Elmwood Park Board of Education authorizes 'no frills' referendum

The Elmwood Park Board of Education passed a resolution at its July 23 meeting authorizing a "no frills" school referendum for residents to vote for or against on Jan. 28, 2014.

According to State Monitor Thomas Egan, the proposed referendum totals just under $10 million and addresses "health and safety issues" in all district schools.

Some of the proposed repairs include window replacements in all schools, asbestos abatement and boiler replacement at Ganter Avenue School, repair of all heating and HVAC systems, in addition to structural repairs in all buildings.

At Sixteenth Avenue School, there are plans to convert the gym into three classrooms.

School officials and board trustees anticipate that grant money from the state will cover 40 percent of the $10 million, making the total cost to taxpayers just under $6 million, Egan said.

This spring, Trenton announced that $425 million had been made available to non-Abbott school districts in New Jersey to put toward necessary maintenance and capital projects. As part of the grant application process, Egan said that the board needed to set the date for a referendum vote.

Unlike last November's three-part, $25 million proposed referendum which suffered an overwhelming defeat by borough voters, board members insist that this is a "no frills, no fluff" referendum, and only addresses necessary repairs. Last year's referendum sought to address repairs, in addition to athletic facilities renovations and the construction of a special education annex.

Egan said that the board expects to hear back from Trenton on the status of its application in the fall. If, for whatever reason, the district's request for funding is denied, he said that the plan will be redrawn entirely.

Email: milsop@northjersey.com

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Elmwood Park Board of Education authorizes 'no frills' referendum