Frequently asked Questions

A bond referendum is an election in which a school district asks voters for permission to borrow funds through the sale of bonds to finance large-scale projects that do not fit into the district’s regular operating budget. New Jersey school districts pursue this financial path for two main reasons: to help spread the cost of the construction projects over time, like how a homeowner finances a new roof or an addition with a line of credit, and to tap into a type of state aid that is only available to districts with approved bond proposals. 

Our district has decided to pursue a bond referendum on Tuesday, March 14: 

• To generate upfront funding to invest in our district’s infrastructure, security and facilities. The cost of the projects will be spread over time, similar to the way a homeowner uses a home equity loan. 

• To access a specific type of state aid available to offset costs of our proposed improvement projects; this aid is only available to us following a voter-approved bond referendum.  

• To proceed, in a fiscally responsible way, with the district’s strategy to move away from a repair-as-we-go mindset to a more sustainable plan for improving safety, infrastructure and facilities. The state would fund 33% of the project costs, offsetting the amount on local tax bills.

Over the last year, Springfield Public Schools conducted a top-to-bottom review of the district’s building needs. Security and infrastructure experts have visited our buildings and provided the district with recommendations and guidance for our next steps.  

Holding a bond referendum is a practical financial strategy to fund the infrastructure upgrades, building improvements, and safety and security updates that our buildings require. Our Board of Education, working closely with district administration, architects, and financial advisors, put together a thoughtful plan to use the sale of bonds to fund large-scale projects the district considers necessary to ensure health and safety and to improve and maintain Springfield's school buildings.  

Much of that careful planning included selecting projects that qualify for the maximum amount of state aid – money only available to schools through a bond referendum. Strategic timing is a key factor in allowing us to fix our schools’ infrastructures while keeping the tax rate steady over time. The last major investment in our schools will be paid off this year. With voter approval in March, tax payments for this next investment would pick up where those payments left off.

Springfield Public Schools has included projects in the March 14 bond referendum that would address the district’s most pressing needs. Question 1, which is tax neutral, focuses on upgrading heating and ventilation in classrooms, bathroom and facilities renovations, and security enhancements. This question also proposes updating or adding, depending on the need, air conditioning to larger gathering spaces, such as gyms and cafeterias. 

Question 2 expands on the work proposed in Question 1 to include air conditioning in classrooms and refreshed spaces across the district. Question 2 can only go into effect if Question 1 is also approved by voters. 

All projects are described in detail on our Projects web page. 

If approved, design of projects would begin in Spring 2023, followed by putting the HVAC projects out to bid in Winter 2024. Electrical upgrades, security projects, and HVAC work is slated to begin in Summer 2024, with all construction being underway by Fall 2025/Summer 2026.

We would chart out a construction schedule that minimizes the impact on students and staff.

Our building systems are an integral part of keeping things running smoothly for students and staff during the school day and community members who utilize the schools for athletics, activities, and events. The current HVAC systems are outdated and inefficient. Updating our HVAC systems would improve air quality, heating and energy efficiency and would create a better learning environment year-round. It would also allow the community to comfortably utilize our schools for activities during months with extreme temperatures. 

The addition of air conditioning would give students, staff members, and community guests the same level of comfort, and relief from allergies and asthma, that they have at home and in most other public spaces.  

All five schools would be placed on a building management system that provides overarching control of the HVAC system across school buildings, allowing them to troubleshoot problems quickly and remotely. Maintenance staff would also be able to control temperatures based on whether a space is occupied or unoccupied, which would significantly reduce the district’s energy bills.

Boilers do the important job of generating heat, whereas Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems draw air in and move it through the buildings. New energy-efficient HVAC systems would better distribute the heat generated by our current boilers and add air conditioning to areas that don’t have it or rely on inefficient window units. 

Unit ventilators bring fresh air into classrooms and heat or cool it as necessary. The proposal calls for replacing unit ventilators in classrooms and other spaces.

Our boilers use steam to generate heat that then gets pushed through our school buildings via the HVAC systems. Through the bond referendum, we plan to upgrade the HVAC systems, and not the boilers, since these systems are well-maintained and cost effective to keep as is. 

