Board signals no current referendum, approves $7 million abatement for capital projects

Warren Township High School District 121 trustees on Tuesday reiterated that they do not intend to adopt a resolution at this meeting to place a facilities referendum on the ballot, but said the district will be prepared to accelerate short‑term projects if a ballot question does appear.

Superintendent Dr. Wiesman told the board that agenda planning conversations with the board president and vice president led administration to confirm the district’s current stance: the board is not adopting a resolution to place a facility question on the ballot at this time, though that option remains possible in the future. Administration said that if a question is placed on the ballot, the district would expedite elements of its current facility plan and take approximately a year to consider long‑term implications.

As part of the meeting’s action items, the board approved a resolution abating $7,000,000 from the working cash fund to the operations and maintenance/capital projects fund. Board members noted the funds are intended to support ongoing projects, and administration pointed specifically to the locker room project as a connected need; the superintendent described sequencing dependencies (locker room work, crane placement, then parking lot work) that must be managed during summer construction.

The abatement passed on a roll call vote.

The board also discussed other short‑term priorities they would accelerate if funding becomes available: continued roof work, parking lot replacements, flooring and ceiling replacements. Administration said some projects are sequenced and require completion of earlier tasks before later work can begin.