Cinnaminson board approves proposed $77 million, two‑question school facilities referendum and sets special election date

The Cinnaminson Township School District board on Tuesday approved a two‑question school facilities proposal totaling about $77 million that would touch every building in the district and is intended to secure state aid before local borrowing.

District architect Bob Garrison laid out the package in a lengthy presentation, saying Question 1 would cover a broad set of renovations and limited new construction priced at about $57.7 million and Question 2 would add early‑childhood classrooms, athletic and other improvements at about $18.3 million. Garrison said the district expects roughly $16.8 million in state aid for Question 1 and other aid for Question 2, noting state share estimates range from the high‑20s to about 40% for certain site work and safety projects.

"Question number 1, packaging all of these things together, it's a $57,700,000 initiative," Garrison said during the presentation, adding that the program blends new construction with renovations to maximize state aid. He described work ranging from roof and HVAC replacements and asbestos abatement to classroom additions, gymnasiums and a proposed e‑sports/robotics space.

Superintendent Cappello summarized the district's goals and encouraged public engagement. He also clarified a finance detail raised during the presentation, saying some anticipated roofing work was reallocated in the final version of the plan and "we would not need to approach the township for that contribution." Garrison said the board intentionally limited the program below the district's borrowing capacity to reduce taxpayer impact.

The board's business and finance agenda included a motion to "approve the proposed school facilities project as outlined below and in Mr. Garrison's presentation tonight." The motion passed on a voice vote.

Wilkie, the district business administrator, presented estimated tax impacts using conservative financing assumptions (4.15% interest over 25 years). For a home assessed at $236,538 she showed an annual tax impact of about $399.68 for Question 1 and about $160 for Question 2. Those calculations assume the state aid letters and the borrowing structure Garrison described.

Garrison walked the board through school‑by‑school highlights: site work and security upgrades at Memorial School; an eight‑classroom addition, expanded parking and classroom renovations at Eleanor Rush; a parent loop road, new gym and classroom / pre‑K space at New Albany; HVAC, control and curriculum space upgrades at the middle school; and targeted high‑school improvements including a new STEM lab, auxiliary gym work and a reconfigured media center for e‑sports and robotics.

Garrison said the district will submit the plans to the New Jersey Department of Education, request finance letters, present to local planning boards as needed and then schedule work so construction can begin once financing and bids are in place. He and Cappello said the district is targeting a special election on Sept. 15, 2026, if the DOE returns favorable aid commitments.

The board and referendum committee emphasized that the package seeks to preserve aging systems and to capture state aid that would otherwise be unavailable without borrowing. "Borrowing enables us to capture state aid," Garrison told the audience, citing prior successful referendums in neighboring districts as examples.

The board did not take an immediate vote of the public on the referendum tonight; instead, by approving the project list as presented, members advanced the work to the next procedural steps: finalize DOE submissions, receive aid letters, publish required election materials and use the district tax calculator and website to inform residents about individual tax impacts.

The board also noted next steps in its planning calendar: filing to the Department of Education, preparing bid documents in the fall and phasing large roofing work in 2027 and subsequent years through 2028, with details to be posted on the district website and in forthcoming public forums.

What happens next: the district will seek formal aid letters from the NJ Department of Education and, if the amounts align with the presentation, will proceed toward the special election scheduled for Sept. 15, 2026. If aid or financial assumptions change, the district will update the public and the board before finalizing the ballot questions.

(Reporting based on the board meeting transcript and on‑record presentations by Bob Garrison and district officials.)