FREEHOLD – The $14.46 million referendum that will repair infrastructure needs at Howell High School, as well as the entire Freehold Regional High School District, was approved in the 2021 general election.
Voters approved the Freehold Regional High School District’s critical infrastructure referendum with 58.82% voting in favor of the proposal. As of November 5, the “yes” votes are 36,669 against 25,605 “no” votes.
“I am so proud to be a part of a community that believes in the value of providing a well-rounded educational experience for our students in well-maintained facilities,” Superintendent Charles B. Sampson said.
The Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) consists of the following municipalities: Colts Neck, Englishtown, Farmingdale, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro.
According to FRHSD, all the schools are in urgent need of structural repairs, such as parking lots, paving and roofing.
Due to the S-2 funding formula, the FRHSD began receiving less federal aid than in previous years, losing $30 million in the span of seven years in state aid under this bill.
The State of New Jersey will pick up 40% of the bond’s cost, meaning the work will cost Freehold Regional $8.68 million instead of the full $14.46 million with the approved referendum. In addition, the impact on the FRHSD portion of a resident’s property tax bill is an estimated increase of less than half of 1%.
According to the bond proposal, the requested expenditure of $14.46 million for the proposed upgrades is appropriated as follows: $4.352 million at Colts Neck High School; $588,000 at Freehold High School, Freehold Borough; $3.296 million at Freehold Township High School; $2.055 million at Howell High School; $1.631 million at Manalapan High School; and $2.538 million at Marlboro High School.
The district had previously attempted to pass two referendums which included repairs on turf fields and infrastructure repairs, but each failed to be approved.
Howell High School Principal Jeremy Braverman was urging residents to vote for the referendum’s approval at a recent Howell Township council meeting. Now Howell High School will receive repairs on their roof and parking lot.
“With all the cuts from S-2 we are excited for the work that will be done in FRHSD. Additionally, we are happy and fortunate to get the support from all of our communities. Getting this work done on roofing and paving is much needed and receiving a 40% discount from the state of New Jersey will make our situation with S-2 a little better,” Braverman said.
“I would be remiss if I did not thank our Board Members and community members for their hard work supporting this referendum. You spent so much of your time sharing information about our referendum with your fellow community members, and we thank you so much for your support. Your assistance is greatly appreciated,” Sampson said.
To learn more about the FRHSD referendum, visit the website at smore.com/qdzvg-frhsd-referendum for more details on the projects.
