A:  A bond referendum is a public vote.  This type of vote asks the community whether a school district can sell bonds to finance large-scale projects that do not fit into the annual operating budget.

A:   After voter approval, a New Jersey school district issues bonds through financial institutions, often via competitive bidding.  Interest rates depend on market conditions and the district’s credit rating, with lower rates reducing costs. Bonds have set maturity dates, typically ranging from a few years to several decades.

Repayment involves regular payments to bondholders, usually semi-annually, covering both interest and principal. This is typically funded through property taxes or designated revenue sources. The district must budget for the annual repayment amounts, known as "debt service." If interest rates drop, the district may refinance to lower costs.

A:  This facilities bond referendum addresses critical infrastructure needs, modernizes learning environments, and ensures that our schools can continue to support high-quality education for all students. This reflects our commitment to maintaining safe, sustainable, and future-ready facilities.

A:  No. On April 15, 2025, Westfield residents will have the opportunity to vote on three important matters: an additional spending proposal for the 2025-2026 operating budget, a facilities bond referendum, and school board candidates. The annual operating budget covers the district's yearly expenses, such as staff salaries, utilities, and instructional needs. The facilities bond referendum will propose funding for large-scale improvements, which will require borrowing funds through bonds.  Voters also will select school board candidates who will help guide the district’s policies and future initiatives. 

A:   Debt Service Aid is awarded by the State of New Jersey to public school districts where voters pass bond referenda. It requires bond funding (a form of borrowing) for building improvements and additions. The percentage of aid varies by type of project and other factors.

School districts use bond funding as a strategic tool to move costly upgrades and replacements out of the operating budget and into a bond-funded budget (for which state aid could cover one-third or more of project costs). For Westfield: Proposed projects total up to $57.5 million in committed debt service aid.

A:   Our schools rely on outdated systems – some up to 70 years old – to heat and cool classrooms. Unit ventilators (“univents”) pull in fresh air and heat it as needed. Window units provide air conditioning.

With voter approval of Bond Question 1, this combination of equipment would be replaced and streamlined across the district with more efficient univents to heat and cool each classroom. The ability to connect new univents to building-wide management systems also would enhance efficiency.

At the intermediate and high schools, air conditioning would be added to gyms, media centers and cafeterias that don’t already have it.

Including this kind of improvement in a bond referendum is a financial strategy that takes advantage of state debt service aid, making it the most economical way to replace or improve heating and cooling systems.

A:   Like many districts, Westfield has seen a rise in students who need individualized attention to catch up or get ahead. This learning takes place in small-group instruction (SGI) spaces, which are often required by law.

To accommodate all elementary school students’ learning needs, our schools often provide small-group instruction space in less-than-ideal areas, including converted storage closets, former copy rooms and hallways. In some cases, bookshelves and temporary soft walls serve as room dividers without any buffer from noise, which can be distracting for students who already have challenges focusing.

Renovations decribed in Bond Question 1 would make better use of existing spaces, including unused areas such as old gym locker rooms, to create more room for small-group instruction.

A:   Bond Question 1 includes improvements that would make schools more accessible for those with mobility challenges. These include renovating restrooms and relocating school offices to first-floor, centralized spots – which also makes sense for security purposes.

The projects also would improve access to the athletic trainer’s room -- currently on the 2nd floor at Westfield High School -- to the first floor.  There is no way to get to that room, or the existing boys locker room, without using the stairs.  

A:   Some Westfield elementary schools already have seen more students enroll, and higher enrollment is anticipated at others. Plans to build additions at five elementary schools take this into consideration. New classrooms would not only meet the projected need for kindergarten, they also would provide some flexibility to reduce the potential for art and music to be taught by mobile cart rather than in a dedicated classroom. At Jefferson and Tamaques, additional classrooms will be added to address rising enrollment.  Also, at Franklin and Jefferson - our largest elementary schools -- an additional Multi-Purpose Room is proposed because the existing multi-purpose rooms are fully scheduled for lunch and physical education.

A:   The intermediate and high school media centers are used for study and reading, but if reconfigured for modern needs, the spaces also could support a collaborative learning environment. At the High School, large pillars provide no function, take up floor space and make temporary reconfiguration difficult. At Edison Intermediate, computers are tightly clustered on one long table for power supply access, and one end of the room is enclosed without flexibility.

Upgraded media centers would be ideal to host group projects and even to hold classes as part of an innovative instructional experience. 

A:   Some elementary schools do not have available classrooms for special subjects and offer art and music on a cart, with the teacher traveling to students’ rooms.  The bond referendum includes plans for expanded and renovated spaces to help address this lack of space so that teachers can offer these subjects in a classroom, providing a more comprehensive, immersive instructional experience than is possible when working from a cart. 

A:   The auditorium is a place where students enrich their learning experiences and explore new skills. It’s also a gathering place for the community to see plays, concerts, end-of-year awards ceremonies and more. 

