West Morris Regional High School District
Bond Referendum
THANK YOU FOR VOTING - REFERENDUM PASSES
Unofficial results indicate that voters have approved the West Morris Regional bond referendum. The tally as of Tuesday night included 2,303 votes in favor and 1,225 opposed. The totals will be updated over the next few days as officials count mail-in ballots that were postmarked by the election date and verify provisional ballots. The administration and Board of Education thank our communities for learning about the referendum and voting!
REFERENDUM TIMELINE
BUILDING A STRONGER WEST MORRIS REGIONAL
Our school district is built on a commitment to provide a high-quality education for all children in Chester Borough, Chester Township, Mendham Borough, Mendham Township, and Washington Township. In fact, this is why many families choose to live here.
The March 12 referendum provides a path for the community to make continuous improvements to our schools’ infrastructure and learning spaces, while still seeing a decrease in the school debt portion of their taxes.
Remember to vote March 12, 8 am to 8 pm. Visit the Vote page for details!
How can we maintain our schools?
West Morris Central and West Morris Mendham are sources of community pride for the towns that send to the district. Taking care of the infrastructure at both schools is a top priority for the Board of Education and the communities it serves. Bond funding would help:
Improve, update and cool learning spaces for students and repair critical infrastructure that is nearing or past the end of their useful life.
Spread payments for these projects over 20 years, like a homeowner who uses a line of credit for home repairs.
Capture state aid that is only available to districts that get approval of a referendum from voters in their town.
$26 MILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS,
STATE WOULD PAY NEARLY $8 MILLION
What could we accomplish?
If voters approve the referendum on March 12, both schools would receive significant similar upgrades, including air conditioning in all classrooms, cafeteria and kitchen upgrades, and roof and parking lot repairs. Updates would also be made to the technology labs at both schools, as well as the fieldhouse shower and storage facilities. The WMM culinary arts room would be renovated to enhance student learning and accommodate student interest, and the public address system would be updated to match WMC's system.
How is a tax decrease possible?
Careful planning is the answer! The district will soon finish paying off debt from a 2004 bond referendum. The district is proposing new projects that would cost less than what residents are paying for that last referendum.
By combining this with $8 million in state aid, the district is presenting a referendum proposal that would give taxpayers a school debt TAX DECREASE of nearly 35%, resulting in an annual debt cost of $99 for a home assessed at the district's average.
