Moorestown board delays referendum, faces heated public opposition to proposed bus depot at Upper Elementary School

The Moorestown Township Public School District Board of Education postponed a planned March referendum until the fall and said administrators will reassess the proposal to move the district bus depot to the Upper Elementary School (UES).

“We have postponed the referendum vote from March until the fall,” the board said during opening remarks, adding that September is the next available date and that November and December are also possible. The delay followed receipt of updated information from the state about potential funding for the district’s proposed projects and gives administrators time to “double down” on evaluating alternatives, the board said.

Why it matters: The bus depot’s proposed relocation to the UES drew the sharpest public criticism of the night. Parents, medical professionals and other residents said placing bus operations adjacent to an elementary school would pose health and safety risks and faulted the district for insufficient communication about the plan.

Administration position and next steps Dr. McNeely, the district superintendent, described outreach since her arrival and said the administration will continue community engagement while consultants, architects and engineers reassess site options. “It also gives us an opportunity to consider all the comments that we've received in connection with the bus depot and its proposed relocation to the UES,” she said. The board said the delay is “primarily due to a delay in receiving word from the state in terms of how much funding the state would provide” for projects included in the referendum.

Public comments and concerns Dozens of speakers urged the board to relocate the bus depot to a different site and asked for more transparent information about the referendum’s 18 proposed projects, the state funding offer, and the alternatives considered for the depot. Several health-care professionals warned about potential risks to younger students; Persephone Jones, who identified herself as a developmental pediatrician, said she appreciated the district’s stated reconsideration but added: “When there are items in the referendum that are harmful to our students and to our community, there is no way that I will ever be able to get behind it.”

Resident Chad Gonzales said the district should pursue available commercial or industrial properties outside residential neighborhoods, and cited Hainesport and Delran as examples of locations he said could be considered. “We need a spokesperson from the school district to represent us, to negotiate that they can be bought, they can be leased,” he said.

Other commenters framed the issue as one of process and transparency. Sealy Coleman said information is being shared “only after decisions are made,” and asked what concrete steps the board will take to include stakeholders during deliberations. Several speakers said teachers and some UES staff had not been fully informed about the depot plan.

Context and related debate Board members said the administration is working with architects and consultants to “do some more diligence” on alternatives to the proposed UES site. The board also noted it had received updated state funding information and that the extra time will allow that data to be factored into a final proposal before a fall referendum date is set.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes for Dec. 17 (executive and regular), Jan. 6 special meeting and Jan. 7 reorganization meeting: approved; one abstention recorded on the Jan. 6 minutes (speaker not clearly identified in the transcript). Note: the board approved the minutes with that single abstention. - Ratification of memorandum of agreement with the Morristown Education Association (effective 07/01/2025–07/30/2028): approved by roll call (all present board members recorded “Yes”). - Approval of personnel and administrative items (multiple items on the agenda, including employee relations items 1–14): approved by roll call (all present board members recorded “Yes”). - Approval of HIB cases listed in the agenda and reaffirmation of the board’s prior decision on HIB Case No. 1 at the UES (decision rendered 11/19/2024): approved.

What’s next The board said it will continue community engagement and update the public as its review of the bus depot site and the referendum timeline evolves. Administrators and board members encouraged residents to attend scheduled community meetings on the referendum and a planned internet-safety presentation at the UES, where board members will also be present to answer questions.

Sources: Board statements and motions at the Jan. 21, 2025 Moorestown Township Public School District Board of Education meeting; public comments by residents and school staff recorded during the meeting.