FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• A new PreK–2 school on Chandler Avenue that would provide young learners with appropriate educational environments; create a fully accessible building with an auditorium and gym that would be available for community use outside of school hours; and open space district-wide for more optimal grade-level structures 

• Makerspaces in our elementary and middle schools to promote hands-on, future-focused science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics learning 

• New security vestibules in each school to improve building safety and align Roselle with safety features used in other NJ school districts. These security vestibules would include security intercom cameras connected to the main office, upgraded security systems and interior double doors with bulletproof glass 

• Converting a portion of the Central Office to a Transition Center to prepare young-adult students with special needs for independent living and employment 

• Restoration of the high school auditorium to preserve the historic character of the space. This would include repainting and restoring the walls and ceiling, installing new carpeting and drapes, a new balcony railing to enhance safety, new light fixtures and stage lighting and refinishing the stage floor 

 
For more detailed information on each of the projects, please visit the Projects page. 

Roselle’s PreK and kindergarten classrooms are spread across the district’s three elementary schools and three non-district buildings. RPS pays $544,000 annually to rent overflow space for PreK and kindergarten, but still must hold a lottery for PreK seats and maintain a waiting list. 

This system is becoming more unsustainable as enrollment continues to grow. Our preschool enrollment will jump by more than 60 percent, from 47 students in the 2025-26 school year to 76 students next school year.

Plus, a number of issues make the rented space – particularly the Kindergarten Success Academy that serves 200-plus students – inadequate for early education: 

• A lack of storage means books and supplies take up space in already crowded classrooms 

• PreK students, whose motor skills are not yet fully developed, must climb up and down three flights of stairs to their classrooms multiple times a day

• The building is not accessible for those with mobility issues 

• KSA students share the school with other students and do not have access to the gym and have limited use of outdoor play areas

• The district must get a waiver to the state requirement of having bathrooms in classrooms. Aides and students lose classroom time walking back and forth to a limited number of bathrooms.

The new PreK-2 school on Chandler Avenue would be fully accessible and designed for the needs of young students.

Many of our youngest learners attend school in rented, aging buildings that are not optimal for early education. The district currently spends $544,000 per year to rent these spaces, and we still do not have adequate seats for PreK students. We hold a lottery for our PreK program and there is a waiting list for students. 

Roselle has discussed the need for a new school building for decades and owns the land to build a school. The proposed school on Chandler Avenue would provide modern learning facilities for your youngest learners and be the foundation for an educational transformation at Roselle Public Schools. 

Roselle students attend as many as six schools, depending on where they are enrolled for PreK and kindergarten, during their time in the district. They attend four different schools from grades 4 through 9. 

The addition of a new school on Chandler Avenue, where the district already owns land, would reduce the number of transitions. Students would attend four schools instead of five or six, providing more time to form relationships and develop skills and confidence at each level. 

The district already owns the property on Chandler Avenue, which offers ample space for a new PreK-2 school. The district can build on that property without the additional expense of purchasing land. 

The centrally located Chandler Avenue site has been targeted for new school construction for decades.  

Building additions are not a practical alternative for RPS. The Polk and Harrison sites have no room for expansion. Washington, a neighborhood elementary school on one side of town, would not have space for the 20 classrooms needed for PreK and kindergarten, not could it handle the traffic impact that would come with that additional activity. 

Each school would receive a security vestibule – an enclosed area to screen visitors before they enter. The upgraded security systems would have intercom cameras connected to the main office and double doors with bulletproof glass. These upgrades would provide Roselle with safety features used in many other NJ school districts. 

Makerspaces are dedicated spaces that support hands-on, future-focused learning that advances problem solving and critical-thinking skills. The district now offers this instruction through its mobile S.T.E.A.M. machine, delivering science, technology, engineering, arts and math lessons to district schools on a rotation. Dedicated makerspaces in our schools would ensure students could benefit from these engaging activities every day.  

• District-owned building for early education would strengthen community identity  

• Providing ample and predictable space for PreK and kindergarten would better serve families  

• Major school improvements would make Roselle a more desirable area for current and future residents  

• Auditorium and gym at Chandler Avenue school would be available for community use 

• Would restore $544,000 in annual rental costs to the annual budget 

 Roselle Public Schools is working closely with the district architect, who has extensive experience with school construction projects. All projects would be done in phases and in coordination with district administration to minimize the level of disruption to educational programs and maximize the amount of work that could take place over summer breaks. A detailed construction schedule would be developed if voters approve the referendum, after the projects are designed, and bids have been awarded.   

The bond referendum will be held on Tuesday, September 15. Polling place locations and hours, when available, will be posted on this website. Voting by mail also is available for this election.  

All registered voters who are residents of Borough of Roselle can vote in the bond referendum. 

You can vote in one of two ways – in person at the polling place on September 15 or by mail. 

You can Vote by Mail in this referendum. If you have already requested a ballot to be mailed to you and if your address is the same, Union County should send you a Vote by Mail ballot automatically before the election.  

To request a Vote by Mail ballot, download an English or Spanish application. The county must receive that application by September 8 to mail you a ballot, or by 3 p.m. on  

Mail-in ballots cannot be submitted at polling places.  

The Union County Clerk’s Office has more Vote by Mail information available on its website. Residents also can email ucvote@ucnj.org or call 908-527-4996.  

If you arrive at the polls and are told that your ballot was already mailed to you, ask for a provisional ballot. This means your ballot will be considered after all in-person and mailed ballots are double-checked and processed.   

You can check your voter registration status online at https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/registration-check. Just enter your name and date of birth in the required fields.