New Jersey – In an Aug. 22 meeting, the Montville Township Board of Education voted unanimously on the bond referendum language to meet the critical needs of five elementary schools.
Currently, elementary schools have 100 students over capacity and are projected to reach 410 over capacity in five years.
Voters will be presented with two questions with a total cost of $70 million.
The first question on the Dec. 12 ballot focuses on added space and renovations for the schools, with an estimated cost of $53 million. As part of the added space, 23 new classrooms will be constructed, 13 classrooms will be divided, new parking areas will be added and large-group multipurpose rooms will be built.
The second question focuses on better security and improved HVAC systems, with an estimated cost of $16.9 million. Security will be improved by adding two-stage vestibule entrances at the five building without them, while modernized HVAC systems will improve school efficiency.
The Board of Education will draw $6.6 million from the district’s Capital Reserve for Question 1 projects. In addition, the state has allocated $9.5 million in state aid between the two projects.
Construction for these projects will be completed between 2024 and 2026.