To the Editor:

Princeton residents are being asked to approve another tax hike for Princeton Public Schools (PPS) through the 2025 referendum. While our schools are vital to the community, this referendum highlights the failures of three key entities — PPS, the municipal Council, and the local Democratic machine — to work together effectively. A “no” vote isn’t about rejecting support for children but about demanding accountability and sustainable governance.

PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) from new apartment developments total over $2.66 million annually. Historically, 50 percent of tax revenue has gone to schools, and PILOT, as a tax payment, should follow the same principle. PPS should receive $1.33 million yearly from this revenue stream, a figure likely to grow over time.  more

To the Editor:

I support three “yes” votes on the January 28 schools referendum. With some qualifications.

Excellent and inclusive schools are among the most important things that make Princeton great. Having participated in the long-term planning discussions over the past few years, it is clear that our elementary and middle schools are already over-full. Investing now is essential for great schools. It would have been better to have expanded the schools years ago. Although we have had school bonds in recent years, it has been decades since new classrooms were added at the elementary and middle-school levels. We can’t wait any longer.  more

To the Editor:

The Municipality of Princeton should pump the brakes on the traffic modifications for North Harrison Street. While some evolution of traffic control on North Harrison may be necessary, the change is off to a bad start.

The new dedicated bicycle lane on North Harrison Street between Valley Road and Terhune Road creates hazards for all. A bicyclist in the bicycle lane who proceeds straight across Terhune Road faces the peril of motorists turning right across the bicyclist’s line of travel. It would be better for that bicyclist to ignore the bicycle lane. Motorists entering the block from various directions encounter a sudden merge from two lanes to one. Drivers in the right lane face an unenviable situation. more

To the Editor:

We write in support of the public schools referendum on January 28. As we learned about the proposals, we found that nearly all voices, both for and against, agreed that children and their education are core to what makes Princeton the treasure it is. This unison heartens us. However, reasonable people can disagree on details. Why now? Why this amount? Why this order? No proposal will satisfy everyone. In the past few months, we’ve arrived at our own answers to these questions. We hope they might help inform yours.

Why now? The public schools are already at or beyond capacity and Princeton is adding ~1,000 new housing units in the next five years with more to follow. more

To the Editor:

We have lived in Princeton since 2006. Our older son and younger daughter graduated from Littlebrook Elementary School, John Witherspoon Middle School, and Princeton High School. Our daughter graduated from PHS in 2024.

Although we no longer have children attending Princeton Public Schools, we enthusiastically support the upcoming three-question referendum. We want all students to have the same wonderful experiences and opportunities our kids had. more

To the Editor:

As a recent graduate of Princeton High School, I am writing in support of the January 28 bond referendum. The first question of the referendum includes replacement of the PHS HVAC system. From personal experience, this is sorely needed, and I strongly urge a “yes” vote on this question. In case you don’t know: PHS temperature regulation has exactly three settings for the entire building — boiler, nothing, and air conditioner. Some rooms are sweltering under all three settings, and some rooms are frigid under all three settings — and good luck guessing which ones are which from the floor plan. If the PHS HVAC system doesn’t need replacement, I honestly don’t know what does.

As to the rest of the referendum, much has already been said, so I will be brief. A lot of new housing is going to be built, including Fourth Round requirements that the school district is barred from considering in its demographics. The medium term is uncertain; demography usually is. But in the long term, there will be substantial growth, and we must plan for it. Vote for the plan you think most prudent in the long term; consider nothing else.

Akash Jim
Princeton High School Class of 2022
Vandeventer Avenue

To the Editor:

Princeton’s public schools are a cornerstone of our community. On January 28, voters have the chance to ensure that our schools remain strong and healthy. Passing this measure is more than just addressing current needs — it’s a strategic investment in the future of Princeton for all residents.

As parents of students at Littlebrook Elementary School and Princeton Middle School, we moved to Princeton in 2017 because of its reputation for exceptional public education. From our crossing guard, Virginie, who greets our children by name each morning with a smile, to the teachers who support struggling students and inspire curious minds, every interaction reflects the care and excellence that define our schools. more

To the Editor:

As residents of the Princeton Housing Authority (PHA), we are frustrated with lack of action on our behalf. The PHA and town discovered the need to update their Cooperation Agreement 19 months ago and though Council put this on its 2024 Goals list, Council took no steps toward this in 2024. The PHA needs to resolve a number of issues with the town in order to make decisions that affect us.

