Board weighs $84.8 million referendum to repair roofs, HVAC and add classrooms; state to cover about a third

Hopewell Valley Regional School District officials presented a proposed two-question referendum that would finance urgent building repairs districtwide and, separately, add classrooms at Bear Tavern and Tollgate elementary schools.

The first ballot question would cover critical infrastructure — roofing, obsolete HVAC and chillers, indoor environmental upgrades, security doors and electrical work — across Central High School, Timberlane Middle School, Bear Tavern, Hopewell, Stony Brook and Tollgate. The second question would fund new classroom space: a 10-classroom addition at Bear Tavern and a classroom/PK addition at Tollgate.

District architect George Duthy of FEHD Architects and Director of Facilities Tom Quinn told the board the total package as presented is about $84,833,000. They said most of the work in Question 1 is eligible for state aid through the New Jersey Department of Education; the district’s financial advisers used a 33% expected state share to build tax estimates. The architects recommended holding the vote at the November 4, 2025 general election to avoid the cost of a special election.

Officials said the referendum responds to systems at the end of useful life. “Parts are impossible to get now,” Quinn said, noting recent failures in classroom unit ventilators and chillers. Duthy cited roofing cycles and deferred areas not covered in prior referenda as reasons the district cannot defer replacement: “These are critical needs projects. They are not fluff projects,” he said.

The board and administration described Question 1 as the highest priority because passing it preserves eligibility for state reimbursement. “If we fix that project under an emergency, you get no state support,” Duthy said. The district’s presentation shows a combined expected local tax impact by municipality (average annual, per an average assessed-value home): Question 1 roughly $284 in Hopewell Township, $248 in Hopewell Borough and $294 in Pennington; Question 2 added roughly $184, $160 and $191 respectively. Officials said those numbers assume the estimated 33% state share and noted actual tax effects will be updated as state paperwork is completed.

School leaders also discussed the possibility of removing the Bear Tavern addition from the ballot if municipal “pilot” (payment-in-lieu or similar) funding materializes. Superintendent Dr. Therese said Hopewell Township officials told the district they are working with legal counsel and had expressed a commitment to cover the Bear Tavern addition if negotiations succeed; she said the board needs an answer “soon” to decide whether to remove that portion of Question 2.

Board members and administration outlined next steps and a timeline: submit project information to the state Department of Education for review (deadlines for a November ballot require action in the spring and board decisions by July), finalize tax schedules with the district’s financial adviser, and continue community outreach. The board asked architects and administration to re-evaluate project scope, budget escalation, and eligibility details and promised follow-up public sessions.

If the referendum does not pass, the district warned, it faces higher long-term costs and the risk of service reductions or redistricting to manage space shortfalls. “Construction costs are going to continue to rise,” Duthy said; board members said unchecked deferral will ultimately force either emergency repairs at full local cost or deeper program cuts.

The district will continue community information sessions over the next month and will bring updated documents and a recommendation back to the board at subsequent finance and facilities meetings.