By Donald Gilpin

On January 25, Princeton voters supported the Princeton Public Schools’ (PPS) $17.5 million facilities maintenance referendum by a margin of more than 3 to 1, in unofficial results pending tallying of provisional and some mail-in ballots, according to the Mercer County Clerk’s Office. 

Of the 3,041 votes counted so far, 2,320 (76 percent) were cast in favor and 721 against (24 percent). Final numbers and certification were expected to be announced today, February 2.

“I’m grateful to the community for their overwhelming support of the referendum,” said PPS Board of Education (BOE) President Dafna Kendal. “Approval from voters will provide funds for the district to make needed repairs of the school buildings while allowing the district to benefit from state debt service aid, which will significantly reduce the financial impact and overall costs of the project to Princeton taxpayers.”

The State of New Jersey approved the referendum projects and declared them eligible for 34 percent reimbursement from the state for principal and interest payments.

PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley also applauded the referendum results, looking forward to the impact of facilities improvements for students and staff throughout the district. “I am very pleased that Princeton voters have approved $17.5 million to fund cost-effective replacements and repair of roofing, siding, skylights, and HVAC equipment at the six district schools,” said Kelley. “These structural repairs will help to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our students and staff. The work is scheduled to take place over the next four years, and I anticipate that our students and staff will start to notice improvements in September 2022.”

At a December press conference, PPS Business Administrator Matt Bouldin pointed out that with the $17.5 million bond issue, the additional cost to the average property taxpayer (owner of a house worth $830,000) would be about $172 in 2023 and $262 in 2024, before leveling off to about $65 each year after that up to the 20th year of the debt financing. But PPS will be paying off other debt over the next two years, and Bouldin stated that the school tax levy would decrease next year and that taxpayers would probably see a decrease in the overall tax levy in coming years.

In a January 31 statement, PPS noted that maintenance and long-term stewardship have been a high priority over the past three years, with protocols for “regular and preventative maintenance” and pursuit of “an approach that mirrors other successful districts in the state that use a regular sequence of maintenance referendums.”

The statement continues, “Based on the success of the January referendum, PPS anticipates it will continue to work to take care of the six schools using the most effective financing means possible to ensure that the schools meet the needs of the students and staff with respect to health, safety, and 21st-century teaching and learning best practices.”

In 2019, the PPS BOE and the facilities team, led by Bouldin and new Director of Plant Operations David Harding, initiated a comprehensive roof audit and review of building systems, and in the fall of 2020 began an in-depth review of roofs with the district architects and roofing contractors. Further review included consultation with engineering firms to evaluate needed work on masonry at Princeton High School, as well as investigations of rooftop HVAC equipment at all six schools.

Communications to the public began in June 2021 after the PPS had determined which projects required immediate attention and how much they would cost. Board members voted on the specifics of the proposed maintenance at a July 2021 BOE meeting. Following approval from the state, the January 25 special election and the referendum question were authorized, and the district began actively educating stakeholders about the referendum.

The referendum projects will be completed primarily over the next four summers when students are not in the schools.

“We’ll keep the community apprised of the progress of this project funded by the referendum,” said Kendal. “We appreciate the trust and confidence in the Board’s stewardship of the Princeton Public Schools.”

She continued, “I think the community understands how important it is that our buildings are safe and healthy places for our staff and students.” She pointed out that all of the district buildings are old, with the newest being the middle school, which was built in the 1960s, but she said there were no plans for further upgrades at this time. “This referendum reflected what we needed,” she said.

Looking ahead, Kendal emphasized that the BOE focus, as always, must be on the students. “Our focus has to be on kids and addressing the learning loss that has taken place during the pandemic, also addressing mental health and other issues,” she said. “Hopefully the pandemic will abate and we’ll be able to get back somewhat to how things were.”

She also pointed out the importance of addressing students’ social and emotional learning issues and the need to support teachers and staff who have had to make extraordinary adjustments to how they teach and work in the world of the pandemic. 

“We have to ensure that we provide our teachers with what they need, whether it’s professional development or other support, so that our district doesn’t experience the exodus from public education that is happening elsewhere around the country,” she added.