replacements across the district, upgrading science labs in the high schools that are desperately out of date, and more.

The referendum is the result of more than three years' worth of facilities' surveys, board discussions and meetings across the district with parents and staff. It had originally been planned to be put before voters in October, but as the district wrestled with the impact of state aid cuts, it was postponed.

In discussions at the school board's budget and finance committee meetings, the feeling was the district could not delay any longer.

School administration and the board are continuing to fight the state aid battle, including joining a lawsuit against the state Department of Education and participating in the Support Our Students (SOS) advocacy group, that represents 57 school districts statewide and more than 138,000 students.

The maximum tax impact of the bonds, which would be repaid over 25 years, would be just shy of $12 per month for an average Toms River home, with homes in Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River seeing lower monthly costs.

District officials said a tax calculator, which will allow taxpayers to see the actual impact to their personal finances, will be posted on the district's Rebuilding Our Schools Initiative webpage shortly.

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Photos via Toms River Regional School District