With those important uses in mind, Bond Question 1 proposes updates to seating, and electrical, lighting and sound systems, as well as modernized restrooms.

A:  A successful bond vote on April 15 would launch a planning process that includes finalizing design specifications and preparing contracts for a competitive bidding process.  Once contracts are awarded to the lowest responsible bidders, renovations and construction would take place from 2026 to 2028. 

Full Day Kindergarten would have an estimated start date in the 2028-29 school year at all six elementary schools.

A:   Yes.  Bond Question 1 proposes improvements to address critical building needs, including HVAC upgrades, student restroom renovations, additional small group instruction spaces, and other renovations and additions.  Bond Question 2 focuses only on the added space that would be needed to support Full Day Kindergarten districtwide. 

Bond Question 1 and Bond Question 2 are independent; one can pass without the other.  Both bond proposals are separate from the first question on the ballot regarding the additional spending proposal for the 2025-2026 District Operating Budget.

A:   Research has shown that Full Day Kindergarten can provide long-term educational benefits. Students who have attended full-day programs often demonstrate higher academic achievement and better social skills in subsequent grades.   Several respected  early childhood organizations have issued position statements highlighting the benefits of full-day kindergarten programs.  Here is a summary of their perspectives:

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

• Balanced learning: NAEYC emphasizes that full-day programs allow for a more developmentally appropriate balance between structured academic learning and play-based activities.

• Enhanced social-emotional development: Full-day programs provide more opportunities for social interactions and emotional growth through extended engagement with peers and teachers.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

• Academic and developmental readiness: AAP supports Full Day Kindergarten as it promotes early cognitive development, literacy, and numeracy skills while giving children time to develop emotional and social competencies.

• Health benefits: The AAP highlights that extended time in school can improve physical and mental health through structured play, physical activity, and routine.

National Education Association (NEA)

• Closing achievement gaps: The NEA advocates for Full Day Kindergarten as a means to reduce disparities in academic readiness, particularly for children from low-income or disadvantaged backgrounds.

• Improved academic outcomes: The NEA points to research showing that children in full-day programs tend to perform better in literacy and math in the later grades.

A:   With voter approval, WPS would be on track toward Full Day Kindergarten across the district, estimated to begin in the 2028-29 school year.

A:  New Jersey’s governor recently alluded to a proposal requiring school districts to provide Full Day Kindergarten. Even without a mandate, just a few public school districts in New Jersey – including Westfield – don’t offer full day, free-for-all kindergarten and don’t have a funded plan to start it. 

Although the State of New Jersey is unlikely to mandate something that 99% of districts already offer, even if that happened, Westfield would still have to build space or else compromise its current class sizes and program offerings.

Including space for Full Day Kindergarten in the bond referendum is a well thought-out plan to do what’s best for a strong education foundation without being mandated to do so.

A:   If voters approve the bond funding in Bond Question 2 for construction/renovations associated with implementing Full Day Kindergarten at all of our elementary schools, Lincoln would continue to house - and potentially expand - our pre-kindergarten program, with the possibility of renovating classrooms to accommodate art, music, library, and related services as well.

A:    The Westfield Public School District charged FKA Architects with the task of developing a strategy to implement Full Day Kindergarten throughout the District. Kindergarten provided by the District is currently half day and is located at Lincoln School.  The six elementary schools within the district currently house Grades 1-5, and the intermediate schools house Grades 6-8.  According to the recent demographic study and District’s Long Range Facility Plan, the existing elementary and intermediate schools are at or near capacity.  Therefore, additional space to house the Full Day Kindergarten Program would need to be constructed in any analysis.

FKA reviewed all existing school facilities, school properties, and enrollments, with the goal of determining what space would be required for the District to implement a Full Day Kindergarten program. This was done by walking through each school, reviewing existing plans, and discussing the various needs with the Administration, school Principals, and Board of Education representatives.

Various options were analyzed to determine the optimal means for providing Full Day Kindergarten.  In all options, Kindergarten would be moved out of Lincoln School to provide additional needed space for Pre-Kindergarten and associated program space. The different options that were analyzed included:

• Neighborhood Model - Construction of an addition and/or renovations to each of the six elementary schools 

• Kindergarten Centers - Construction of a larger addition at two of the elementary schools would be implemented to create a Kindergarten Center.  One Kindergarten Center would be constructed on each side of town.

• Intermediate Schools Grade Realignment:  Move the 5th Grade to Edison and Roosevelt Intermediate Schools, with a substantial addition constructed to both Edison and Roosevelt to house the 5th Grade classrooms and associated program space.

• Expand Lincoln - There is not enough site space to construct an addition at Lincoln School to house Full Day Kindergarten.

• Construct a New Kindergarten Center - If a new building was constructed to create a District-Wide Kindergarten Center, it would require a minimum of 62,500 sf per NJDOE Facilities Efficiency Standards (FES). A site for the project would have to be chosen and developed with parking driveways, utilities, playgrounds, play fields, etc. 

