FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A bond referendum is a vote in which a school district seeks permission to borrow funds through the sale of bonds to make long-lasting improvements. Property taxes are used to buy back those bonds, with interest.  

School districts leverage this funding tool for several reasons, and a key advantage is access to state aid. Through a voter-approved bond referendum, the district is eligible for state aid to cover part of the project costs, reducing the amount required from local property taxes. 

The Moorestown Board of Education has invested in safety and security, technology, facility maintenance, and more over the years. However, some of our building needs are beyond routine maintenance. For example, it’s becoming more and more difficult to repair and maintain our outdated HVAC systems.  

A professional review of facilities and a community survey both pointed to the need for additional improvements to meet priorities of keeping class sizes small, advancing instructional programming, and positioning the district to expand early childhood education in the future.

Schools periodically need building improvements that would put a significant strain on the annual operating budget. Moving those must-do projects into a bond-funded budget qualifies them for significant state aid that is available through a voter-approved bond referendum. 

MTPS has a pressing need to create more space for our current elementary population and expand programming in our schools. A voter-approved bond referendum would provide up-front funding to complete all projects within a few years but would spread payments  over the useful life of the improvements. This timeline would manage costs while ensuring our buildings are best suited to serve our students and community. It would also offer a realistic path to fund capital projects that simply can’t be addressed within the regular operating budget, which must prioritize the day-to-day costs of running our schools.

Older HVAC systems and roofs are ready for replacement, space is insufficient for current and future students, and athletic areas are due for improvement, among other issues. 

Other timely factors include: 

• Although improvements would better prepare our district for enrollment growth, we need more space now, particularly in our lower elementary schools. Class sections regularly reach capacity, diverting students to schools other than the ones in their neighborhood. More space would give schools the flexibility to adapt to shifting enrollment needs. 

• Previous school debt will soon be paid off, which would mitigate the tax impact as we seek to make a new investment in the schools. 

Some of the equipment we use to heat and cool our schools is severely outdated and expensive to operate. That includes boilers from the 1980s and air conditioners requiring refrigerant that’s increasingly hard to find. New equipment would be more energy- and cost-efficient.  

District leaders and board members thoroughly evaluated how to revise the bond proposal that voters rejected in 2019.  

• We listened to the community, and incorporated data and feedback into the process. More than 1,000 residents provided input through a community-wide survey. 

• The previous proposal would have added four classrooms onto each side of WAMS. The new plan would add more space and separate students by grade level. 

• The new referendum addresses current needs for athletic areas, including updates to Isenberg Gym and the tennis courts at the high school, plus a full-size middle school gym addition that would be available for community use.

• More HVAC equipment is now in need of replacement. By making energy-efficient upgrades through a referendum, state aid would cover one-third of the costs. 

• This proposal takes a big-picture approach to site work, particularly the need for traffic enhancement.

MTPS will pay off debt on previous projects in 2029, which will help mitigate the tax impact of financing new improvements. 

Additionally, the new proposal includes much more HVAC work than the previous referendum. By funding such projects through a referendum, rather than through the regular budget, the district will receive state funding to cover a third of the cost, offsetting taxpayers’ share. 

Working with professional consultants, MTPS carefully considered improvements that would meet the district’s most pressing facilities needs. Many of the upgrades are eligible for state aid that would reduce taxpayers’ share of the project costs. 

These projects cannot be effectively addressed through the annual operating budget, which must cover the day-to-day costs of running district schools. 

The updates fall into four general categories: 

• Expanding and upgrading space for students: Proposed improvements include revamping Upper Elementary School (UES) into a true elementary school with a third-grade wing; expanding William Allen Middle School to include sixth grade; moving transportation operations out of Moorestown High School (MHS) to create space for innovative programming; and enhancing and adding athletic facilities.  

• Addressing aging systems and infrastructure: Proposed improvements include roof replacement, HVAC and boiler upgrades; masonry restoration and waterproofing. 

• Enhancing safety and security: Proposed improvements include public-address and fire alarm system replacements; fencing, drainage and playground upgrades; and alterations to enable lockdown capability of the South Valley multipurpose room. 

• Improving campus parking and traffic flow: Proposed improvements, designed in conjunction with traffic consultants, include moving the bus depot, adding parking capacity and modifying driveways to enhance safety and reduce congestion.

Renovations at UES would create a welcoming new environment for third-graders in a dedicated elementary school setting.  The third-grade teachers would move to UES along with their students. 

The third-grade shift would open space at Baker, South Valley and Roberts elementary schools, allowing us to better adjust to changing enrollment needs. When all classes at a grade level are at capacity, students can’t attend their neighborhood schools, and must be diverted to another school.

