Voters back school spending in Clearview, Delran, Delanco districts

Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·4 min read

Voters in three South Jersey school districts have supported proposals to spend more to benefit local students.

In Gloucester County, residents of Harrison and Mantua easily approved a request for a $59 million bond to upgrade Clearview Regional High School and the district’s middle school, according to preliminary results of voting on Tuesday.

Delran voters approved a two-part request to borrow $12.1 million for improvements to the town’s four schools, while residents backed a much smaller spending measure in Delanco.

In other local ballot questions:

  • About 75 percent of Cherry Hill voters backed an ordinance by initiative that would launch an energy aggregation program in the township. The program would solicit proposals for the bulk sale of electricity produced in ways that promote the use of renewable power sources, according to the ballot question.

  • Voters in three towns split on proposals to boost taxes for the acquisition of open space and recreational properties. The measures succeeded in Bordentown Township and Lumberton, but a third was narrowly defeated in Edgewater Park.

  • Wenonah residents gave a strong thumbs down to the proposed Glassboro-Camden light rail line, a commuter service that would run through the borough.

The preliminary results were based on Election Day machine voting.

Clearview improvements

Clearview’s proposal was backed by about 58 percent of voters, according to unofficial results.

Among other changes, the project would replace the current HVAC, fire alarm, emergency generator systems at the district’s schools.

It would upgrade Clearview's auditorium and auxiliary gym, while installing turf fields for athletic events.

The project would also be funded with $23 million in state aid.

The district contended property owners would not feel a tax impact because an existing 20-year bond for a previous project will be paid off in 2023.

“With voter approval this November, tax payments for this next-generation investment would pick up where those payments left off,” according to an assessment at Clearview’s website.

Live updates: Polls are closed in New Jersey. Keep up with results here

Without the new bond's approval, property taxes would have fallen next year by $27 per month for an average home in Harrison and by less than $16 per month for an average home in Mantua.

But the district said those savings would be “short-lived … as Clearview would still need to replace outdated systems such as roofing and HVAC.”

“Without a referendum and the state aid that comes with it, the district would have to cover costs from the operating budget, which is paid for entirely through local taxes,” it said.

In a statement, the Clearview district expressed gratitude to "all those who learned about the referendum and came out to vote."

It said Tuesday's results included votes at the polls and mail-in ballots "that have already been received." Additional mal-in ballots "with a timely postmark" will be tallied through Nov. 14. as will provision ballots, the statement noted.

Delran upgrades

More than 60 percent of Delran voters supported two bond proposals – the first seeking approval for $9.3 million for roof and ceiling replacements, as well as upgrades to electrical and HVAC systems.

The second proposal sought $2.8 million for changes that would include a new parking lot at Delran Middle School and ADA-compliant restrooms at Millbridge Elementary School.

The annual tax impact on the average home will be $63.72 under the first proposal and $20.78 under the second, according to the district’s website.

Delanco adds funds

In Delanco, almost 63 percent of voters approved the use of about $75,000 from the school district’s general funds to hire a grant writer. The funding also would reinstate extracurricular activities and athletics, including the safety patrol, boys baseball, girls softball and the middle school newspaper,

Tuesday’s results marked the latest victory in recent weeks for a South Jersey district in pursuit of a major project. Cherry Hill voters last month approved a $363 million bond proposal to upgrade all 19 schools in the district.

Opposition to light rail line

In the Wenonah vote, almost 75 percent of voters opposed the operation in the borough of the planned Glassboro-Camden light rail line, according to unofficial results.

About 66 percent opposed locating a station inside the borough.

The results, while were not binding, were intended to assess local opinions on the project.

The proposed rail line moved forward last month with the announcement that a joint venture would oversee the project’s preliminary engineering and design phase.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: NJ election 2022: South Jersey ballot question results are in