New classroom units would be tied into the existing boilers, and by providing better temperature control in the classrooms, would help our boilers run more efficiently. The new units would provide proper amounts of fresh air and better filtration, which translates to greater air quality for staff, students, and community members in our buildings. In addition, the referendum proposes a building management system with greater temperature control, which would improve our ability to use energy more efficiently throughout our buildings.  

The only boiler that would be added as part of the referendum is at Sandmeier. The school needs a second energy-efficient boiler to ensure there is a backup if the current, single boiler malfunctions. This is in addition to the new rooftop units they would receive for the multi-purpose room and media center and the air conditioning upgrades to 18 classrooms.

Over the last year, Springfield Public Schools conducted a top-to-bottom review of the district’s building needs. Security and infrastructure experts have visited our buildings and provided the district with recommendations and guidance for our next steps. The large-scale projects identified in the review were identified as high priorities to address the health, safety, and comfort of our students and community members who utilize our spaces.  

This plan also helps the district to fund these projects in the most fiscally responsible way before “needs” become “musts” that require immediate attention without planning for a fiscal impact. A big part of that fiscally responsible approach included carefully structuring the proposal to maximize the amount of state aid eligibility to offset costs. The state sets aside a special type of aid to assist districts that fund capital improvements through bond borrowing.  

Compared to years ago, more students as well as staff and community members are acclimated to air-conditioned homes, and modern security concerns prevent propping open doors and windows to catch a breeze. High heat makes it more difficult to focus mentally—we all function better when we feel comfortable. Beyond that, people with asthma, allergies, or other conditions can be especially uncomfortable in rooms without climate control.  

Adding air conditioning to our schools would improve the HVAC efficiency in the buildings and maximize our ability to use the space, for both educational purposes and community activities. All those reasons make it important to think about climate control as a year-round need.

Question 2 on the ballot proposes the installation of a translucent panel, known as Kalwall, in the gyms at Dayton and FMG to seal the existing cracks around the windows and allow more light in.  

Kalwall is a popular option in gyms since it diffuses sunlight, allowing more natural light to enter the room without raising the temperature or creating the glare that typically comes from a window. The Kalwall system also provides more insulative value than windows provide.

Question 1 of the proposal would fund security upgrades at all five school buildings. The upgrades would include new cameras that capture better quality footage, are motion activated, and connect to a cloud-based video system that police and school staff can access during emergencies. The plan also includes new exterior doors with ballistic glazing for added protection. 

The NJ Department of Education has reviewed and approved the district’s bond proposal for projects estimated to cost $18.9 million for Question 1 and $14 million for Question 2, for a combined total of $32.9 million. This figure includes not just the work on the projects, but professional and permit fees to support it, as well as a cushion calculated by the district’s financial advisors to account for market fluctuations and contingencies.  

By doing these projects as part of a bond referendum, the district qualifies for a type of state aid that it would not receive otherwise. That state aid is collected from taxpayers statewide and distributed to schools that receive approval through a bond referendum.; the only way to bring those funds back to Springfield is through voter approval of the bond referendum.  

If voters approve Springfield Public Schools’ March 14 bond referendum, this type of state funding would contribute $11.1 million, or 33% of the project costs. Without a voter-approved bond referendum, this funding is left on the table for other districts that pursue bond borrowing. This is a "use it or lose it" opportunity for our schools and taxpayers, and the state has already provided us the approval to use it, if the community approves the structure.

Question 1 and Question 2 impact property taxes differently. 

If only Question 1 passes, the owner of a home assessed at Springfield’s average of $533,097 would see no change on their tax bill. The proposal is “tax neutral”, which means the district can pay off a previous investment and start a new one at the same cost of approximately $10 per month. 

If Question 1 and Question 2 pass, the owner of a home assessed at Springfield’s average of $533,097 would pay less than $8 per month. Question 2 can only go into effect if Question 1 is also approved by voters. The state funding available is also different with each question, and we will access more state funding if both questions are approved.

