Voters in two South Jersey school districts will consider bond questions on Tuesday

For Mantua Township School Superintendent Christine Trampe, a $39.1 million bond referendum that voters will decide Tuesday wouldn’t just fund a wish list of projects, but rather necessary improvements.

Trampe believes obtaining funding for every project that the bond would cover for all three schools in the Gloucester County school system is crucial. They include renovations, roof repairs, and new classrooms.

“We’re talking about true necessities,” Trampe said.

Mantua and Shamong in Burlington County are the only South Jersey school districts with a bond referendum in Tuesday’s special election. Here’s what to know

A $25 million bond question in Shamong was challenged by a group of voters who allege they were misled about the proposal. They sued last week, seeking to invalidate the referendum and keep it from going to voters Tuesday.

Superior Court Judge John E. Harrington heard arguments in Mount Holly on the request Monday.

Harrington ruled from the bench Monday afternoon that the ballot language provided to residents was adequate.

“I think the Shamong voters are a very savvy group of people,” the judge said in his ruling. “I’m not invalidating anything.”

The four-page complaint alleged that board members provided incorrect or misleading information about state funding for the project that caused confusion for some residents.

“Voters cannot meaningfully weigh the cost of a $25 million bond without accurate, consistent information,” the complaint states.

It also contended that the district has refused to disclose why the district cannot earmark $4 million in capital reserves for renovations prior to seeking a bond referendum.

In a presentation to voters posted on its website, the district said it has made extensive “Band-Aid” repairs, and projects at the Indian Mills and Indian Mills Memorial schools need immediate action. They include mainly roofing and HVAC work.

Shamong Mayor Michael Di Croce, an attorney who filed the complaint on behalf of the residents in the community of nearly 6,500, expressed disappointment about the decision.

“It will now go to the voters and we will see what they want to do,” Di Croce said. “They’re already burdened by very high taxes.”

If approved, the referendum would mean a $408 annual property tax increase on a home assessed at the township average of $309,500. The state would contribute $8.5 million.

Mantua has a list of improvements that would be funded by the bond referendum, including a preschool addition at Sewell Elementary that would add seven classrooms.

Trampe said the additional classrooms would allow the district to enroll its youngest learners at the same school. Four kindergarten classrooms would also be rebuilt.

The project also calls for roof and ceiling repairs at Sewell and J. Mason Tomlin and Centre City Elementary Schools. The district also wants to make security improvements at all three schools and move its office to Tomlin.

Trampe said Mantua has prioritized those projects as most pressing. Like other districts with a bond referendum, she said the district cannot afford to fund the projects with its general operating budget.

“We’re really at a crossroads. It’s beyond the point of reasonable repair,” Trampe said.

Without the bond funding, Trampe said the district would likely need to use education program funds for improvements. Mantua enrolls about 1,300 students in Pre-K through sixth grade.

Preschool classes would likely be moved outside the district to other providers such as Head Start, she said. The district would have to look at renting space to house its board office, she said.

Mantua voters narrowly defeated a similar bond referendum in 2020. Trampe, who became schools chief in 2022, has tried to make the case at information sessions.

If approved, the referendum would increase property taxes about $336 annually on a home assessed at the township average of $311,993. The state would contribute $8.9 million.

Elsewhere in the state, voters in Woodbine in Cape May County and the Cumberland Regional district in Cumberland County are also considering bond questions, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association.

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

The four questions total more than $66 million with the state contributing $20.1 million if approved by local voters.