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Residents press school board accountability, maintenance concerns ahead of March 11 Lacey Township school referendum
Summary
Multiple residents used the township public‑comment period to criticize Lacey Township School District budgeting and maintenance, urged voters to research the March 11 referendum and cited falling maintenance spending and a $92 million referendum figure.
Several residents of Lacey Township used the Feb. 27 caucus meeting public comment period to express concerns about the Lacey Township School District’s finances, maintenance of school facilities and the March 11 school referendum.
Speakers raised multiple themes: a complaint that maintenance funding for district facilities has been reduced over the past decade, specific references to aging high‑school boilers that went unreplaced for decades, and skepticism about the district’s financial stewardship. One speaker said maintenance spending across the district fell from about $1.9 million in February 2015 to about $700,000 in February 2024 and criticized long‑term maintenance as being deferred.
Several residents urged voters to research the March 11 referendum. One speaker described the referendum figure as $92,000,000 with an additional $46,000,000 in interest, and said they could not support further spending without clearer trust in the school board’s budget priorities. Another said the district’s state aid has declined to about $7,000,000 for the current year from approximately $14,500,000 in 2018, arguing that long‑term planning should have adjusted to declining state aid.
A community group (Lacey Citizens for Responsible Government) and other residents announced public meetings and resources: a recorded library event and an upcoming community meeting at 7 p.m. on March 6 at the library (as noted in the transcript) and encouraged turnout for the March 11 referendum.
Speakers framed their remarks as calls for more transparency and accountability by the Lacey Township School District and its board, and some urged piecemeal or prioritized projects rather than a large referendum. No actions by the township committee on school district governance or the referendum were taken at the meeting; the remarks were made during the public‑comment period and reflect citizens’ views recorded in the transcript.