Based upon the administrative and community feedback, the determination was made to propose adding and renovating space to each elementary school to create K-5 neighborhood schools. 

A:  If the facilities referendum is approved, a future school budget would need to include approximately $3.5 million in additional staffing costs to support Full-Day Kindergarten. This includes:

• 19 Kindergarten Teachers

• 8 Paraprofessionals

• 1 Speech Therapist

• 4 Specials Teachers (e.g., Art, Music, PE)

• 1 Assistant Principal at Jefferson

• 1 Assistant Principal at Tamaques

• 2 Custodians

• Associated health benefits costs

This staffing expansion would be proposed in a future school budget and would require community approval through the annual budget vote.

A:  The budget vote and bond referendum take place on Tuesday, April 15, which is during the district’s spring break – along with Board of Education elections.  This could be a popular week for travel, and a time when thoughts of school are on the back burner.  Westfield residents can cross voting off their list before that date by applying for a Vote By Mail ballot. Applications are available in English and Spanish; this application cannot be submitted online.

It’s never too early to send in the application for a Vote By Mail ballot – but there are deadlines that make it too late.  Visit the How to Vote page on this portal for detailed information.

A:  To request a mail-in ballot be sent to you, download a Vote By Mail ballot application in English or Spanish and follow its directions. Your application must be received by the county by April 8 to ensure that the actual ballot can be mailed to you in time. 

To request a mail-in ballot in person, submit your application to a Union County Clerk’s Office by 3 p.m. Monday, April 14 at the office in the Fraser Building (300 North Ave. East in Westfield). Office hours are listed here. You can even get a ballot, mark it and turn it in all at once.

A:  Vote By Mail ballots must be returned to the county by April 15 – the same day as the in-person vote.

• Be sure it has a postmark by that date, or 

• Hand-deliver it to a Union County Clerk’s Office (see addresses above), or 

• Drop it in a designated election box 

Drop box locations include the Fraser Building at 300 North Ave. East in Westfield, as well as other locations throughout the county.
Mail-in ballots cannot be submitted at in-person polling locations.

A:  No.  The need for additional educational spaces and facility improvements has been a longstanding issue in the Westfield Public School District. A prime example is that Westfield Public Schools remains one of the very few school districts in New Jersey without Full Day Kindergarten, a topic of ongoing discussion for nearly a decade. The referendum is a plan to address educational needs, aging infrastructure, and modernizing facilities, ensuring that our schools can continue to support student success now and into the future.

A:  A PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program is an agreement between a municipality and a private developer where the developer makes payments to the municipality in lieu of paying property taxes, usually necessary to make the proposed project financially feasible. PILOT funds typically support designated municipal capital projects that would otherwise be funded through traditional taxation, or projects that may not be able to happen at all without the developer contribution.

The Town of Westfield has two PILOT agreements in place with the developers of Westfield Crossing and One Westfield Place, but has not yet received any PILOT revenue from either project.  Conversations between the Town and the Westfield Public School District about whether PILOT funds can be used to offset future debt service will take place as the PILOT projects progress.

According to the Town, PILOT revenue from Westfield Crossing will be used to support fields and recreation including plans for significant upgrades to Tamaques Park and improvements to the Houlihan/Sid Fay facility. The Town isn’t in a position to commit PILOT funds from One Westfield Place before ground has even been broken. 

Any commitment at this time for directing future PILOT funds to the school district would not change the amount of the referendum, as anticipated funding cannot be factored into a state-approved referendum proposal.

A:  The State of New Jersey has several tax relief programs including a new one called Stay NJ. As of the 2024 tax year, the state combined its varied applications into one streamlined process. The deadline to file for reimbursement for taxes paid in 2024 is October 31, 2025. 

A new program called “Stay NJ” reimburses up to half the property tax bill of eligible applicants. For 2024, the benefit is capped at $6,500. You must be 65 or older and have owned and lived in your home for the full 12 months of 2024. Your total annual income in 2024 must have been less than $500,000. More info.

A program known as the “Senior Freeze" reimburses eligible seniors and disabled persons for property tax increases. Once applicants are approved, their property tax payments are “frozen” at the current amount, and they will receive a rebate if taxes increase because of a bond referendum or any other reason. You must be 65 or older OR have received federal Social Security disability benefit payments. Your total annual income in 2024 must have been less than $168,268. More info

More information about these programs is available from 800-882-6597 or nj.gov/treasury/taxation/relief.shtml

A:  The district would carefully plan construction timelines to minimize disruption to learning, scheduling major work during school breaks, after school, and summer months whenever possible. Additionally, phased construction and safety protocols would ensure that students and staff can continue their activities in a safe and uninterrupted environment.

A:  The district is conducting a comprehensive outreach campaign that includes, but is not limited to, community forums, an interactive website, social media updates, graphics, posters, flyers, and a postcard to be sent to every Westfield household. This will ensure that all stakeholders have access to clear, transparent information and opportunities to provide input leading up to the April 15 vote.