Mark your calendar: In-Person Referendum Forum Thursday 9/4 @ 6:30 - NPHS Cafeteria!

IMPROVED
INSTRUCTIONAL SPACES

Facilities Could Better Support Teaching

Our teachers do an amazing job supporting the academic growth and student experiences that families and the greater community associate with NPSD. The condition of our facilities is an everyday challenge for them – and for our students.

Renovations proposed in this Zero Tax Impact Referendum would modernize targeted spaces in the middle and high schools and help put each student on a path to success.

Science Labs are Limiting

Science labs at the middle and high schools are more than outdated; some equipment is non-functional as age has taken its toll. Many sinks are not usable. Technology to support experimentation is lacking. Rooms were not designed to support the hands-on,
inquiry-based approach that is central to modern laboratory science and experimentation. Equipment and design shortcomings prevent the instruction of higher level courses like Advanced Placement Chemistry.

Renovations would include new equipment and furnishings to support the teaching of technical and experimentation skills. New ceilings, flooring, light fixtures, cabinets and HVAC would bring those labs into the modern era. The new layout would be more flexible for both the students and teachers, and it would meet guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

NPHS Media Center Could Transform

The high school Media Center is primarily dedicated to book storage, limiting its potential as a modern, flexible space for collaboration, innovation, and learning — a transformation our students deserve. This space could be home to programs such as Digital Arts or Broadcast Journalism, and activities like that require more open space.

Reimagine the Media Center with a new, flexible layout with an open floor plan and one classroom available for general use. That would allow more courses in this academic area, while continuing to showcase books. It would include a TV studio with broadcasting capabilities, editing booths, control rooms and storage rooms. For maximum flexibility, the new Media Center would have a College & Careers Center to help students explore their future paths. With a new ceiling, light fixtures, flooring, wall treatments and HVAC, this space would transform from a book storage site to a center of interactive learning.

Setting the Stage for Community Access

NPSD has put operating budget funds toward the high school’s auditorium, but those are not enough to overcome the wear and tear that room has endured over decades of heavy use. The stage’s wood flooring had already buckled from water damage before severe rain in July 2025 damaged it beyond repair. In 2021, the auditorium gained a new sound system and stage lighting; the rest of the auditorium is lacking.

More significant improvements require more funding than can be carved from the everyday budget. The Zero Tax Impact Referendum is an opportunity to make those improvements without raising the property tax rate associated with school debt.

Insurance funds are expected to pay a share of the costs to rebuild the stage. (See flood-related FAQs.) With voter approval, bond funds would be used to enlarge it and install a new curtain. Flooring and some seating was also damaged, so insurance and bond funds could be combined for replacements. Legally, the referendum plan cannot be changed even though the insurance evaluation may not be complete by the vote date.

New seating would include options for people who use wheelchairs, scooters and rolling walkers. A new ceiling, flooring and light fixtures would give this community asset a much-needed facelift. Along newly painted walls, new panels would enhance the room’s acoustics -- helping students sound even better during performances.

Culinary Arts Program Could Prepare Students for Future Careers

Modernized, what we now call the Home Ec room would be redesigned with a series of multi-function stations to minimize traffic and maximize concentration. Appliances that are about 50 years old would be replaced. The room would gain safety features such as cooking hoods with fire suppression systems. A new ceiling, flooring and light fixtures; new cabinets; and new HVAC systems would transform the room to be safer and more versatile.The new design and equipment would allow our students to access a Culinary Arts program similar to their peers in other New Jersey high schools.

Outdated Locker Rooms Need Updates for Health + Security

The high school’s locker rooms are used daily for required Physical Education courses and athletics. The tiles, the floor, the plumbing and the actual lockers have not been updated in 34 years. Showers are no longer operational. More than a cosmetic concern, the boys and girls locker rooms were designed with tall columns of lockers in the middle of the space. Today those are recognized as barriers to a security sightline.

Reconfiguring those rooms with new lockers would improve security; it would also enhance accessibility. Plumbing and ventilation would be updated to make the showers usable. Overall, the updated locker rooms would reflect the caliber of North Plainfield athletics and match the quality of our athletic facilities.