Vote on November 4th

A referendum presentation will be part of the Board of Education's meeting on October 14th. Time is planned for questions and answers within the structure of a workshop meeting, and the district’s professional advisers will participate.

We hope to see you at 7 p.m. at Marlboro Memorial Middle School, 71 Nolan Road in Morganville.

If voters approve the plan, MTPS will: -Sell bonds to investors. -Dedicate that money to expand A/C. -Capture state aid that comes with bond funding. -Pay off the loan with the money that's been saved up.

No Sweat, No Debt

The Marlboro Board of Education set a goal of adding air conditioning to all schools that didn’t have it. With the local tax rate and state funding, the district achieved 75% of the goal by adding air conditioning to 6 of its 8 schools.

Voters will decide whether that goal can be fully reached with a financing strategy based on taxes Marlboro residents already pay: No Sweat, No Debt.

A/C is part of the climate control systems for all buildings except Asher Holmes and Robertsville Elementary Schools. At these schools, some large areas are cooled, but classrooms are not.

The financially prudent plan to complete the A/C expansion hinges on a special type of state financial aid that comes to districts that use bond funding – even if that financing is very short term.

This vote will take place on Tuesday, November 4th as part of the General Election.

Learn why A/C is Important

Why Pay for A/C via a Bond Referendum?

MTPS has almost enough money in its Capital Reserve (like a savings account) to pay the $5.3 million cost of expanding A/C to Asher and Robertsville. Using bond funding to close the gap has advantages:

Make comfortable work and learning environments sooner, rather than waiting another year or two to set aside more savings.
Get up to $2.1 million in state aid – that comes with bond funding, but not the regular budget.
Bring state tax dollars to Marlboro, rather than see taxes our residents pay go to other school districts that use bond funding.

What's the Timeline?

To date, MTPS has made a minor investment in sketching out a plan to expand A/C. The New Jersey Department of Education requires that to consider how much financial aid to award.

Further work would only proceed if voters approve the financing strategy on November 4th.

1. Add more detail to preliminary plan so the work and products can be described to potential contractors. 2. Announce a request for competitive bids to ensure MTPS receives the best pricing. 3. Award the job to a contractor who submitted the lowest bid (a requirement for New Jersey public schools).

With voter approval, MTPS would take the next steps with an eye on summer 2026 to begin installation. Completion would be targeted for spring 2027.

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