Saddle Brook School District Invites the Community to Virtual Bond Referendum Forum
Saddle Brook School District Invites the Community to Virtual Bond Referendum Forum
Saddle Brook, NJ – The Saddle Brook School District invites the community to attend a Virtual Forum on the bond referendum on Thursday, March 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Residents will have an opportunity to learn about the projects and ask questions of the professionals who helped shape the financial strategy and infrastructure plans.
A Zoom link is available at sbpsnj.org/referendum.
The community will vote March 14th on whether the district can borrow $14.4 million through the sale of bonds to finance essential safety and infrastructure projects.
If the referendum passes, state aid will cover $4.2 million of the project costs. The new investment would not increase residents’ tax rate for school debt because the district is close to paying off the last referendum.
Community feedback after the December 2022 bond referendum led Saddle Brook School District to pare back the proposed projects. The district cut over $40 million from the plan and focused on the projects that capture the most state aid. The new proposal includes:
- Replacement of various windows, doors, ceilings, roofs, restrooms, and floors.
- Safety and security upgrades to enhance protection for students and staff.
- An athletic turf field and lights at the Middle/High School.
- Renovations at Washington Elementary School to turn unused space into pre-kindergarten classrooms, eliminating the waitlist and generating tuition revenue.
- Interior restoration at Coolidge School, including an elevator for ADA compliance.
“We’ll still need to make these improvements, regardless of the March vote outcome,” said Toni Violetti, Superintendent of Schools. “The bond referendum lets our community decide whether state aid can help fund those improvements. Without the $4.2 million from the state, it will take the district decades to complete these projects through our local budget.”
Violetti, along with the school district’s architect, financial adviser, business administrator, athletic director, and bond counsel, will lead the March 2 forum.
Residents will be able to ask questions by typing in the Zoom chat. A Zoom link to join is available at sbpsnj.org/referendum. That website also contains videos, frequently asked questions, voter information and more referendum details.