We understand that, after a 2023 situation in which PHA management did not receive notification before the town reintroduced parking permit enforcement following the pandemic pause, the PHA reached out to their Council liaison, Councilman Newlin, and asked for a meeting to discuss the parking ordinance with the town. At that June 1, 2023 meeting we’re told the discussion of the issues and difficulty with the ordinance made it clear a “quicker” solution was needed and Councilwoman Pirone Lambros suggested it would be more expedient to address the situation through the PHA’s Cooperation Agreement with the town. more

To the Editor:

As a proud member of the Princeton community who has spent the last 25 years working in the field of education, I am writing in strong support of the upcoming school referendum. This is a pivotal opportunity to invest in our schools and ensure that every Princeton Public Schools student has access to the facilities and resources they need to thrive.

Our schools have long been a cornerstone of Princeton’s excellence, but growing enrollment and aging infrastructure require thoughtful action. This referendum addresses those needs with plans for expanded classrooms, upgraded science labs, enhanced arts spaces, and modernized facilities across our elementary, middle, and high schools. These improvements will ensure students have spaces that support innovation, creativity, and collaboration.

Investing in our schools is an investment in our town’s future. I encourage my fellow residents to join me in supporting this referendum and ensuring that Princeton remains a leader in public education.

Daniel Scibienski
Linden Lane

To the Editor:

The cycle seems to be: Great schools make Princeton attractive. Princeton being attractive makes it unaffordable. Princeton being unaffordable mandates more housing. More housing produces more students. More students require more funding. More funding makes great schools.

However, the cycle can easily be broken: More housing means more traffic. More traffic means gridlocked streets. Gridlocked streets make Princeton unattractive. Perhaps Princeton’s schools can be funded using congestion pricing.

Michael Diesso
Harrison Street

To the Editor:

It seems that none of the letters urging us so enthusiastically to vote in favor of all three questions of the referendum makes any equally enthusiastic mention of the extra (projected) $532 annual per-household increase in everybody’s municipal taxes, should all three questions be approved.

Maybe this increase should not be borne by people who have been living in Princeton for 24 years or more? The ones who have put two generations of children — both their own and those of their fellow Princetonians — through the 12 years of public schooling? Those who, through the years, have already carried the price for the repeated (and unfailingly deemed urgent) costly improvements and repairs to school facilities and programs? Those very improvements and repairs that every time turn out to have been insufficient? more

To the Editor:

We are writing in support of the PPS referendum and to encourage our neighbors to vote on January 28 (or earlier by mail).

As parents of children who have gone through the Princeton Public Schools starting in kindergarten at Community Park Elementary School, onto Princeton Middle School, and through to graduation from Princeton High School, we are quite aware of the condition of the buildings and of the increasing student population at all schools. These factors put pressure on our facilities, our teachers, and our students.

Upgrading the HVAC system at PHS will mean installing more efficient equipment to heat and cool the building while providing a more stable and consistent environment for learning. Expanding the elementary schools and Princeton Middle School will provide more spaces for learning core curriculum, special needs, and the arts with the small class sizes that make PPS such a desirable and successful educational environment. more

To the Editor:

Over the past several weeks, scores of our fellow Princeton community members have written letters in support of the upcoming school referendum. We, too, are writing to express our support for the district’s plans. We take pride in our excellent public schools, and are grateful for the education that our children received, thanks to the investments of prior generations of taxpayers.

To remain excellent, our schools need ongoing attention, investment, and renewal. Right now, the high school needs a new HVAC system and several schools (Community Park, Princeton Middle School, and Littlebrook) need more space. We applaud the district for putting together a plan that addresses these needs while leveraging $19.9M in state support.

We plan to vote “yes” to all three questions, and urge our fellow residents to vote “yes” as well.

Heather Howard
Aiken Avenue
Liz Lempert
Meadowbrook Drive

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of the PPS referendum. The Board of Education has outlined specific plans for needed renovations to our public schools’ buildings. The only mechanism available to the Princeton Public Schools to perform needed facilities improvements is the one they are employing — a referendum that funds the improvements via a bond that stretches the costs across many future years, so that the cost in any one year is not too great.