Assessed value, which is used to determine a homeowner's property taxes, is different than a home's market value. The market value of a home is typically a higher figure and is an estimate of how much a home could sell for in the current market. The average assessed value of a home in Springfield is $533,097. Inputting your address into this website will give you your home’s assessed value. 

Springfield Public Schools’ annual budget covers costs of day-to-day operations, salaries, supplies and regular maintenance, along with funding for our educational programs. Even if there was a way to find room in the budget to cover the costs of some of the proposed projects in our bond referendum, utilizing a bond referendum is a strategic approach that allows us to tap into state aid that otherwise wouldn’t be available to us. 

While our budget includes investments in larger projects such as technology classrooms and the FMG media center, it is not enough to efficiently fund the scope of the projects we are proposing; rather those funds would pay for smaller projects over a longer period of time, ultimately costing the district significantly more funding.

The cost of the projects in Springfield would be spread over 20 years among all residents who pay property taxes. With voter approval in March, tax payments for this next investment would pick up where payments toward the last major school improvements left off. This timing allows us to fix our schools’ infrastructures while keeping the tax rate steady over time. 

If voters reject both Questions 1 and 2 on the ballot, school debt taxes for the owner of a home assessed at the Springfield average of $533,097 would decrease by $125 annually. 

If voters approve the bond referendum, the district can only spend that money on projects outlined in the proposal. If actual costs are lower than what’s estimated, the money is used to reduce the debt, and therefore, reduce taxes. 

The district cannot spend more than the amount of money approved by voters in a bond referendum. The district, in partnership with financial consultants and its architect, has thoroughly researched the proposed projects and their associated costs and has included a contingency amount in the estimated total. That cushion does take into account current spikes in materials costs, gas prices and interest rates. If actual costs exceed what voters approved, plans will have to be adjusted to fit the budget. 

Bonds do not have a specific interest rate the same way someone might secure a loan before purchasing a car or buying a home. They are sold for the best bid on the public bond market. Because of that, the district won’t know the precise interest rate until it has public permission to sell the bonds. Like other districts, Springfield Public Schools works with advisers who closely watch the bond market to determine an appropriate estimate of total costs.  

Springfield Public Schools has consulted with financial advisors who made conservative estimates on the interest rates that would be available following an approved referendum. That strategy ensures enough of a range to cover potential increases.  

If rates turn out to be lower than estimates, the cost of borrowing would be slightly lower and, therefore, so would the amount to be repaid.

The Springfield Public Schools' bond referendum will result in a slight tax increase to cover the cost of proposed projects if both questions pass. The State of New Jersey offers a property tax reimbursement program known as "Senior Freeze." It protects some senior citizens and people with disabilities from having to pay higher taxes on their homes, and that is true not only for this school bond referendum but for other taxes. More information, including how someone qualifies for this program, is on the state's Senior Freeze webpage. Seniors benefit from the quality of the schools and community, but they don’t always have to pay higher property taxes. 

All registered voters in the Township of Springfield can participate in the Tuesday, March 14, 2023 bond referendum. If you are not registered to vote, you must do so by Tuesday, February 21, 2023. If you registered for another election (such as president or governor), and your name and address have not changed, your registration would be valid for this referendum. Check your voter registration status to be sure.  

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14. Check your voting location here.

Check your Vote by Mail status by contacting the Office of the Union County Clerk at 908-527-4996 or email ucvote@ucnj.org. Any New Jerseyans who previously voted by mail in a prior election may have opted to automatically receive a Vote by Mail ballot for future elections, but double checking with the County Clerk is highly recommended.  

Sign up using the Vote by Mail Ballot Application offered in English or Spanish. Print and mail (or hand deliver) the completed application to the County Clerk’s office. To receive a ballot in the mail, your application must arrive at the County Clerk’s office no later than Tuesday, March 7. 

Mail your ballot before the day of the vote! All mailed ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, March 14, 2023. You can also hand deliver your mail-in ballot by dropping it off before voting day. Find a drop box near you by visiting http://www.vote.nj.gov/.  

Learn more on our detailed Voter Information page. 

Please click here to view the sample ballot for March 14.