Hopewell Valley board narrows November referendum to two questions focused on urgent repairs and space additions

The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education reviewed a two-question referendum proposal on facilities and capacity at its June 16 meeting, with members and staff urging outreach to voters before a likely November ballot.

The draft plan would present voters with question 1, a package of critical infrastructure repairs and life-safety work, and question 2, additions to Bear Tavern Elementary and Tollgate Elementary to remove portable classrooms and add patient/bathroom space. Board discussion and staff presentation emphasized that question 1 must pass for question 2 to be acted on, and that the board planned further community engagement before finalizing and submitting the wording to the county clerk.

Why it matters: board and district leaders said question 1 contains projects they consider mission-critical — roofs, HVAC replacements, door and fire-safety improvements, sewer pump station renovation, and other work that administrators said could force school closures if left undone. Question 2 would build added classroom and support space at Bear Tavern (a proposed 19,000-square-foot addition) and a smaller Tollgate addition intended in part to bring pre‑K and kindergarten classrooms out of trailers and to add a recommended emergency vehicle access roadway.

District staff summarized project scope, schedule and cost assumptions. The combined estimated cost…