N.J. voters deny 7 of 9 school-construction questions

Voters in seven of nine school-district referendums around the state said no to new taxes Tuesday, rejecting 12 school construction and renovation proposals.

Among those defeated was a $34.7 million proposal in Pennsauken to replace 85-year-old Central Elementary School, closed because of mold and air-quality problems and leaks, with an energy-efficient facility for 600 students.

The plan also would have closed Longfellow Elementary, which district officials say is obsolete and will require substantial repairs in coming years.

It was the second time Pennsauken voters rejected the proposal, which was eligible for $2.4 million in state aid.

Superintendent James Chapman said district officials believed the project would have been good for the community and the students, but "we understand these are difficult times."

Chapman said before the vote that renovating and expanding Central would cost $16 million more than building a school. The owner of a home assessed at the township average of $92,000 would have paid about $75 more a year in tax under the proposal.

Pennsauken was the only local district with a referendum this week.

One of the two New Jersey proposals that passed was a $10 million project, eligible for almost $3.5 million in state aid, to replace the roof and install solar panels at Cumberland Regional High School in Bridgeton. The other was for partial roof replacement and repair at an elementary school in Montague Township, Sussex County.

The defeated districts can try again March 9. After two rejections by voters, the state education commissioner can authorize a project and spending for it if it is deemed necessary, said Frank Belluscio, spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association. However, the bond issue that the commissioner considers may include only costs the state considers necessary to provide a "thorough and efficient" education.

The Pennsauken school board has not yet considered either option, Chapman said. Repairs to Longfellow, which was built in the 1920s, will probably be made based on what is available in the budget, he said.

"People are concerned about the economy," Belluscio said. "Unemployment is going up, not down. In this environment, voters are reluctant to approve spending, no matter how badly it is needed."