Princeton voters will be asked to approve a bond referendum that may total as much as $89.1 million for renovations and expansions to four of the six school buildings in the Princeton Public Schools.
The Jan. 28 bond referendum is broken down into three questions because school district officials have said they want to be sensitive to the capacity of taxpaying families.
The bond referendum is structured so that voters may vote on each question. Approval of all three questions is contingent upon approval of Question 1.
Voters may approve Question 1; Questions 1 and 2; or Questions 1, 2 and 3. They cannot approve just Questions 1 and 3, or Questions 2 and 3.
“We are allowing the community to decide on the level of investment they want, (but) we believe all of the projects are needed as we go forward,” said Interim Superintendent of Schools Kathie Foster.
Approval of Question 1 would add an estimated $222 for debt service to the school district property tax for a house assessed at the town average of $853,136, and an estimated $447 if Questions 1 and 2 are approved.
If all three questions are approved, it would add an estimated $532 to the school district property tax for a house assessed at $853,136. The State of New Jersey will pick up part of the tab for debt service.
For a house assessed at $1.7 million, approval of all three questions would add an estimated $1,064 to the school district property tax, and an estimated $1,596 for a house assessed at $2.5 million.
The 2024-25 school district property tax alone for a house assessed at $853,136 was $10,479.
For a property assessed at $1.7 million, the school district property tax was $21,420. For a house assessed at $2.5 million, it was $31,500.
The school district property tax makes up approximately 49% of a Princeton property owner’s tax bill. The rest of the property tax bill includes the municipal property, open space and library taxes, and Mercer County property and open space taxes.
Question 1
The first question on the bond referendum ballot asks voters to approve $37.9 million for expansions and renovations to the Community Park School, and for upgrades to the heating and air conditioning systems at Princeton High School.
The expansion at the Community Park School would include six new classrooms, four small-group instruction rooms and two flexible learning spaces that could be adjusted for programming needs.
The cafeteria would be expanded and there would be a new, larger gym/multipurpose room. There would be a larger music room and library.
The expansion is needed to maintain the dual language immersion program and to also provide for a traditional English language-only track.
Students are taught 50/50 in Spanish and English in the DLI program. Math, science, Spanish language arts and culture are taught in Spanish. Language arts, social studies, physical education, music and library are taught in English.
Question 2
Question 2 asks for $38.3 million for expansions and renovations to the Princeton Middle School, and renovations to Princeton High School.
At the Princeton Middle School, there would be two new classrooms, three new flex spaces and two new science labs. There would be a multipurpose room with space for assemblies, physical education and indoor recess. It would be available to the community after school hours.
Expansions to the vocal music and band rooms are planned, as well as to the cafeteria and kitchen. The main office would be expanded, and the school district’s technology department would be relocated from Princeton High School.
At Princeton High School, the technology office would be converted into additional student instructional spaces. Upgrades would be made to the Numina Art Gallery, which doubles as an instructional and presentation space.
Question 3
Question 3 seeks $12.9 million for expansions and renovations to the Littlebrook Elementary School. It would include six new classrooms, two small-group instruction rooms, a new vocal music room, renovations to the student support service areas, and a renovated kitchen.
If the projects are approved and more classrooms are added to the schools, more teachers will be hired. There will also be a need to hire more custodians to maintain the new spaces. The cost of a teacher is about $100,000, including salary and benefits.
School district officials have said the projects are needed to accommodate increased enrollment.
About 1,000 new housing units are in the pipeline to be built in the near future, according to SLAM, which is the demographer hired by the school district. Some of the units have been built and some are under construction.
More than 220 children are anticipated to move into the new housing developments by the time they are fully occupied in 2026.
Those students include 119 elementary school students; 45 middle school students; and 76 high school students.
The demographer’s study indicates that of the 119 elementary school students, 84 are expected to enroll at the Littlebrook School and 23 are expected to attend the Community Park School. Those are the two schools earmarked for expansion.
The recently-completed Avalon Princeton Circle – Thanet development, off Terhune Road, has generated 63 students – 32 elementary school students, 17 Princeton Middle School students and 14 Princeton High School students.
Of the 32 elementary school students, 30 attend the Riverside School and two are enrolled in the DLI program at the Community Park School.
School district officials have also said the expansion and renovation projects are needed to maintain small class sizes, which averages about 18 students per class in the Johnson Park, Littlebrook and Riverside elementary schools, and slightly higher at the Community Park School because of the DLI program.
School district policy calls for a maximum of 20 students in each kindergarten class, although the class size may be larger if there is an instructional aide in the classroom.
The maximum class size is 20 to 22 students in grades 1 and 2, and not more than 25 in grades 3-5.
At the Princeton Middle School, the maximum class size is 28 students. The class size at Princeton High School is dependent on the type of class.
