2024 Referendum Approved As Wayne BOE Selects School Improvement Projects

WAYNE, NJ — A referendum to fund critical improvements and updates around Wayne Township Schools is expected next year, with the school board unanimously agreeing to put an anticipated bond question up for a vote in March.

School officials said the referendum is "a fiscally responsible strategy" to help fund a multitude of infrastructure and facilities projects that will improve and/or update facilities at every Wayne Township district school.

At their Sept. 12 retreat, the board unanimously agreed to put the anticipated March 2024 bond referendum up for a vote, school officials said Tuesday.

The amount of the referendum has not been set; preventative maintenance projects and making necessary upgrades around the district could cost up to $121.5 million, according to a presentation from last week's board retreat.

"A voter- approved bond referendum is the only way to secure a specific type of state aid to fund a portion of the project costs," the board said.

Taxpayer dollars would pay for the debt service (and interest) on the bond, with the state also covering a portion of the costs. Proposed projects will be submitted to the state Department of Education (NJ DOE) for review and approval, and to determine how much state aid the district will receive. The DOE must approve the proposal before the board finalizes the total cost, ballot question, and official vote date. The anticipated vote date is March 12, 2024.

At the retreat, the district's architect shared details about potential projects and board members identified several key ones to focus on.

"Other projects that were considered during the board’s planning process will remain on our radar and we will seek to address them through other fiscally responsible means, which may include a future bond referendum," said the board in a news release.

The most critical projects are identified below:

• Perform preventive maintenance around the district – roofs, window replacements, security vestibules, electrical upgrades, boiler replacements, HVAC control systems, HVAC replacement, and ADA accessibility improvements.
• Replace the high schools' bleachers.
• Convert the Preakness Building to a neighborhood elementary school and early childhood facility.

School administrators outlined their district goals in the beginning of June, and looked ahead to the Class of 2038 – who are currently preschoolers. District officials said “the time to act is now” to replace 60-year-old school infrastructure, and added the district's Niche.com ranking is “hindered by the condition of our facilities.”

Another issue driving the need for facilities upgrades is rising enrollment, officials said. At a May board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Mark Toback said the Preakness School, which opened in 2021, will likely “max out” at 238 students by next school year.

Donald Pavlak Jr., the board president, said school officials struck a balance between ensuring safe, secure buildings for staff and students and their responsibility to the Wayne community and taxpayers.

“We listened to the community and prioritized projects to include in the March 2024 referendum that repair and upgrade aging facilities, improve safety and access for students, staff and the community and secure state aid,” said Pavlak.

Toback added that Wayne is recognized for " strong academics, competitive athletics and vibrant extracurricular activities." He said the March referendum "would meet the needs of today’s students and lay the groundwork for improvements to meet future expectations of our growing community," if approved by voters.

“When the state's review is complete, we will share further details about the proposed projects, state aid and tax impact with the community through a dedicated referendum website, video, public forums, local media, social media and community meetings,” Toback said.

Next year, the township will pay the final $2.7 million in debt service from the construction of Anthony Wayne Middle School – which would allow “for significant construction and renovation work with no impact on taxpayers” as they will no longer be paying for that bond, officials said.

Earlier this year, school officials said there could potentially be a $50 million bond referendum for high-priority projects, which would replace the expiring long-term debt on the middle school and its related tax levy. There could also be a $25 million referendum question for other priority projects, “which would be written to be approved only if the first question was approved by the voters.”

Related articles:

• Wayne Schools Forecast Enrollment Increase With Referendums Possible