Berkeley Heights superintendent urges voters to back March 10 referendum to fund $50 million in school upgrades

Superintendent Kim Feltree outlined in a video message that the Berkeley Heights School District is asking residents to vote on a two-question referendum on March 10, 2026, to finance upgrades across the district’s six schools.

Feltree said the referendum is timed to take advantage of $16,800,000 in state debt-service aid already approved for the district. “An added benefit is that through the referendum, the district has been approved for $16,800,000 of debt service aid,” she said, adding that the aid would help the district complete roughly $50,000,000 of essential projects with an estimated local cost of $33,500,000 if both questions are approved.

The superintendent framed the request as a response to long-running capital needs. “The district has identified needed updates and upgrades across all six schools, from classroom spaces to building systems and facility improvements,” Feltree said, and noted that while the district uses capital and maintenance reserve funds and occasional state grants for annual repairs, the current backlog exceeds what reserves can cover.

Feltree pointed to New Jersey’s 2% tax cap on operating budgets as a limit on using operating revenues to cover major capital work, saying that constraint has forced the district to defer some projects over the years. She described debt-service aid and milestone-based state grants (referred to in the video as ROD/ROG grants) as distinct funding streams: debt-service aid reimburses districts over the life of a bond for state-approved large-scale construction, while ROD/ROG grants provide milestone-based funding for smaller state-approved capital repairs.

She listed recent local projects completed with operating funds or grant assistance, including district-wide exhaust fan upgrades; drainage improvements at Mountain Park; pre-K toilet upgrades and roofing at Woodruff and CMS; gym floor upgrades at CMS and GL; and a press-box replacement at GL. Feltree said the March timing seeks to minimize tax increases because existing debt-service payments are ending. “Acting now allows us to address long standing facility needs while minimizing the impact on local taxpayers and avoiding added pressure on the operating budget,” she said.

Feltree also reminded residents that it has been about 20 years since the last successful referendum (2006) and directed voters to the district’s referendum page for project details and voter information. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 10, 2026.

If voters approve the two referendum questions, the district would proceed with the outlined bond financing and project work; if the questions fail, the district would remain limited to capital reserves and grant funding for future projects, which the superintendent warned would prolong deferred repairs.