Meeting Instructional and Budget Needs
Bond Referendum Planned for 2025
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
West Deptford School District has a proud history of providing quality education, and of fostering a supportive and enriching environment for all our students. Our aging infrastructure needs significant improvements to continue to support these high standards.
The Board of Education has been diligently working to develop a bond proposal to meet WD's needs for modern instruction and budget efficiencies. WD is working through the state-required planning and approval process with plans to ask the public to vote on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
A bond referendum is a vote that asks permission to borrow money through the sale of bonds. That method of funding would bring the advantage of state aid to cover a significant share of the costs. This funding is not available through our general operating budget.
UPGRADES UNDER CONSIDERATION:
Add space for our growing Preschool program
Upgrade heating/cooling systems in all schools
Add rooms to the High School music wing
Improve our High School auditorium
Update science labs in the Middle School
Improve PE and athletic areas
Replace out-of-date alert and communications systems
Address aging infrastructure of roofs and building exteriors
Add an elevator at Green-Fields for ADA compliance
BOND FUNDING BRINGS STATE AID
We diligently maintain our buildings, but all WD schools need updates. At 60+ years old, many rely on infrastructure that no longer operates efficiently.
Using funds from the annual budget for these big-ticket repairs and upgrades reduces the resources available for instruction.
Bond funding allows districts to address needs that the annual operating budget cannot support.
And those aren't the only reasons ...
Voter approval of bond funding unlocks state aid toward project costs that are eligible for a special state program. That means local taxes would not pay the entire cost.
Voter approval would bring money everyone already pays to the state back to our community. It is only available through a referendum.
WD has suffered through significant state funding cuts. Those forced a shift from proactive to more costly reactive maintenance.
Completing projects with the help of state aid would allow the district to move away from a repair-as-we-go approach to a more sustainable and fiscally responsible, proactive strategy.
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?
The Board of Education and administration completed significant research in the past year. There were opportunities for community input as the board determined what could be proposed in an upcoming bond referendum.
In mid-September, the Board took another step by authorizing the submission of applications to the state Department of Education.
By early January, WD expects the state to approve those plans and award state aid that could a significant share of the costs.
That would kick off a more robust plan for community engagement as residents learn about the proposal before voting.