At MHS, moving the transportation department and buildings and grounds staff would free up space for instruction. Updated areas could accommodate hands-on enginneering instruction and other innovative programming.     

Renovations at the middle school would create small-group instruction space and enhance physical education areas. Sixth-graders would move from Upper Elementary School to an expanded middle school, joining their peers for a more optimal learning experience.  

Overall, the additional space provides flexibility that will let us be responsive to students’ evolving instructional needs.

If the referendum fails, the district will have no immediate path to meet its building needs. 

Without the state aid that comes with an approved referendum, any individual projects would have to be paid for entirely through local taxes. Such an approach would allow piecemeal work at best over a longer period of time.

MTPS is among a handful of school districts in the state that don’t offer tuition-free, full-day kindergarten. Students can attend half days at no charge, but full-day kindergarten is only available for families who pay tuition. Adding a tuition-free program would ensure that all families could benefit, regardless of economic status. 

Providing full-day kindergarten also provides consistency for students who might otherwise transition from a private kindergarten program to MTPS for first grade. 

The need for additional kindergarten staffing would be minimal; we expect to accommodate all students by adding another classroom in each of the three lower elementary buildings.  

The district has been working for years on a plan for building improvements that benefit all students – including our youngest learners.  

Families currently pay tuition for their children to attend full-day kindergarten in the district. We want to provide this strong educational foundation to all families, and projects proposed through the bond referendum would give us the space to do it – along with upfront funding and state aid toward a portion of the project costs.  

Only a handful of NJ public school districts lack free, full-day kindergarten or a funded plan to start it.  

Gov. Murphy recently spoke of working on a proposal to require tuition-free, full-day kindergarten for schools that don’t yet have the program.  

Pending details of such a proposal, the fact remains that MTPS does not currently have the building space to provide full-day kindergarten to the entire community.

Addressing space for free, full-day kindergarten through a bond referendum would follow a clearly defined process and timeline to achieve this important goal. 

The estimated $3.84 million expense of moving bus operations to an area better able to handle the traffic is a fraction of the total referendum cost.  

Shifting the buses from the high school would dramatically improve parking availability and traffic flow at the high school, as well as the adjacent middle school.  

The proposal to remove the indoor bus maintenance garage from the high school would improve air quality and free up space for programming.  Renovations could create space for innovative instruction. 

The district originally submitted projects for state review with the intention of holding a March 2025 vote. After the timeline shifted to September, MTPS made several revisions. 

• Move the bus depot to another location on the Moorestown High School campus.  

• Replace automatic temperature controls for HVAC systems at all schools because of a recent software update.  

• Replace the turf field at the stadium and tennis courts. These projects were originally part of another application and must now be considered separately.

The current state review process, which determines the amount of state aid attached to the projects if approved, will be completed this summer. 

Through the referendum, the bus depot at the high school would move to the adjacent field – one of four in a row facing Bridgeboro Road. Paving that field for bus use would make the area vulnerable to flooding but installing turf at the three remaining fields would provide the necessary drainage for the entire area.  

• Turf also would maximize playing time because unlike grass, it does not have to rest after use and can be used shortly after rain.  

• Shifting the bus depot frees up space for a new entrance driveway to circle around to the Moorestown Athletic Center and the stadium. 

If voters approve the referendum in September, architects will finalize designs with input from staff over the course of the 2025-26 school year. We also will begin awarding contracts to the lowest qualified bidders, as required by the NJ Department of Education. 

Most construction would take place over the summers to minimize disruption to students and staff. The major work would start in summer 2026 with the WAMS additions in preparation for sixth-grade students to shift from UES. That move would take place once WAMS is complete. Renovations at the elementary schools and high school would follow, with the expectation of finalizing projects and opening full-day kindergarten by the 2028-29 school year.

The bond referendum includes projects that would reconfigure the WAMS and MHS campuses for better traffic flow, increasing parking by at least 100 spaces. 

A new parking lot would be added in the area behind the high school and middle school. This would help alleviate some of the congestion around the administration building on the campus, and would help provide parking for additional staff at WAMS to teach sixth grade when those students shift from UES to the middle school. 

The WAMS bus loop and student drop-off driveway also would be improved for better traffic flow. 

The bus depot at the high school site would move to the adjacent field and the current depot location would become a new staff parking lot. That field also would be used for sports activities and other events at night.

The district’s athletic facilities do not meet the demand for student and community use. The proposal would: 

• Renovate the WAMS auxiliary gym, which is showing wear from hosting physical education classes, games and practices  

• Build a full-size gym at WAMS, where the addition of sixth grade requires more space. The gym also would be available for community use such as youth-league basketball and other sports 

• Renovate Isenberg Gym at MHS with new bleachers and floor and other upgrades  

• Install turf at the three remaining fields on Bridgeboro Road (after bus depot moves to one of the fields); add free-standing building with concession stand and restrooms  

• Replace existing turf field at the high school stadium  

• Replace tennis courts at the high school 

The high quality of Moorestown Township Public Schools draws homebuyers, including alumni who move back for their children to attend the schools. Improvements that provide space for full-day kindergarten and innovative instruction, along with building upgrades, are critical to continuing the standards of our district and community. Moorestown is among a few districts in the state that does not currently offer tuition-free, full-day kindergarten. 

