Moorestown is asking voters to approve $108 million bond referendum to fund full-day kindergarten and other improvements

When Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in July mandating New Jersey schools implement full-day kindergarten, the Moorestown school district had already put a plan in motion.

The Burlington County school district is asking voters to approve a $108 million bond referendum Sept. 16, its largest in recent years. If approved, it would raise taxes by about $648 annually on a home assessed at the township average of $465,125.

» READ MORE: Haddonfield, one of 10 N.J. districts only offering half-day kindergarten, prepares to go full-day

Moorestown and Haddonfield are the only South Jersey districts that do not have free full-day kindergarten. Haddonfield voters approved a $47.8 million bond in December to gradually expand to free full-day kindergarten.

Haddonfield plans to add a full-day section to each of its three elementary schools in September, eventually expanding all kindergarten classes by the 2027-28 school year, Superintendent Chuck Klaus said. There is a $7,500 tuition fee.

“If we had the classrooms right now we’d have full-day kindergarten,” Klaus said.

Murphy has been pushing for expanding early education since taking office in 2018. He signed bills in July that mandate free full-day kindergarten by the 2029-30 school year and expand preschool statewide.

A week earlier, the Moorestown school board approved the bond referendum to ask voters to fund the kindergarten program. Superintendent Courtney McNeeley said the district had been preparing for a full-day program for years.

“Everybody saw the writing on the wall,” McNeeley said. “Our community needs kindergarten.”

Moorestown currently offers free half-day kindergarten as well as a tuition-based, extended-day option for 233 students who pay $4,200 annually.

During a recent visit to George C. Baker Elementary, McNeeley said the school cannot accommodate more students. The district enrolls 3,800 students.

“Almost all of our classes are full,” she said.

Under the proposal, grades would be reconfigured at some schools to make room for the kindergartners at the elementary schools. The district would put all of its sixth to eighth graders at its middle school.

Moorestown is asking voters to approve two proposed spending questions. If approved, the state would contribute $18.7 million.

Construction would be completed to begin full-day kindergarten by 2028, the district said.

In addition to renovating three K-3 schools to add more kindergarten classrooms, the first ballot question calls for building a two-story addition with 13 instructional spaces at the middle school and a new gym.

The third-grade class would be moved from the lower elementary schools to Upper Elementary. Sixth grade would move from Upper Elementary to William Allen Middle.

Other projects include upgrading antiquated HVAC systems and boilers, roof replacements, and security improvements so that multipurpose rooms can be locked down in an emergency.

If approved, the second ballot question would pay for improvements at an operations center and Moorestown High, including upgrading Bridgeboro Road fields, which are prone to flooding, and building new tennis courts, a new concession stand, and stadium turf.

The projects proposed in the second question would go forward only if voters approve the first ballot question.

Bond referendums allow districts to pay for projects that cannot readily be funded through their annual operating budget.

They can be a tough sell to voters because they typically are accompanied by a property tax increase. Voters rejected a similar referendum in 2019. Moorestown has tried to make a stronger case this year through meetings and presentations.

“We need this so much,” McNeeley said. “We’re working hard.”

Sept. 16 is one of five times during the year that school boards can ask voters to approve a bond issue or special question.

Experts say kindergarten has been shown to improve academic achievement. It also helps develop social and emotional skills and boosts confidence.

Pennsylvania does not require it, while 16 states and the District of Columbia require districts to offer full-day kindergarten, according to the Education Commission of the States.