Our public schools are doing an amazing job of educating a large — and growing! — number of kids.  It’s important that we keep the facilities in decent shape so that the schools can continue to do well in their educational mission. more

To the Editor:

Adding to a successful year (“Growing Town Balances Optimism, Concerns at 2024 Year End,” January 1, page 1), the nonprofit Princeton Einstein Museum of Science (PEMS) enlivened Dohm Alley on Nassau Street for over five months with a free exhibit, “Einstein’s Attraction to Magnetism.”  Over 20,000 people from across the country and around the world enjoyed the show, funded by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation and with special thanks to Stanley Dohm and Princeton Future.

PEMS closed out the year with a $50,000 gift from the William Watt Family and will be back next in 2025 with a new exhibit, “Einstein’s Brain: Mind of a Genius.”

Elizabeth Romanaux
PEMS Founder and Chair
Sycamore Place

To the Editor:

Regarding the upcoming referendum vote for Princeton Public Schools, I offer the following for consideration by the taxpayers as they weigh the pros and cons of supporting what I believe to be a well-conceived plan by the district. During my own recent service as a School Board member, I wrangled with this planning. As a parent, I know our middle and high schools to be unpleasantly crowded and Littlebrook School has no room for storage or growth. Redistricting is coming for our elementary schools no matter what, and the referendum will enable that redistricting to be thoughtful while supporting walking and biking to school.

I begin with the premise that small class sizes are in the best interests of our students and teachers. New housing units continue to be built in town. Growth is here and coming.  more

To the Editor:

Like many of our neighbors, one of the reasons we moved into the Municipality of Princeton was due to the excellent public schools. Our three boys (two of whom will graduate from Princeton High School this June) have benefited tremendously from their time at Littlebrook, Princeton Middle School, and Princeton High School. So that future students can likewise enjoy the advantages of a top-notch public school education, we urge our Princeton neighbors to support the January 28 public schools referendum.

Our schools are already at or near capacity — this before the increase expected in the coming years due to the 1,000+ additional housing units coming online in the next five years. In order to continue to provide the same level of public school excellence so many of our children have enjoyed, particularly related to class size, it is imperative that we plan ahead and provide more space in our schools and fund necessary renovations. Unfortunately, we cannot pay for the necessary expansions/renovations out of existing operating funds, due to the state-imposed 2 percent cap on the amount school taxes can grow year-to-year and because doing so would prevent us from receiving state aid to subsidize the cost of improvements (and, if all three of the questions described below pass, our community will receive an estimated total of $19.9M in state aid). more

To the Editor:

Rejoice! After years of asking, Mercer County is now accepting #5 plastics in our curbside recycling bins. So in 2025, we can recycle all #1, #2, and #5 plastics —including yogurt and condiment containers, amber-colored prescription bottles, take-out containers, beverage caps, and jar lids.

The county says that 91 percent of what we put in the yellow bins gets recycled, so long as it is clean and empty with no plastic bags. Per a recent waste study, of the 26,998 tons of recyclable material collected throughout Mercer County in 2022, 24,568 tons was in fact recycled into new raw materials.

The addition of #5 plastics will not only boost our community’s recycling gains, but also reduce the amount of garbage that goes into our trash bins and landfills, decreasing costs and increasing reuse all around. In a world where it’s not easy to avoid plastics, this is welcome news.

James Bash
Harrison Street

To the Editor:

The 2024 Year in Review [“Growing Town Balances Optimism, Concerns at 2024 Year End,” January 1, page 1] reminds us of what an exceptional place Princeton is to live in. We cannot let the moment pass without recognizing the outstanding year our performing arts organizations had as they brought national and world class talent to our area.

With a distinctive reputation for innovation and individuality, American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is recognized as one of the state’s premier performing arts organizations. Presenting classical repertory alongside new and existing contemporary work, ARB entertained the thousands who attended to start their holiday season with The Nutcracker, and pushed the boundaries with Artist in Residence Ethan Stiefel’s Princeton premiere of VARIANTS.  more

To the Editor:

Among our four families, we currently have nine kids (and one teacher!) in the first-rate Princeton public school system. Three of our children were lucky enough to be involved in the very first year of Community Park’s tremendous dual language program. We’ve got kids in the high school, the middle school, and the elementary school. Some of us grew up in this town and went to school here ourselves. We have all watched our children enter the Princeton school system during kindergarten and thrive in our schools in the many years since. We have seen the town change, the community change, and the schools change over the years. We are writing to ask for your support for the incredibly important upcoming school referendum.