Community members also would benefit from upgraded facilities. Turf at all fields would increase the available playing time, providing more opportunities for community sports. Local youth leagues and other groups also could use the proposed full-size gym at WAMS.

The New Jersey Department of Education uses revenue collected from across the state to help fund school district building improvements. Districts only receive these funds if they pass a bond referendum. 

School districts often use this funding strategy for large-scale projects that could not realistically be completed through the operating budget. That regular budget relies almost entirely on property taxes to cover day-to-day operations.  

The state only provides funding for eligible building projects through a voter-approved bond referendum. 

Your tax dollars already contribute to the state revenue that funds school improvements across New Jersey, but only a voter-approved bond referendum will bring some of that money back to the Moorestown community.    

We propose moving third grade to UES and sixth grade to WAMS. In both cases, teachers would simply move with their grade levels, requiring minimal or no additional staffing.   

However, the three lower elementary schools would each reclaim four classrooms, and more staffing would be needed at this level. Expanding to tuition-free, full-day kindergarten, for example, would use one of the additional classrooms – and add a teacher – at each of the schools. 

We are also committed to expanding tech-based programming and opportunities for small-group instruction at the middle and high schools. This change would create more courses, but could be managed with existing staff.   

Addressing building improvements through a voter-approved referendum would secure state aid, plus it would reserve the annual budget for its primary purpose: staffing, operations and other day-to-day expenses. 

The high cost of maintaining old equipment strains our annual operating budget. 

The refrigerant (Freon) for our air conditioning units is very difficult to find, and we spent $9,000 just to get air-conditioning units ready for the current season. 

Any emergency repairs, such as for leaky roofs or other system failures, also would come out of the regular budget. 

The annual budget must prioritize the routine costs of running our schools, such as teacher salaries and transportation, and cannot stretch to cover new equipment. Plus, funding infrastructure improvements through a voter-approved referendum secures state aid that reduces the local cost by about a third.  

We consistently seek grants and other funding sources outside the local tax base. In 2024, for example, the district applied for and received a grant from the state to fund 40% of the $4.2 million cost of new HVAC systems at Baker Elementary. 

The bond referendum would leverage the same type of subsidy on a larger scale but requires voter approval. If the referendum passes, the state will pay toward the cost of improvements. 

We also are strategic in managing expenses in the regular operating budget. Even in a volatile year that saw double-digit tax increases for some surrounding communities, we were able to hold the property tax levy impact to an effective tax rate increase of 1.8%.

The State of New Jersey offers three separate senior tax relief programs and recently consolidated them into one application.  

Each program has income eligibility requirements. 

• Senior Tax Freeze: Once applicants are approved, their property tax payments are “frozen” at the current amount, and they will receive a rebate if taxes increase because of public school taxes or any other reason including local/county taxes. The total income limit for 2024 is $168,268. 

• Affordable New Jersey Communities for Homeowners and Renters (ANCHOR): Seniors earning a 2024 gross income under $250,000 are eligible to receive a benefit check. 

• Stay NJ: Applicants with a 2024 income below $500,000 are reimbursed for 50% of their property tax bills, up to $13,000. 

More information is available at bit.ly/njseniortaxfreeze.

Voters must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, and live in Moorestown to cast a ballot in the bond referendum. The state provides more details about eligibility. Check your voter registration status by searching the state’s online database. 

If you show up to your polling station on voting day and are told your ballot was mailed to you, or that you are not able to vote, ask for a provisional ballot. This ensures your ballot will be counted once all mailed ballots are verified and processed. 

If you have already applied to vote by mail, you will receive a ballot in the mail a few weeks before the election.  

If you want to vote by mail but haven’t yet signed up, complete and submit a Vote-By-Mail ballot application. The mailed application must arrive at the Burlington County Clerk’s Office a week ahead of the election date to receive your ballot in the mail.  

Voters may apply for a ballot in person at the County Clerk's Office anytime up to 3 p.m. the day before the election. 

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by the day of the vote or deposited in a designated drop box by that date. Drop box locations will be posted on this website closer to the election. 

Election results will be announced on this website’s homepage and on our social media (Facebook and Instagram).  

To vote in person, make sure that you are registered to vote with your updated information hree weeks ahead of the election date. Polling locations and times will be posted here once they are finalized.