The referendum would fund long-lasting building improvements to the middle school and high school joint campus.
Patch Staff
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Residents in Lawrence Township will head to the polls on March 11 to vote on a $94.9 million bond referendum put forward by the school district.
The referendum would fund long-lasting building improvements at the district's Middle School and High School joint campus. Changes are proposed to the auditorium, and Middle School cafeteria.
The proposed projects provide essential upgrades needed to support student achievement, better prepare students for high school through grade realignment, and modernize a school built 75 years ago, officials said.
Below are some highlights of what’s proposed according to a presentation made by to the Board of Education.
Create new and renovated spaces that will facilitate better achievement for all students. The original building is 75-years-old, with this project administrators are planning to build structures that will last for the next 75 years. The project is comprehensive and will touch all aspects of the Middle School spaces and programs.
Find out what's happening in Lawrencevillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Some challenges of the project are:
The total cost of the project is $98.9 million with $4 million in capital reserve used as down payment. The total amount put to bond would be $94.9 million.
Interest rate is currently estimated at 4.25 percent, but school administrators are expecting to receive a better rate. The term (or payback period) of the bond is 25 years.
The proposed projects would receive up to 40 percent of the eligible costs in state aid. This type of funding is only available through a voter-approved bond referendum, officials said, which would offset the local taxpayers’ share of the total costs.
If the referendum is approved, the owner of an average assessed home in Lawrence would see an estimated tax impact of about $27 per month, district officials said.
The increase to school debt tax would not appear on tax bills until July 2026.
Without voter approval, officials said these critical repairs would still need to be made, but without the help of state aid.
To provide residents with more information on the bond referendum, the Lawrence Township Board of Education will host two events.
The first of the two events will be an in-person town hall style community referendum information forum that will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at Lawrence Middle School, 2455 Princeton Pike.
Parking is available in the Lawrence High School Parking lot, at 2525 Princeton Pike, adjacent to the Lawrence Middle School.
The forum will run from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Attendees can ask questions about the referendum. There will also be a community fair taking place in the hallway outside of the auditorium and refreshments will be served.
The second event will be a virtual community referendum information forum held on Thursday, Feb. 26 on Google Meet. Visit www.ltps.org/referendum for the link to join that meeting.
The virtual forum will run from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Residents can submit questions about the referendum that will be answered in real time.
A video recording of the forum will be available on the district website following the meeting’s conclusion.
During the meetings, community members will hear from district representatives who can explain firsthand the benefits of bond funding.
“We encourage our community members to join us for one or both of these information sessions so they can hear directly from district administrators.” Superintendent Robyn Klim said. “We want to be sure everyone is prepared to make an informed vote on March 11.”
Klim said academic excellence is the district’s top priority. “The bond referendum would allow us to expand and update our learning facilities with the assistance of state aid, rather than relying entirely on local taxes,” she said.
You can find more details on the referendum by clicking here.
Have a correction or a news tip? Email [email protected]
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.