At every point in our time as members of the Princeton community, we have seen significant pushback in any sizeable investment in our schools, even as we are all well-aware that a desirable school system draws professional families to the community and preserves our skyrocketing property values. We are nickel-and-diming our investment in our community’s children. Why? We are here for these schools — and the wonderful community that exists here. For those of us who don’t have children in the system, or whose children have aged out — this is still our community. These are our kids — yours, your neighbors’, your friends’, your family’s. We love this town— in no small part because we love our schools.  more

To the Editor:

Several days ago, a friend sent me an article from The Times of London in which the writer, John Darlington, bemoans the fact that we appear to be living in what he characterizes as the “Garb Age.” Instead of preserving the character of so many buildings that make towns and cities interesting and unique, we use the excuse that adaptively reusing them is too difficult and expensive.

Darlington cites the fact that the demolishing of old buildings in many cases throws away “an enormous amount of embedded carbon and spent energy,” only “to be replaced by a structure that requires still more.” In the U.K. “the building and construction sector is responsible for 40 to 50,000,000 tons of carbon emissions annually” — more than aviation and shipping combined. more

To the Editor:

As residents of Princeton since 1998, we feel very fortunate to live here. Our town’s many public and nonprofit institutions (library, pool, parks and playing fields, schools, universities, Arts Council, McCarter…) make Princeton uniquely vibrant, and enhance the quality of life for all. Directly and indirectly, we all benefit every day from the investments made in the past to build and maintain them.

For the life of our town, our public schools are the most essential of all these institutions. And what distinguishes Princeton Public Schools from similar districts — small class sizes; neighborhood elementary schools that foster strong bonds among families and children; excellent arts, music, STEM, language, and enrichment programs K-12 — can only occur in school buildings that have sufficient classroom capacity, space that is programmed for all of these curricular activities, and most importantly, up-to-date, efficient HVAC infrastructure necessary for safe, healthy learning environments.  more

To the Editor:

Like many of you, we moved to Princeton two decades ago in large part because of the community’s support of its public schools. Our daughter graduated from Princeton High School in 2020; we feel incredibly grateful that she has been privileged to receive an excellent education that helped her become a well-prepared, caring citizen with a strong support network among her classmates, teachers, and community.

We as a family see the January 28 School Referendum as an opportunity to express our gratitude to Princeton and to pay it forward by making sure that today’s and tomorrow’s young families have the same opportunities that our daughter has been given. more

To the Editor:

On January 28, Princeton residents will vote on a three-question referendum to enable the Princeton Public Schools to accommodate sharply rising enrollment. I’m writing to urge my fellow Princetonians to vote yes on all three questions. Over the past few months, I’ve paid close attention to the district’s referendum planning process, and I am deeply impressed by the care and wisdom with which the planners have worked to meet the district’s urgent needs while maximizing state aid and minimizing cost. 

The primary problem the referendum aims to solve is capacity: Princeton is growing, and the schools must keep up. Over the next five years, over a thousand new housing units will come online, and more are likely. This means that we’ll be welcoming hundreds more students into our schools, most of which are already at or over capacity. If we don’t expand our facilities, class size will go up, elementary school attendance zones will be redrawn (with attendant busing costs), and programming will suffer. Expensive stopgap measures like renting trailers to serve as makeshift classrooms will only go so far, likely making another referendum necessary in another few years.  more

To the Editor:

I write in support of the PPS Facilities Bond Referendum and to encourage Princeton voters to approve of the three Referendum questions on the ballot on January 28.

As a longtime resident of Princeton whose children thrived in our schools (grades K-12) quite a few years ago, I feel strongly that Princeton voters today should support the proposed building improvements outlined in the referendum so that the students of today and tomorrow will have the same opportunity to thrive in school as my own kids did.

The proposed improvements are necessary to avoid current and future overcrowding, maintain small class sizes, continue some very important services and programs, create space to serve students better, and allow more students to attend their neighborhood school. From the district’s website and other materials, it is plain to see that much thought and attention has been put into the three referendum questions that address the various needs facing our schools today. more