$3.8M Watchung Hills School Referendum Passes

WARREN, NJ — The unofficial results are in and the $3.8 million Watchung Hills Regional School District referendum passed Tuesday with 824 yes votes over the 185 no votes.

There was a total of 1,009 votes cast out of the 12,821 registered voters in Warren, Watchung and Long Hill, according to the Somerset County Board of Elections.

The zero tax impact referendum was for electrical upgrades and an improved media center in the district.

The Board of Education noted they will not raise new taxes to fund the projects. Instead the projects will be funded 40 percent by the state aid and the rest from existing capital reserve funds.

With the funds, the board will upgrade the electrical panel to replace outdated operational systems with upgraded systems for increased safety.

"The electrical system is beyond its useful life as most of the panels are over 50 years old. The systems have been very costly to repair and there will come a time when repair is no longer possible and replacement will be the only option," according to the BOE.

The redesign and renovation of the Media Center is an outgrowth of the BOE's 5-Year Strategic Plan through which they have established a district goal to "Integrate creative, innovative, and interdisciplinary learning throughout the district to empower and inspire students to succeed in a changing global community."

The upgrade to the Media Center will expand and redesign the existing space, incorporating areas for collaboration, independent study, large group instruction, experiential learning, and enhanced use of technology, including video production and virtual reality.

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